Mets grappling with unsettling new identity one week after slew of trades

BALTIMORE — Jeff McNeil delivered one of his best offensive nights over the last two months, but the Mets' utility man was downtrodden as he stood in front of his locker on Saturday night.

McNeil had homered for the first time in more than six weeks and drove in all three Mets' runs, but an uplifting personal performance was scarred by the Mets' fifth loss of the road trip.

The Mets' deadline sell-off, which notably included the trades of Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander and David Robertson, has been a harsh dose of reality for the team's veteran players. The Mets' struggles continued on Sunday afternoon as they suffered a 2-0 loss to the Orioles in front of 27,00 fans at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

"I’m still trying to stay positive. It is tough. It’s a situation I’ve never really been in," McNeil said on Saturday night. "The selling is tough and you lose so many guys, but you’ve still got a bunch of great guys in this locker, trying to keep it loose, keep it fun, but at the same time, keep it professional. We want to win."

Added Pete Alonso on Sunday: "Yeah, really, really, really tough week. Very tough week."

It was the Mets' second time they have been swept since the trade deadline as they dropped six straight games to the Royals and Orioles to drop to 50-61 - their most games under .500 this season. It was their first winless road trip of at least six games since May 12-17, 2017

Mets' change in direction

During the Mets' six-game losing streak, they were outscored 39-14.

The Mets' course has been a gut-punch for the Mets' veterans, like McNeil and Brandon Nimmo, who signed long-term deals to compete for a World Series title. But an aging roster and underperformance, with a 50-55 record at the deadline, led the Mets' front office to expedite their plans to load the farm system.

This past week was an example of the ramifications of that decision.

"Not too good," Buck Showalter said of the six-game road trip. "Get home, hopefully turn some things around and people continue to hopefully make use of their opportunities that they’re getting. It’s a learning curve. It’s painful sometimes for them. I feel for them."

The Mets' lineup on Sunday afternoon included five players who have spent the majority of the 2023 season in Triple-A Syracuse. That is a product of the team dealing with loss of Mark Canha and Tommy Pham, while being cautious following injuries to Brandon and Starling Marte.

"It’s strange because there’s guys that are coming up and excited to get a chance to play in the big leagues," Alonso said. "Having guys that have been grinding away in the minors all year, they’re super excited to get a chance. All of us that are people that have been here all year, we’ve been super welcoming."

Growing pains

Some of that Mets' inexperience cost Jose Quintana. The lefty has suddenly become the rock of the Mets' starting rotation and delivered his third straight quality start. He allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks across six innings with six strikeouts but still suffered the loss.

"Reports said they are a really aggressive team," Quintana said. "I tried to take advantage of that and execute my first pitches and get quick outs. It was a great game. We’re so close. That’s not the way we want to be. We need to keep fighting and get better."

The runs crossed in unfortunate fashion. The first came after a looping line drive skipped past a sliding Rafael Ortega and reached the wall as Jorge Mateo motored into third with a triple. He scored on a ground-ball out that rattled in and out of the glove of Mark Vientos at third base.

Then with runners on the corners in the seventh inning of a 1-0 game, the Orioles' second run scored on a ground ball to second that Danny Mendick opted to toss to second base instead of home with James McCann halfway down the line.

"Believe me, we talk about all these things constantly, but timing sometimes and receptiveness are important," Showalter said. "Most of the times these guys know exactly what they did wrong, but you’re always there. You start out by saying, ‘What were you thinking? What did we miss? What can we do better?' It’s one of those learning curves."

With 52 games still to go, one eye is fixed toward 2024 and developing the team's young core.

Baty, Vientos and Francisco Alvarez will all be tasked with big roles to help the Mets dig out of their recent skid and finish respectively over the final two months of the season.

The Mets' younger players will be pressed to learn on the fly, at times amid struggles that they have not experienced in their baseball lives. Take Brett Baty, who had five home runs in nine games in Triple-A Syracuse in April. The Met 23-year-old third baseman is fighting through a 9-for-67 (.134) slump since the All-Star break.

"I just think every young player goes through it because we run them so quickly up the flag pole," Showalter said. "We don’t. The environment does. People want (Baty) to be good, so it’s normal. You try to be empathetic, not sympathetic. He hasn’t embraced anything negatively, but you’re always looking for if there is that, you keep an eye out for it, if it’s affecting him."

Vientos, who is batting .214, made the defensive miscue at third base. Francisco Alvarez has been a boon for the Mets' offense as a 21-year-old rookie, but has gone through rough patches throughout the season.

The record has suffered as inexperience set in this week. But the group is looking to showcase the promise of the future over the final two months.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: NY Mets: Second straight sweep signals new era for team post-deadline