Everything lately — the series, the month and the last 40 games — has been a catastrophe.
The Mets moved right along with their ugly and embarrassing plummet yesterday afternoon, getting swept in a four-game set by the woeful Rockies, who entered the day with the third-worst record in baseball.
The Mets fell 1-0 at Citi Field, spoiling a brilliant major-league debut by righty Collin McHugh. The rookie pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up two hits and striking out nine, but the Mets were blanked by five Rockies pitchers, none of whom went more than three innings.
Let’s look further at the Mets’ free-fall. They have lost five in a row, eight of 10, 14 of 19 and 29 of 40. They also haven’t scored more than two runs in any of their last six games, a trick they last turned in 1982.
“We’re going on a week and it’s a nightmare,” Josh Thole said. “It’s a nightmare for everybody in this clubhouse.”
The Mets went 0-for-17 with men on base yesterday and 0-for-10 with a runner in scoring position. They scored five runs in the four games and put up 27 hits against a Rockies team that went into yesterday with the majors’ worst ERA (5.31)and hits allowed (1,236 or just over 10 per game).
In 21 games this month the Mets have scored 60 runs, the second-worst total in baseball.
“When you’re in a slump, it doesn’t matter what the record of the other team is,” manager Terry Collins said.
Keep that in mind, because the 39-86 Astros, who have the worst record in the majors, visit Citi Field tonight.
Though the Mets have 37 games left, Collins admitted to looking toward 2013, and McHugh is the latest young pitcher to open eyes, following Jonathon Niese’s strong season and Matt Harvey’s promising beginning.
McHugh, 25, moved his fastball from 86-to-93 mph, got five of his nine strikeouts with his curve and “impressed” Collins.
“Before the game I think they said he was Dillon Gee, and that’s exactly what I saw,” Thole said.
With the game scoreless in the top of the eighth, Tyler Colvin led off with a drive to center off reliever Bobby Parnell. Jordany Valdespin misjudged it, initially coming in before going back as the ball sailed over his head for a triple. Chris Nelson followed with an RBI single for the game’s only run.
“The ball was a line drive and spun up,” Valdespin said.
Collins was asked if this has been one of the most trying weeks in his two years as Mets manager.
“In a lot of years, the most trying week,” he said. “It just seems like we can’t execute anything we try.”
The Met offense certainly is not executing. They left at least one runner on in every inning but the sixth, stranding 12 overall. When David Wright lined out to right to end the game and leave Andres Torres on second, the third baseman threw his helmet toward the dugout in exasperation.
The Mets haven’t put up a multiple-run inning in their last 47 innings. That’s more than five full games.
“We’re getting our [butt] kicked night in and night out,” Thole said. “That’s the bottom line.”