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Once greatest strength, pitching is Mets’ biggest weakness – Metro US

Once greatest strength, pitching is Mets’ biggest weakness

Mets reliever Hansel Robles stands in disbelief after giving up his second home run of the inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks. (Photo:Getty Images)

Remember when the Mets’ pitching rotation was the toast of Major League Baseball?

Five young, fireballing starters, a solid setup man, and a premier closer had many predicting the Mets to rise to the top of the standings in low-scoring games.

Myself, you, your neighbor and the guy yelling on television about this were all wrong.

No Noah Syndergaard, no Seth Lugo, no Steven Matz and no Jeurys Familia (that premier closer) has left the Mets with a rag-tag bunch of arms that are a shell of what they used to be.

Through their first 42 games this season, the Mets’ pitching allowed 5.64 runs per game, most in the majors.

The bullpen has been a dumpster fire and the starting pitching has been inconsistent, to say the least.

New York has already experienced 25 games in which it has allowed five runs or more, eight games of eight-plus and one disaster against the Washington Nationals that saw the NL East rivals cross the plate 23 times.

Even with the team seeing Yoenis Cespedes, Lucas Duda, Asdrubal Cabrera and Travis d’Arnaud go down with injuries already, the Mets’ scoring offense is still ranked within the top 10 of the majors with five runs per game. So that’s clearly not the problem.

Just by looking at the individual numbers of some of the pitchers they’re relying on the most, it’s easy to see the source of the Mets’ nightmare:

 

  • Matt Harvey- 2-3, 5.56 ERA, 31 K’s in 8 starts

Career numbers: 31-31, 3.15 ERA

 

  • Robert Gsellman- 2-3, 6.75 ERA, 30 K’s in 7 starts

2016 season numbers: 4-2, 2.42 ERA

 

  • Addison Reed- 3.18 ERA, 8 runs, 5 home runs, 18 hits allowed in 22.2 innings

2016 season numbers: 1.97 ERA, 17 earned runs, 4 home runs, 60 hits allowed in 77.2 innings

 

  • Hansel Robles- 6.23 ERA, 13 walks, 15 runs, 21 hits allowed in 21.2 innings

2016 season numbers: 3.48 ERA, 36 walks, 30 earned runs, 69 hits allowed in 77.2 innings

 

  • Fernando Salas- 5.59 ERA, 12 earned runs, 24 hits allowed in 19.1 innings

2016 season numbers with Mets: 2.08 ERA, 4 runs, 11 hits allowed in 17.1 innings