Mets clubhouse 'perplexed' after mid-September collapse

The New York Mets have a 76-73 record and have possession of the third wild card spot in the National League. But the vibes in New York are not great, especially amid the team's September collapse.

After sweeping the Philadelphia Phillies in New York, shrinking the Phillies' NL East lead to four games, things have drastically changed in the Mets' favor. Between the Phillies' hot streak and the Mets' cold streak, the Mets are now unlikely to win the NL East, and also don't control their own destiny in the wild card race.

Steve Gelbs of SNY shared on Twitter/X that after the Mets' loss to the Texas Rangers, which was their eighth loss in a row, the Mets' clubhouse was best described as "perplexed."

The Mets clubhouse is 'perplexed' after losing eight straight

"The mood in the Mets clubhouse can best be described as 'perplexed,'" Gelbs writes. "Players insist they're preparing the right way, embracing the urgency and maintaining the right attitude. They look at the talent in the room and believe it has to turn - but no one can explain why it hasn't yet."

The mood in the Mets clubhouse can best be described as “perplexed.” Players insist they’re preparing the right way, embracing the urgency and maintaining the right attitude. They look at the talent in the room and believe it has to turn—but no one can explain why it hasn’t yet.

This report from Gelbs is a worrying one, as there isn't enough season left for the Mets to be uncertain. The San Francisco Giants are only 0.5 behind the Mets for the wild card, and the Cincinnati Reds are only 1.5 behind as well.

New York began unraveling in September, beginning after their series-opening win over the Reds. They dropped the final two games of that series before heading to Philadelphia for a massive series.

But it went as poorly as it could have, as the Mets lost four straight in Philadelphia, effectively putting the NL East out of reach. They finally returned to New York after a rough 10-game road trip, and promptly lost two games to the Texas Rangers.

The Mets would need to go undefeated the rest of the way, while the Phillies would need to go winless if the Mets were to win the NL East. Based on how both teams are playing, it's incredibly unlikely.

Offensively, the team has been fine, as in the last 30 days, the Mets are ranked second in team OPS with an .834, behind only the Phillies at an .878 OPS. The team's main issue has been the pitching staff.

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While the offense ranks second, in the same timeframe, the pitching staff has a 5.06 ERA, which ranks as the 7th worst in MLB. Over the last 15 days, the Mets' pitching staff has been the second-worst in baseball, with a 5.97 ERA, as only the Colorado Rockies have a worse ERA (6.27).

Aside from the struggling pitching staff, of late, the Mets' offense also hasn't been strong. In the last 15 days, the Mets' offense ranks 22nd with a .682 OPS. In the last week, the Mets rank 25th with a .576 OPS.

It has been a perplexing last couple of days for the Mets, especially after blowing two leads late and dropping eight in a row to fall 13 games back of the Phillies in the NL East.

Things are bleak at the moment, but the Mets have the talent to contend, and if they can figure things out and close out the year strong, this poor stretch of baseball might not sting as much. But, with this report from Gelbs and the struggles for the Mets in nearly every phase of the game, it's hard to view the team positively.

The Mets will look to avoid the sweep at the hands of the Rangers on Sunday afternoon, as they try to avoid a further collapse and get out of this "perplexing" stretch of baseball.

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