Mistakes holding Mets back as tough June continues

PHILADELPHIA — The primary popup struck Brandon Nimmo‘s glove and fell to the turf. The second popup fell between Francisco Lindor and Tommy Phamwith the identical outcome. They have been routine performs that ended something however routinely.

Mixed, the dropped pops price the Mets all 5 of the runs they allowed Friday in a 5-1 loss to the Phillies at Residents Financial institution Park. Additionally they represented a continuation of the sloppy play that has dictated outcomes throughout New York’s stretch of 14 losses in 18 video games.

“We’re a significantly better staff than what we’re displaying proper now,” Lindor stated.

But this type of play is turning into a pattern. Nightly, the Mets have discovered themselves committing defensive errors, making psychological errors, recording outs on the bases and extra. As a result of they haven’t been hitting or pitching nicely as a staff — they recorded simply three hits all night time towards former teammate Taijuan Walker on Friday — every mistake has carried outsized weight.

“I’m not likely positive what to attribute it to,” Nimmo stated. “Typically, that occurs over the course of 162. Nevertheless it has been occurring extra usually than final yr, and I don’t actually have a solution as to why that’s.”

Nimmo’s error, his first since 2021, was the results of what he thought of a poor soar from his place in middle area. As he approached the popup that Kyle Schwarber hit, Nimmo debated sliding or staying on his ft. In the end, he selected the latter possibility, however the ball glanced off his glove as he reached it.

Lindor’s mistake got here in listening to the gang as he and Pham converged on a Brandon Marsh pop fly within the sixth. Within the second, as a result of followers had elevated the quantity of their yells, Lindor believed Pham was shut sufficient to make the play. However Pham by no means referred to as Lindor off, leaving the shortstop to remorse his passiveness.

“It was on me,” Lindor stated. “I ought to have taken full cost of the ball.”

It doesn’t assist that Mets pitchers compounded each errors, as they’ve made a behavior of doing in latest weeks. After Schwarber’s ball glanced off Nimmo’s glove within the first inning, Kodai Senga uncorked a wild pitch, walked two batters, and allowed an RBI single and a sacrifice fly. Each runs have been unearned, as neither would have scored had Nimmo made the catch.

Marsh’s ball technically went down as an RBI single, as a result of no person touched it earlier than it hit the turf. That added an earned run to Senga’s line, then one other when Trea Turner subsequently hit a two-run single off Jeff Brigham.

“Errors occur,” Senga stated via an interpreter. “If I’m capable of get better from that and maintain them to a zero, I do know that provides the staff one other increase. That’s the kind of pitcher I attempt to be.”