Diaz Implosion Highlights Latest Mets Disaster

The New York Mets trailed 1-0 for pretty much the entire afternoon. They watched as Philadelphia Phillies starting pitcher Aaron Nola dance around a no-hitter through five innings en route to a one-hit masterpiece over seven innings of work. As the Mets sat there down 1-0 in the top of the ninth inning, the thought had to come to the mind of Mets fans everywhere: 'At least the bullpen didn't lose this one.' 

Oh, how the tables turned. For one shinning moment in the top of the ninth, Todd Fraizer stuck his bat out in front of a Hector Neris fastball and slapped it over the left field wall to give the Mets a shocking 2-1 lead. The Mets would tack on an insurance run on a groundout by Amed Rosario; anything to make what would come all the more excruciating. 

Edwin Diaz came into the bottom of the ninth and blew it big time. What else is new?  Diaz gave up five runs and two homers as the Phillies stormed all the way back to stomp on the Mets by a score of 6-3. Watching Maikel Franco take Diaz deep to left like it was batting practice, only to be followed up by Jean Segura who looked like he hit a wiffle ball inside of a kiddie park, Diaz's performance was the latest example that the apple of Brodie VanWagenen's eye last off-season is turning into a hideous mistake. Diaz's ERA is now 4.94! This from a guy who was considered the best closer in the sport a year ago with the Seattle Mariners. 

Talk about a punch to the gut, it has been week of punches to the gut for Mets fans. 

The Mets have not only lost five in a row, they have lost all credibility in a weeks time. It started Sunday with Mickey Callaway dropping F-bombs in the direction of Newsday writer Tim Healey, who simply told Callaway, "See you tomorrow." That incident was made worse when Jason Vargasthreatened to beat up Healey during that same altercation. Then came Monday when Callaway failed to apologize, then kinda, sorta apologized for not apologizing. Vargas, for the record, still hasn't apologized. At the same time, a story leaked by Mike Puma of the New York Post revealing that Van Wagenen had been instructing Callaway on in-game decisions from his house. Nice work if you can get it! 

All of those off-field stories deviated from another week of horrible bullpen performances where the Mets lost every single game in Philadelphia, one more excruciating then the next. 

And here the Mets are at 37-45, eight games under .500, and 11 games out of first place in the NL East.  As they like to say in Queens, "Fugetaboutit!"