The warmth of the Florida sunshine was supposed to thaw out the Mets and make their legs and bats as lively as everyone expects them to be this summer.
After a chilly April when coats and mittens were required equipment for stops in Chicago, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and Colorado, a weekend in South Florida should have been the beginning of a “hot streak” in more ways than one.
But instead of heating up, their bats turned cold. Sure, the Mets got their sun tans, but they also lost two of three to the lowly Marlins after hitting .159 in the three-game series. Perhaps a change of scenery will be good for the team. After an off-day yesterday, the Mets open a three-game set in Pittsburgh tonight, the final leg of a 13-game road trip that stands at 3-7.
Since their nine-game winning streak last month, the Mets have lost nine of their last 12 games, a span in which they’ve hit a collective .210 with four home runs. Against the Marlins, they managed just 14 hits in 88 at-bats. Only a sixth-inning double by Mike Piazza on Sunday kept a complete-game one-hitter from Ryan Dempster from being a no-hitter. The Mets lost 3-0 and have scored just one run in their last 18 innings.
Already 5½ games behind the Braves, the Mets (17-16) will be hoping for two things tonight against the Pirates: One, that Mike Hampton (2-4, 6.52) will have a good outing and, two, the offense finds a way to jumpstart itself against right-hander Kris Benson (2-3, 4.30).
Piazza, for one, thinks a more relaxed approach will help. “I see guys going out and doing the best they can,” he said. “But sometimes you try too hard. Guys press a little to bit. When you’re not scoring runs, everyone wants to be the guy that kick starts the offense. If you can get a guy to come through with a big hit, it kinda takes the load off and guys are little bit more selective and not swinging at the pitcher’s pitch.”
Piazza has supplied his share of big hits, belting a pair of home runs in the last five games and ruining Dempster’s no-hitter on Sunday with a rocket off the left-field wall. But it hasn’t been contagious. “It just seems like we’re either hot or cold,” Piazza said. “We get a few big hits here and there, but we’re not picking up the runs that we should pick up. Two-out clutch hits are a bonus. But when you get a guy on second with no outs and you don’t get him in or you’re hitting into double plays, that’s not good. You have to tack a run on here and there.”
Bobby Valentine said fatigue may have contributed to the Mets’ sluggish bats. This trip has taken them through Colorado, San Francisco, Florida and, now, Pittsburgh. After playing 20 games in 20 days, the Mets spent their off-day yesterday flying to Pittsburgh and eating more hotel food. Hardly, a relaxing 24 hours.
Still Valentine vowed, “We’ll swing the bats better.”
With Hampton working on fragile confidence, the Mets will need every run they can scratch out tonight. If generating hits is a priority, getting Hampton a win is even a greater one. With his ERA at 6.52, the Mets can’t be limited to three or four hits and expect to win.
The Pirates are bursting with confidence after completing their first three-game sweep of the Cubs at Wrigley Field in more than a decade. Pittsburgh has won five of its last six games to get within two of .500.
It will be interesting to see what lineup changes Valentine might make to ignite his offense. Some players, particularly Rickey Henderson, would prefer more consistency to the manager’s lineup card, but others understand the need to find a hot bat.
“Bobby’s trying to shuffle things to get the right combination,” Piazza said. “There’s a fine line between throwing the same lineup up there every day when we’re not doing the job and trying to find the right combination.
“This team has been through this before,” Piazza added. “You just have to ride the storm out and keep working.”