The Mets have spent much of the first few months of the season chasing their performance from last year, when the reality is that they are chasing five teams for the final National League wild-card spot.
More teams stand in the way of the Mets and a postseason berth than there are between them and the NL-worst Cardinals, who may provide just the kind of weekend company in Queens that misery always welcomes.
You think this has been a tough slog so far for the Metsies? They are conquering heroes compared to the dysfunctional Redbirds, losers of six straight and with a 27-43 record that equates to a .386 percentage and is the third-worst in the majors behind the woebegone Royals and soon-to-be-gone Athletics. It would be the worst percentage in franchise history since 1913. That’s a lot of seasons.
Indeed, the obligatory nightly egregious mental blunder on Friday was not committed by a Met, but by a Cardinal. Opposite Night at Citi Field. In the top of the fifth inning, with his team trailing 5-1, runners on first and second and one out after Willson Contrares had gone deep off Tylor Megill to lead off the frame, premier prospect Jordan Walker unaccountably tried to steal third base.
And he was thrown out by Omar Navarez. Megill and the Mets escaped without further damage. So Mets manager Buck Showalter was telling no lie when he said, “We played crisp,” following the 6-1 win that gave his team its first back-to-back victories since the Mets won three straight from May 30-June 1.
In the land of the blind, the one-eyed Mets restored Daniel Vogelbach to the lineup after a nine-day mental break through which the beleaguered designated hitter (or is that designated batter?) could work on his swing and approach while stepping out of the spotlight.
Vogelbach is not quite to the Mets and their fan base what Aaron Hicks had become to the Yankees and their ravenous following, but he was a primary face of the franchise’s disappointing season. That’s what carrying a slash line of .203/.343/.297 with two home runs and 14 RBI in 118 at-bats brings.
That represented a dramatic fall from grace after Vogelbach’s fleeting status as folk hero following his 2022 trade deadline acquisition as an everyman who could hit a baseball. This year, the 30-year-old has looked suspiciously like every man would look trying to hit a major league pitcher.
Vogelbach, 4-for-44 after May 7 entering Friday, popped to first base in the first inning with a runner on first base and two out after the Mets had scored three runs against Miles Mikolas. Opposite night indeed: the Mets, who had been outscored 50-16 in first innings while going 32-36, had jumped to a 3-0 edge.
That gave aid and comfort to Megill, and also to the Mets, who added two more runs in the third before Vogelbach grounded out to second to end the inning and initiate murmurs. Four-for-46. What in the world was Mark Vientos doing on the bench yet again even with a right-hander on the mound?
Vogelbach has been working. He had been at the field early and on off days. The 30-year-old had been diligent in seeking what he had lost. He made some technical adjustments that probably would not have been possible under game conditions.
“The big leagues [are] hard. Guys get paid a lot of money to get people out and sometimes when you’re searching for things, it’s not a good place to do it facing a guy on the mound,” Vogelbach said. “So when you’re able to work in the cage and clear your mind and be able to experiment by trying some things you wouldn’t normally do, it definitely helps.
“But the ultimate thing is when you get back on the field there’s no more experimenting or trying. It’s competing and finding a way. Nobody really cares how you feel. The pitcher doesn’t care if you feel good in the box or your mechanics are good or not.”
Vogelbach competed, and he found that way during his next at-bat, when he sent Mikolas’ 3-1, 91 mph sinker over the plate soaring into the right-field seats for his first home run in 54 at-bats since May 7. His third homer of the season was the bow on the gift basket.
“I don’t want to get too metaphorical but it’s one game and tomorrow’s another challenge,” Showalter said. “Nobody likes to see your teammate or your player going through a tough time in a lot of ways.
“Daniel, he cares a lot. I’ve seen all the work he does trying to get back there. How do you tell somebody to relax? It’s impossible.”
This was just One Day in the Life. There are lefties scheduled to face the Mets on Sunday and Monday, so the DH will have Saturday to make another positive impression before taking a seat again.
Pressure never abates.
“This isn’t about me. This isn’t about a break I took or hitting a home run,” Vogelbach said. “This is about us [winning] two games in a row.”
The Cardinals are in town. All is possible.