SEATTLE — If the Mets are trying to push past OMG and into LOL, the past two nights have been a good start.
Let’s be clear: the Mariners have a talented pitching staff, they’re a team that could win the AL West and make some noise in October.
But analyzing the first two games of this series, that excuse doesn’t hold up for the Mets right now.
They showed little energy on Saturday, managing just four hits and suffering their second straight shutout night in a 4-0 defeat at T-Mobile Park.
The best the Mets (61-56) can hope for now is to win on Sunday, end a .500 road trip and go home with another boost in mind to improve their chances of making the postseason.
The Mets are once again half a game behind Atlanta for the third wild card spot in the National League.
Logan Gilbert dominated the Mets, allowing just three hits and one walk in seven innings.
All three of these hits were singles, two of which were produced by Francisco Lindor.
The Mets got their fourth hit in the eighth inning when Harrison Bader singled with two outs, but they didn’t put any runners in scoring position that night.
“It’s disappointing and it’s frustrating,” Brandon Nimmo said, “but I have to say it would be a huge surprise, and this pitching staff can do it, so it’s not out of the question.”
Pete Alonso hit two home runs in Thursday’s series finale in Colorado before finishing with a weak grounder to shortstop, going 0-for-4 for the second straight game.
On Friday, the Mets were dominated by Bryce Miller, allowing just three hits and one walk over six innings.
“We have good hitters,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Just the last two nights. [Mariners pitchers] They were in the game and we didn’t play very well.”
Things won’t get any easier for the Mets on Sunday, when they’ll have a strong pitcher in Luis Castillo facing a struggling team.
The Mets are relying on pitcher Luis Severino to avoid a three-game losing streak.
“There’s no pressure on us,” J.D. Martinez said. “The pressure isn’t on us right now, it’s on everybody else. It’s what got us here and we’ve got to keep doing that. We can’t get into a situation like this and start putting pressure on ourselves because we’re not in a position to win.”
The interleague portion of this four-city tour has been tough for the Mets, losing four of five games to the Angels and Mariners.
In that time, they won a make-up game in St. Louis and two of three games in Colorado.
After two consecutive excellent starts in which he pitched 15 2/3 scoreless innings, Sean Manaea struggled.
The left-hander threw 85 pitches in just three innings, walking five, striking out three and allowing four hits and three earned runs.
Manaea was struck out in the first inning as the Mariners led 3-0 after sending seven batters to home plate.
Victor Robles led off the inning with a double and, after a delayed steal to third, scored on a double by Randy Arozarena.
Justin Turner hit a ball over the right field fence for the Mariners’ third double of the inning, adding another run to the score.
The third run came on an RBI single by Mitch Haniger.
Manaea’s pitching the rest of the day was awful, but the Mariners couldn’t score any more runs against him.
Manaea walked two batters in the second inning but escaped with no problems.
He walked with the bases loaded in the third inning, and a close call may have been averted thanks to Bader running to catch a ball hit by Jorge Polanco to left-center field with a runner on first.
Lindor’s leadoff single was the Mets’ only hit through the sixth inning.
Lindor never made it past first base, but Polanco made a diving catch of Martinez’s grounder near second base and threw it across his body to set up a highlight-movie double play to end the inning.
In the sixth inning, Lindor singled with two outs, but Gilbert got Nimmo out, leaving Lindor on first base.
Reid Garrett returned from the disabled list and struck out three consecutive batters in the sixth inning.
Phil Mutton pitched the seventh inning, giving up a one-run single to Turner, putting the Mets behind 0-4.
“We have to keep fighting, stay positive and bounce back. [Sunday] And win baseball games,” Mendoza said.
