Mets skipper Carlos Mendoza makes feelings clear after brutal sweep by Pirates in weekend series

The New York Mets were on the wrong side of history after their 12-1 loss on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Pirates as they became the first team since 1901 to earn 30 runs against, score just 4 runs and strike out 25 times. The series sweep handed them their 13th loss in 16 games.

The Mets started on a bad note with starter Frankie Montas earning five runs in the first inning with two outs. Montas pitched 4.0 innings, earned six runs on seven hits and allowed one walk with 5 strikeouts. The bullpen wasn't much help either, with Richard Lovelady, Dedniel Nunez and Travis Jankowski all earning 2 runs each.

The sole offensive scoring came from Luis Torrens, who hit a solo home run in the fifth inning. The much-fancied top four of Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Juan Soto and Pete Alonso hit 2-for-15 in the game.

After the matchup, manager Carlos Mendoza made his feelings known about the tough stretch and their plans to get back on track during the upcoming home series against the Milwaukee Brewers.

“We are all frustrated, obviously, not going to lie. We’re better than that, and they know that," Mendoza said. "It’s a tough stretch, but we’ve got to be better. It starts with me. We believe in those guys. Offday tomorrow, then we got another good team coming into town, the Brewers. They are playing well. "So we got to bring out our best game. Like I said, continue to support the guys, but obviously we are not happy about it."

This horrific 16-game stretch followed a six-game winning stretch against the Colorado Rockies and the Washington Nationals, both low-lying teams. They would have hoped for a similar performance against the NL Central's last Pirates, but it wasn't to be.

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Mets clubhouse leader Francisco Lindor makes feelings known on tough stretch

Like last year, the Mets organized a players-only team meeting after Saturday's 9-2 loss. In 2024, their meeting was necessitated when they fell 11.0 games behind the .500 PCT. However, this year in a different scenario, the Mets have squandered a lead in the NL East and are now 1.5 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies.

Francisco Lindor believes that the team will come out strong out of this stretch.

"It's a tough stretch for sure. Hopefully getting the day off, the mental day off, and getting away from the field, we can come back and get back on the horse,” Lindor said.

The Mets have gone 12-15 in June and would like to put it behind them as they start a fresh month of July.

Edited by Dipayan Moitra