Mets Continue To Falter With Runners In Scoring Position
Despite the 3-1 loss on Saturday to the Athletics, the New York Mets still have a very strong 9-5 record. That strong record would even be better if the Mets were able to hit consistently with runners in scoring position.
After leaving eight men on base and going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, the Mets are now 18-for-117 (.154) on the season when a runner occupies second or third base. That is the second-worst average in the major leagues. Despite this, they have still been able to win nine of their 14 games.
With the pitching the team has gotten, their struggles with runners in scoring position have been survivable. However, if the pitching starts to not be as sharp, New York won’t be able to continuously get away with hitting below the Mendoza Line with runners in scoring position.
In the long run, it is very likely that average will get better, thus propelling a Mets offense that, on paper, should be very strong. According to Baseball Savant, the Mets own an expected slugging percentage of .442, which is the fifth-highest mark in the major leagues. Their xwOBA ranks seventh. If they keep hitting the ball like they have been, the tide should start to turn.
Until then, it is extremely hard to consistently win games when the offense is performing so poorly in such an important spot. Luckily, the Mets have been making an exception to that by relying on some of the best pitching in the league. Hopefully, with the help of some positive regression, New York won’t have to rely on that stout pitching going forward and that firepower-loaded offense starts to hit how everyone expected it to.
As manager Carlos Mendoza said after Saturday’s loss after he was asked if he is concerned about his offense’s performance, “No. We’ve got too many good hitters in that lineup.”
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