James GordonThe New York City FC’s season has been a disaster so far. It has been difficult to even write about the team, as there is very little positive to talk about, and a lot of negative. The team is in the midst of a franchise-record 11 consecutive losses, which is more than six losses in a row over a seven-game stretch. The team is last in the Eastern Conference, and in jeopardy of a first-ever postseason appearance. The team’s offseason plan has been seen as a failure, and the franchise itself has been under fire.
With the new year comes a new chapter in New York sports. The New York Mets are truly back on track and have taken the lead in the National League East. The defending World Series Champion New York Yankees are off to a poor start, and the New York Knicks are seemingly in free fall. The New York Rangers? Well, they are doing just fine. And the New York City Football Club (NYCFC)? They are a bit of a mystery.
The New York City Football Club has been a success, but the team’s poor performance lately is a sign that something is wrong. The New York City Football Club’s (NYCFC) season is spiraling out of control. In this week’s episode, we learned that New York City FC’s poor performance is not always because of coaching decisions, but rather because of the club’s lack of talent on the field.
The New York Mets are in a three-team race for the National League East title, but there’s no doubting they’re in danger, as they’re currently 3.5 games behind the division-leading Atlanta Braves.
The Mets are in a deep rut at the worst possible moment, having just completed an abysmal sweep of the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday night. Carlos Carrasco got rocked for six runs in two innings in his fourth start of the season after a ruptured right hamstring. He also batted in the bottom of the second inning with two men on and one out, for whatever reason… In the top of the third, he was hoisted.
In the midst of the Mets’ weekend sweep – and Monday’s 7-5 loss to the San Francisco Giants in the first game of a three-game series – comes more bad news about ace Jacob deGrom, who will be out for at least two more weeks after an MRI revealed that his elbow hasn’t improved enough to allow him to pitch. DeGrom, 33, has been plagued by arm and elbow issues all season, but it hasn’t impacted his pitching performance, which has included another Cy Young-caliber season highlighted by a minuscule 1.08 ERA.
The Mets still have a strong rotation in place, headed by Marcus Stroman (2.79 ERA) and Taijuan Walker (3.75 ERA), but it’s impossible to replace a pitcher of deGrom’s quality. Losing deGrom for the remainder of the season, which is looking increasingly likely by the day, would be devastating to New York’s prospects.
The offensive is also having difficulties. The Mets have scored an average of 3.5 runs per game during their 4-11 start to August, which isn’t going to cut it against the best teams in baseball. This month, Pete Alonso has a.193 batting average. Jeff McNeil, who has hit.300 during his career, has slumped to a.255 average in 2021. Dominic Smith, who frequently bats cleanup, is hitting.251 this season with just eleven home runs. The offense is dealing with some serious structural problems, and it doesn’t seem like the club will be able to shake them as the season progresses.
Francisco Lindor, who has been out since mid-July due to an oblique injury, may be on his way back. Lindor had a terrible start to his Mets career, hitting.228 with 11 home runs in 311 at-bats, but New York will take his bat in the order over anybody else’s.
Javier Baez, the Mets’ deadline acquisition from the Cubs, is scheduled to return around the same time as Lindor. Baez has been suffering from back spasms lately.
The schedule for the Mets doesn’t let up on top of their difficulties. New York is now in the midst of a grueling thirteen-game run in which they will face either the wild-card-leading Dodgers or the Giants — you know, baseball’s greatest club. This is about as unwanted a stretch as you can imagine for a sinking club.
Meanwhile, in the NL East, the Braves and Phillies have not only narrowed the gap, but have totally surpassed the Mets and are beginning to put some space between them. The Braves, in particular, have been on a tear; after being written off a month ago, Atlanta is 11-3 in August due to excellent pitching and some savvy trade deadline moves. Since joining the team on July 15, Joc Pederson has hit.283/.371/.457 with three home runs, five doubles, and 13 RBIs, hitting.283/.371/.457 with three home runs, five doubles, and 13 RBIs.
The Phillies are 1.5 games behind the Braves in the NL East, but they have a better chance of staying in the race than the Mets right now. Philadelphia should continue to give Atlanta a fight for their money with Zack Wheeler and Kyle Gibson leading the rotation and surprise MVP contender Bryce Harper performing like a madman since the All-Star break.
The Mets’ redeeming grace is that they will have some influence over their fate. The Mets still have six games remaining against the Phillies and Braves after their tough run against the Dodgers and Giants. Most significantly, the Mets finish the season with a three-game series in Atlanta against the Braves.
The whole NL East division may come down to the last series of the season, but the only issue is whether the New York Mets will still be in it.
Halloween came and went, and so did the new year, which means we’re now on the cusp of spring. But while everybody else is rejoicing at the arrival of flowers and sunshine, New Yorkers are wringing their hands in despair: The Big Apple is now in a full-blown fiscal meltdown.. Read more about anxiety spiraling out of control and let us know what you think.
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James Gordon
