NEW YORK -- At some point, it begins to matter less that the Mets are losing and more the manner in which they are losing.
In the second inning of their fourth consecutive defeat, an 11-6 loss to the A’s that only briefly became close in the middle innings, Francisco Lindor ran past second base in an attempt to field a grounder headed much closer to Marcus Semien. When Semien gloved it, he had nowhere to flip the baseball, transforming a potential inning-ending double play into a go-ahead, run-scoring fielder’s choice.
That was notable because Lindor had already committed multiple mental mistakes in the field this season, playing less than his typical Gold Glove-caliber defense.
“It’s weird, because that’s not him,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “It’s hard to explain. And he’ll be the first one to tell you that he’s got to be better.”
“I’m not sure,” Lindor said, echoing his manager. “I feel like I’m locked in the game. It just happens. Got to be better.”
On this afternoon at Citi Field, Lindor was far from the only culprit. There was Kodai Senga, who allowed two homers, walked in a run and needed 72 pitches to record seven outs. There was Carson Benge, clinging to a roster spot, who committed a fielding error for the second consecutive game. There was Francisco Alvarez, who allowed his league-leading fourth passed ball. There were various Mets infielders unable to convert grounders into outs, and various Mets hitters unable to drive home men in scoring position.
From a wider angle, there were the Mets writ large, owners of Major League Baseball’s largest Opening Day payroll and some of its most outsized expectations, needing a furious middle-innings comeback just to make the game temporarily close.
“We’re better than that,” Mendoza said. “And they know that. They’ll be the first ones [to] tell you. Making errors and mental mistakes, we’re better than that, and we’ve got to fix it. We’ve got to fix it, and we will.”
Those who have followed the Mets for decades understand this sort of thing tends to happen around Flushing. But it wasn’t supposed to happen this year, with a host of mainstays gone from the roster and an equal number of unfamiliar names here to replace them. It certainly wasn’t supposed to happen so soon, barely two weeks into a season that began with so much promise.
The Mets’ latest nightmare unspooled in the second inning, when Senga allowed two hits and two walks, the second of those forcing in a run. Lawrence Butler followed with the potential double-play ball that Lindor was not in position to turn, and things only spiraled from there. One inning later, five of the six batters to face Senga reached base safely, including Tyler Soderstrom and Carlos Cortes, who both homered. The total damage against Senga was a career-high seven earned runs.
“A lot of unfortunate things came and didn’t stop,” Senga said through an interpreter. “That’s kind of how the outing went.”
The Mets fought back on homers from Bo Bichette, Alvarez and Jorge Polanco, igniting those who remained from an announced crowd of 38,244. But it proved to be quite a bit too little, quite a bit too late.
To be clear: It is still extremely early, not even 10 percent of the way through the season. The Mets are talented enough, and have more than enough time, to win their division with ease. From innings five through seven on Saturday, they showed precisely how dangerous they can be.
But those same points were made with regularity last year, right up until the final day of the season.
“It’s a different year,” Lindor said. “You’ve got to see it from a whole different lens. This is not the same team, and even if it was, it’s a new year. We have new opportunities. We’ve just got to finish the job day in and day out, and I’ve got to be better.”
Many of those players involved in that disappointment have indeed departed, but so far, this new cast of characters has performed in very much the same fashion. It will be up to them, and only them, to change the narrative this time around.