Bad became worse and worse became awful.
The Mets lost Edwin Diaz, Pete Alonso, yet another game and this time their professionalism as well.
They announced before the game that Diaz had been placed on the IL with a shoulder impingement. Alonso was removed two batters into the bottom of the first after being hit on his right hand by a James Paxton fastball. And in the eighth inning, the Mets combined ineptitude with immaturity when Jorge Lopez was ejected from the game and tossed his glove into the crowd on the way off the field.
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Mendoza said he did not think Diaz’s injury was long-term serious and that the initial X-rays on Alonso were negative, though the first baseman was headed for imaging to determine the full extent. When it came to Lopez, though, Mendoza was furious, calling the act unacceptable and saying there would be ramifications — which he said would be handled internally.
The Mets, who had scored two runs in the first 22 innings of the series, scraped for three in the fifth Wednesday to tie the score. But the one quality area over the first quarter of the season, their setup core, has collapsed the past two weeks under the weight of heavy usage fueled by short starts, close games and the implosion of Diaz.
Adam Ottavino and Lopez combined to allow six eighth-inning runs Wednesday. Lopez then got into a heated verbal spat with third-base ump Ramon DeJesus over a check swing that the ump got correct. DeJesus ejected Lopez, who yanked his uniform shirt tail out then heaved his glove over the high protective netting near the home dugout. It was bad pitching followed by a bad look in a season going all bad.
In fact, seeing the Dodgers beat the Mets three times in 24 hours, Wednesday’s 10-3 series finale following Tuesday’s doubleheader sweep, made it feel like the separation between the organizations is greater today than in November 2020 when Steve Cohen, at his introductory press conference, said, “I liked what the Dodgers are doing” in suggesting which franchise he would like to emulate. But here in 2024, the Dodgers are cruising toward their 13th straight playoff spot, including 12 division titles. The Mets (22-33) have the majors’ fifth-worst record and are just three games ahead of NL East cellar-dweller Miami.
Four years ago, Cohen praised the farm system, opportune free-agent strikes, trades and business acumen that had helped establish the Dodgers as then newly minted champions.
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“That’s one team that easily seems to make the mark in the type of places that I want to do the same,” Cohen said.
And it was hard to miss similarities. The Dodgers had been owned by the tight-fisted buffoonery of Frank and Jamie McCourt. So when Guggenheim Partners bought the organization for $2.3 billion — beating out Cohen — they wanted to demonstrate to fans a new sheriff was in town (and try to land a lucrative cable deal as well). So they spent lavishly, notably taking on a half billion future dollars to trade with Boston for Josh Beckett, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez during their inaugural 2012 season.
The spigot would stay open for big free-agent signs that offseason — Zack Greinke, Yasiel Puig and Hyun-jin Ryu.
Cohen bought the Mets for $2.4 billion from the tight-fisted buffoonery of the Wilpons. He instantly wanted to demonstrate to fans a new sheriff was in town, and traded for and signed Francisco Lindor long term as part of a spate of moves that over a few years produced by far the largest payroll ever.
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Like the Mets, a lot of that early money spent did not go well for the Dodgers. But the difference was the Guggenheim group inherited notably prime-aged Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen, had Joc Pederson and Corey Seager in the minors, and were about to draft Cody Bellinger. And beginning in 2013, they have made the playoffs every season and will almost certainly win the NL West for the 12th time in 13 seasons.
The Mets did not have that kind of bedrock from which to build. Four years later, they still don’t. When I asked Cohen if he wanted to speak to the comparison before the game, he declined. Clearly, though, he is trying to forge ahead and establish a Mets identity. He obviously hopes the hiring of David Stearns to lead baseball operations last offseason is the true launch point to a better tomorrow.
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The organization does believe it is beginning to establish waves of pitching prospects. But so do most organizations. And even if the Mets are doing better, think of the distance to the Dodgers. Los Angeles has had 13 pitchers on the IL this season, 11 still are out, including five who have been disabled all season. Yet, the Dodgers’ 3.32 ERA after holding the Mets to five runs in three games was the majors’ fourth best.
The Mets, meanwhile, are a mess again.
