New York Mets: Another June swoon may lead to empty CitiField
By Joe Noa
The New York Mets can’t afford a June swoon like they had last year. If they do, tickets at CitiField may become very easy to get in the second half of the season.
Will the New York Mets come out of May with a better June? We can only hope so, but in order for this to happen, the bullpen has to live up to its hype and the offense must continue to produce. If not, there will be lots of gourmet food and no one to sell to as nervous Mets fans fear another June swoon.
The Mets posted a disastrous 2-5 record in Los Angeles and Phoenix, twice going into the ninth inning with big leads, only to see the bullpen implode like the demolition of an old office building. They could have easily been 4-3 heading back home to leave a very forgettable month of May posting a record of 13-15, with the lowlights of being swept by the Milwaukee Brewers and the Miami Marlins. The latter bringing the Mets into the Cano’s No-Hustlegate scandal that put Manager Mickey Callaway in a precarious situation with many fans calling for his demise and bring either Joe Girardi, Buck Showalter, and even exiled Wally Backman.
Is that a good idea at this point of the season? If that were to happen, the likely candidate would be New York Mets current bench coach Jim Riggleman. Not exactly a glamor choice for a team expected to make the playoffs. The other names mentioned would be a little off their rocker to take charge of the ship in mid-stream with a staff they have no connection to. So, in other words, Mets fans, we are stuck with Camp Kumbaya Callaway.
Afterward, Mickey Callaway was brought into a meeting with BVW and Jeff Wilpon for a performance review and evaluation. Many were hoping it would be his exit interview, but cooler heads prevailed. Van Wagenen held a press conference to reaffirm that Callaway is the manager for “the foreseeable future,” as in, if-things-do-not-begin-to-turn-around-and-fast-you-are-gone foreseeable future.
Good thing that the rest of the National League Eastern division was treading water as in a whirlpool fighting from going down the drain. So the New YorkMets are still very much in the race but the Amazin fan base is not pleased with the results so far, especially since GM Brodie Van Wagenen proudly and boastfully had his cock of the walk moment, stating “we are the team to beat,” and “come and get us.”
Well, the bullpen has been acting like an overheated radiator as the leads handed to them go up in steam. Jeurys Familia still can’t find his way into the strike zone, Bashlor lives up to his name and get bashed, Gsellman’s pitches were introduced to outfield bleachers for home runs, and even Edwin Diaz was pitching like Charlie Brown.
So after a May that brought nervous images of May 2018, are these Mets going to repeat another June swoon? Hopefully not, but when they had a chance to capitalize on below .500 teams, the Mets now must face the Rockies, Yankees, Cardinals, Cubs, Braves, and Phillies. This will be like walking through a minefield with no GPS.
In June, the Mets already started off on the wrong foot, with the two losses to the Diamondbacks, but the Mets came back to take two straight from the San Francisco Giants after opening the homestand with yet another bullpen implosion.
This month will determine if the Mets are contenders or pretenders. It is time to back what BVW said this winter. If not, there will be a lot of unsold food and merchandise at CitiField. It will be another year of disappointment and despair. New York Mets fans have sung this tune too many times and its time for a hit.