WASHINGTON — This couldn’t be what the Mets envisioned on July 31, when general manager Sandy Alderson defended his decision to not trade Scott Hairston by saying there was plenty of “good” baseball ahead for the team.
Maybe the best hope now for the Mets is to avoid the NL East basement.
Another losing series and road trip concluded yesterday with a 5-2 loss to the Nationals that pushed the Mets seven games below .500, giving them a 7-11 record since Alderson’s pronouncement at the trade deadline.
The numbers aren’t pretty. The Mets (57-64) have only one winning series in their last 12 and continue to struggle offensively. On this 2-4 road trip, which included two losses in Cincinnati, the Mets averaged only 2.9 runs.
If there is a silver lining for the Mets, it is that they are headed home for seven games against the major leagues’ two worst teams: the Rockies and the Astros. Of course, it should be noted the Mets were swept in three games by the Astros earlier this season and haven’t exactly shown a penchant for beating teams with inferior records. The most recent example came on their last homestand, when the Mets lost two of three to the Marlins.
“We’re not exactly playing great right now,” manager Terry Collins said, when asked about the upcoming schedule. “We competed, and that’s what we want to try and do, and we can’t let down.”
Collins’ new six-man rotation took effect yesterday, with Jeremy Hefner pitching, allowing Chris Young and Johan Santana each to receive an extra day off before their next scheduled starts. But Hefner was pounded early, putting the Mets in a four-run hole.
After a 2 1/2-hour rain delay before the first pitch, Hefner (2-5) lasted five innings in which he surrendered five earned runs on eight hits with no walks and three strikeouts.
“I don’t think the rain delay was an excuse,” Hefner said. “It’s probably a built-in excuse, but I don’t think it affected me at all. Today I didn’t get away with any mistakes. They are a good team and they capitalized. ”
Nationals starter Gio Gonzalez (16-6) wasn’t sharp, but survived 5 2/3 innings in which he allowed one run on seven hits and two walks. The Mets left 10 runners on base in falling to 4-11 against the Nationals this season.
“We had a lot of guys on and plenty of opportunities,” Collins said. “We just couldn’t get the big hit when we needed it. But we hung in there and made it a game — that was the good part.”
The Mets didn’t score until the sixth, when Jason Bay’s ground out brought home a run following Ike Davis’ leadoff double.
Bryce Harper’s homer leading off the fifth gave the Nationals a 5-0 lead. The homer was Harper’s 12th of the season and was the eighth surrendered by Hefner.
Harper’s RBI triple in the third had put the Mets in a 4-0 hole. Jayson Werth singled leading off the inning before the rookie Harper displayed his raw speed with a shot into the right-center gap that went for three bases.
Danny Espinosa’s two-run homer in the second got the Nationals started.
Collins said the rain delay presented challenges for both teams.
“It didn’t help Gio, either,” Collins said. “The idea is you’ve got to stay focused anyway. I know Hef was ready to pitch. He just made some mistakes in the middle of the plate.”