Palladino: Mets Face Critical Juncture Needing A Lot To Go Right
By Ernie Palladino
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That four-game sweep against the Cubs seems so long ago now, even though it culminated at the beginning of July.
Since then, the Mets have gone 4-6 against teams that matter, namely the those same Cubs and the Nationals in addition to the Marlins.
After the Mets took the Miami series two games to one right after the sweep, Washington took three of four. Chicago took two out of three this week and missed a sweep due only to Jeurys Familia's bases-loaded tight rope act in Tuesday's 2-1 win.
The Mets could use a softy right now. The Phillies would be nice right about now. The Braves, maybe?
Unfortunately, the next six games provide nothing of the sort. The second-place Marlins are up Friday, a game ahead in both the standings and the race for the second Wild Card spot. The Cardinals, the current runner-up to the Cubs in the NL Central, come next.
This is not a great scenario for Terry Collins' struggling squad, especially since the pitching -- the Mets' projected bulwark this season -- appears to be crumbling before the manager's very eyes.
It has long been a given that the offense remains as inconsistent as it was at this point last year. The 2.8-run average over the last six games proves as much, even as Wilmer Flores continued to make a case for himself as an everyday player with homers in his two starts against the Cubbies.
Both those shots were wasted because the Mets' rotation of today looks little like the staff that started the season.
Matt Harvey is now Logan Verrett, which is pretty much an even swap given Harvey's pre-surgical train wreck of a first half.
Steven Matz obviously is struggling with that bone chip in his elbow. He has lost his last three starts and hasn't won in nine dating to May 25 against the Nationals. The five-inning, four-run hurt the Cubs laid on him Monday ballooned his ERA to 3.56 from the 2.36 he had after that winning eight-inning shutout performance against Washington.
Right now, Jacob deGrom is the Mets' steadiest pitcher, though he has had velocity issues. And Noah Syndergaard appears to be adjusting to life with a somewhat smaller bone spur than his left-handed teammate.
Then there is what has become the biggest sore spot, Bartolo Colon. After starting strong at 7-3 with a 2.87 ERA, Colon's performance has fallen off, going 1-1 in three starts.
Maybe it's the rising temperatures. Maybe it's just the wear and tear old man time places on an ancient arm. Whatever the case, it has been ugly of late. The Nationals' six-run, three-homer performance that ended after 4 2/3 innings just before the All-Star break marked his shortest stint of the season until Wednesday, when the Cubs chased him after 4 1/3. They pounded him for two more homers among their six runs on eight hits.
That's a problem. Ordinarily, those outings might have had Collins considering placing Colon in the bullpen, at least for a short while as he gathers his 43-year-old self. But with Verrett already taking a permanent spot, Collins is left with no choice but to keep running the always game but fading Colon out there.
His comment after the latest shelling was telling, and pessimistic for the immediate future.
"We have no other options right now," Collins said after the Cubs game. "Right now, if he was 53, he'd be out there pitching."
It's hard to lay such responsibility on any quadragenarian, even one who just went through a shockingly good first half. So between now and the Aug. 1 trade deadline, Sandy Alderson will do well to look for mid-rotation help. The price might be costly, and the field probably thin, but at yet another critical juncture where the Mets appear headed southward, they really can't afford to wait until Zack Wheeler gets back, whenever that uncertain date may be.
A starter at this point may be even more important than the reliever Alderson has long sought. There's no telling how long Matz will last before the higher-ups begin talking surgery, especially if he doesn't come out of his funk.
For now, though, the Mets have to win with what they have. What they have isn't very good. And they face two pretty good teams who are perfectly capable of putting a big hurt on their pennant chances.
Wouldn't you know it? Right when they could use a softy or two.
Follow Ernie on Twitter at @ErniePalladino
