Every time the Mets appear to take one step forward lately, they respond by taking two steps back.
That was again the case on Wednesday night.
After their offense finally broke through with one of their best showings of the season Tuesday, they came back and got blown out by the Nationals in the middle of a three-game set.
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David Peterson had the matchup the Mets were looking for, but his struggles continued, as he lasted just 3.2 innings and allowed seven runs in his return to the starting rotation.
And things only spiraled after he was pulled, as Sean Manaea entered with the bases loaded and hit the first batter he faced, then gave up a grand slam to officially put this one out of reach.
The two combined to allowed 13 of Washington’s 14 runs on five walks and 12 hits.
New York’s offense did have opportunities to show some sign of life, but other than the locked in Juan Soto, they couldn’t deliver the big hit needed against Washington’s pitching staff.
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So with the Phillies having the night off due to rain, the Mets’ loss now puts them in sole possession of the worst record in baseball through their first 30 games (10-20).
Having dropped 16 of their last 19, Carlos Mendoza isn’t looking for excuses.
“We have to be better,” he said. “It’s been a long period of time where we’re not playing well, we have to fix it.”
With the opening month of the season set to come to a close on Thursday, New York certainly must get things fixed sooner rather than later.
They’ll look to end the brutal month on a high note with Freddy Peralta on the mound.
“It’s easy to let things compound, it’s easy to get caught up in it,” Peterson said. “But the only way we’re going to get out of it is by taking things one day at a time, trying to attack, and just trying to win tomorrows game.”