NEW YORK — Ping-pong and shuffleboard have been removed from the New York Mets clubhouse this season, replaced by a chessboard and cribbage table.
Recreational activities have changed, but the spiral from contender to cellar remains unchecked.
New York has lost 15 of its last 17 games after getting swept 3-1 and 3-0 in a doubleheader Sunday by the Colorado Rockies, a 119-game loser last year. The Mets are tied with NL East rival Philadelphia at a major league-worst 9-19.
“It’s hard to explain,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “It’s just not a good showing. Not good at-bats up and down.”
A big league-best 45-23 at the start of play on June 13 last year, the Mets are 47-74 since. The offseason makeover that saw Pete Alonso, Brandon Nimmo and Edwin Díaz depart, and Bo Bichette, Marcus Semien and Devin Williams arrive has thus far fizzled.
“We all know what kind of talent we have in that lineup and what kind of hitters we have and how much damage they can do,” star outfielder Juan Soto said. “So it’s a matter of time that they’re going to wake up and bring the best out of themselves.”
New York is 10 1/2 games behind NL East-leading Atlanta and seven games back for the last NL wild card. Its 28-game start matches the expansion 1962 Mets — who lost 120 games — along with 1964 and 1983 for the second-worst in team history behind an 8-20 opening in 1981.
“It’s not great. We got to be better,” Brett Baty said. “We’re putting in the work. All the guys are working really hard.”
New York’s 92 runs are the fewest in the major leagues and its 20 homers are one above the big league low. Its .625 OPS ranks last. The Mets have scored one run or none 10 times, including five shutouts.
A day after Boston’s Alex Cora became the first major league manager jettisoned this season, Mendoza said his job security isn’t a concern.
“The only thing I’m worried about here is I’ve got to get the guys going,” Mendoza said. “I know the questions will continue to come up, but my job is to find a way to get those guys out of the funk.”
Mendoza said president of baseball operations David Stearns had not given him any assurances.
“I come here every day. I have a relationship with David, with everyone,” he said. “I come here every day to do my job.”
Kodai Senga dropped to 0-4 with his third straight poor outing, getting chased in the third inning of the second game. An All-Star in 2023, when he was second in the NL with a 2.98 ERA, Senga has a 9.00 ERA and has allowed a team-high five homers in just 20 innings.
“Obviously not good enough,” Mendoza said.
He planned to have a conversation with the 33-year-old Japanese right-hander. Senga’s $75 million, five-year contract, which runs through the 2027 season, specifies the pitcher cannot be assigned to the minor leagues without his consent.
“That warrants a lot of discussions with a lot of different people,” Senga said through a translator. “I can’t give you a yes or no answer right now.”
He would consider a relief role.
“I’ve done it in the past so I don’t think that’s an issue.” he said.
Seeking offence, New York plans to designate Tommy Pham for assignment and has agreed to a major league contract with Austin Slater, a pair of people familiar with the move said, speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the decisions were not announced.
Pham, 38, is 0 for 13 in nine games since he was called up on April 13. Slater, 33, hit .174 in 28 plate appearances for Miami, which designated him for assignment on Thursday.
New York began the season with a big league high payroll of $358.4 million, according to Major League Baseball’s projections, and a total spend including luxury tax of $482.5 million, second to only the two-time World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
“At the end of the day, we got to go out and do it. That’s as simple as that,” Mendoza said. “You watch film. You talk to players individually, support them, encourage them, challenge them. There’s a lot that goes (on) behind the scene as a manager. You’ve got to stay positive obviously but, yeah, it’s just finding ways to get the guys going.”
Ping-pong in the clubhouse was a favourite of Alonso, and the table tennis was removed as soon as he left town. From last year’s clubhouse diversions, the basketball hoop and the pool table remain.
In the pool table after the doubleheader defeat, several balls were sitting in a corner pocket. Prominent was an 8-ball.