Mets Offense staggering thru July.

There is no mystery as to why The Mets are suddenly slumping. It's not the starting staff. It's not the bullpen. It's not Jerry Manuel. It's not the return of Carlos Beltran. Just look to the lineup. They are not hitting with runners in scoring position. Their .688 ops over the last 30 days is only better than the Florida Marlins and the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Mets Survive Maine's early exit, outlast the Washington Nationals 10-7.

Watch John Maine walk off the mound after only one batter. John Maine walked off the mound after only five pitches tonight. The Mets in a precautionary move, decided to pull Maine after noticing diminished velocity in the bullpen before the game. David Wright led the rejuvenated offense with a three run bases clearing double in the top of the first inning. He also added a sacrifice fly and didn't strike out for the first time since a  May 2nd game against the Phillies. Rod Barajas hit a two run home run, his team leading tenth of the year. Jeff Francoeur seems to be heating up, adding a two run single. Jason Bay and Ike Davis each had had three hits, scoring five times. The hero tonight out of the pen was journeyman Raul Valdes, who gave up one run in five innings before tiring and giving up two runs  in the 6th. The Mets are now 20-22, and face the Yankees and Phillies over the next six games. This could be a pivotal stretch of games for manager Jerry Manuel.

Let's not blame Jerry Manuel

As every baseball manager knows, getting fired is part of the territory. Jerry Manuel, who is on every talk radio, print media, and blog hot seat, deserves better. Ever since Endy Chavez made his spectacular catch in the sixth inning of game seven of the 2006 NLCS, the Mets have done nothing but disappoint their fan base. Age, Injuries, and inconsistent play from their young players, have all contributed. When the Mets blew a seven game lead with seventeen to play in 2007, we should have known better. Three fifths of their starting rotation was made up of a pair of 41 year olds (Glavine and El Duque) and a rookie (Mike Pelfrey). You just can't win without a legitimate, in his prime, ace. So Omar traded for one in Johan Santana. Genius! He also tried to upgrade the defense by acquiring good gloves in blossoming OF Ryan Church and Catcher Brian Schneider. We all know what happened. The Mets got off to a slow start, and Manager Willie Randolph was fired. Jerry Manuel took over after 69 games and actually had a 3-1/2 game lead with 17 left to play. This despite closer Billy Wagner blowing out his arm in August. Starting Pitcher John Maine was injured. And the other starters (with the exception of Johan and Pelfrey) couldn't get past the sixth inning. This put pressure on the Wagner less Mets. It was the bullpen collapse of 2008, so Omar Minaya thought he fixed that with a bold winter meeting trade, acquiring former all star closer J.J. Putz, and signing the all time single season record holder for saves, Frankie Rodriguez. Everyone applauded. 2009 would be different. Well, it only got worse! Injuries, injuries, injuries! The Mets just can't get it right the last three and a half years. But in this curious case that is the New York Mets, the blame can be put squarely on the shoulders of the players. Are we suppose to blame Jerry Manuel for David Wright's sudden penchant for swinging at every slider outside the strike zone? How about Jason Bay and his one home run? Jose Reyes, layoff not withstanding, hitting a robust .216? Or how about an Ollie Perez, who once was wildly inconsistent, but is now just plain consistently bad. I don't blame Jerry. On paper, even without Carlos Beltran, the Mets should have enough offense to win with the quality of the pitching they have been getting. Johan Santana could easily have a 6 and 2 record right now. What the Mets have been doing is finding a way to lose tight ballgames and more often than not a lack of offense has been the culprit. Here are some numbers to digest. The Mets have a combined 4 HR's and 33 RBI from the number three and four hitters. COMBINED! Their pinch hitters are hitting a collective .209. The team average with runners in scoring position is .237 and with two outs it drops to .227. The biggest indicator is the team's road average which sits at .217 with a pathetic .281 on base percentage and a disgusting .339 slugging percentage. I guess that explains the 5 and 13 won-loss record on the road. So much for blaming Citifield or the manager.