A caller wanted to vent about the Mets’ struggling offense, which was shut out on Thursday for the sixth time already this season, but Evan says Mets fans who point the finger at the team’s lineup are missing what’s really killed New York during its 2-9 stretch.
“That’s not the Mets issue right now,” Evan said. “Their biggest issue is that they can’t pitch. Their starting pitching ERA has been abysmal. They have two 40-year-olds who either don’t pitch or can’t get guys out. I understand, I’m not sitting here defending Daniel Vogelbach, who has just one home run this year, or Mark Canha, I just think what you have right now, and you’re not alone, is misplaced anger at what’s wrong with the New York Mets.”
To Evan’s point, no team in baseball has gotten shorter outings from their starting pitchers than the Mets, who have been riddled with injuries to Justin Verlander, Jose Quintana, and Carlos Carrasco. The lineup indeed needs to improve, especially with key bats in Francisco Lindor and Starling Marte playing well below their career norms, but the offense has done enough to be competitive, and the rotation hasn’t held up their end.
“They’re averaging about 4.5 runs per game, they’ve been an average to below average offense, they’ve been shut out six times. But their starting pitching has been abysmal,” Evan said. “They don’t get five or six innings out of their starters, ever. That’s their biggest issue.
“The majority of Mets fans think the team’s biggest issue is Daniel Vogelbach, Eduardo Escobar, and Mark Canha. I’m not gonna tell you all three guys are having good years. Here’s what I’m gonna tell you: Eduardo Escobar is a bench player, and he never plays. Daniel Vogelbach, yeah he only has one home run, but he has an .800 OPS and draws a million walks.”
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