Nothing has gone right for the New York Mets in the 2024 season. They are struggling in virtually every facet of the game, as this summer is going to be a long one in Queens. For the second straight year, the team doesn’t look like they will be a factor in the playoff race.
Pinpointing one area that has led to such poor performance is difficult. There aren’t many areas of the team to be excited about, but one that sticks out as potentially being the worst has been their late-game performances.
As shared by Codify on X, the New York Mets currently lead the MLB with nine losses in games they held the lead after seven innings. The next closest team is the Detroit Tigers, who have accomplished that ugly feat six times.
If you take away three of those losses and tie the Mets with the Tigers for the most in baseball, their outlook changes drastically. It still wouldn’t be great, but at 25-30, they would be only three games out of a Wild Card spot in the National League.
Instead, they are 22-33, six games out of a Wild Card spot with no light at the end of the tunnel. The struggles of closer Edwin Diaz have been well-documented this season and are a major reason for the team leading the league in this statistic.
Diaz, who was placed on the injured list this week, has already blown four saves this season. As a team, the New York Mets have blown 10 saves out of 22 chances. Their 55 percent conversion rate is the sixth worst in baseball.
Manager Carlos Mendoza doesn’t have many options that he can trust late in games. After a hot start, Reed Garrett has crashed back to Earth with runs allowed in three straight appearances. Adam Ottavino has an ERA of 5.48.
Jorge Lopez, who had been solid until recently, has surrendered runs in three straight appearances as well. His meltdown on Wednesday has led to the New York Mets designating him for assignment, creating another hole in their bullpen to fill.
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