After being swept by the Rays earlier this month, things still haven’t clicked for the Mets. And their latest trip to Pittsburgh? It made things worse. What was supposed to be a chance to turn things around quickly turned into a disaster. The Mets were swept again, and not just beaten, but humiliated. The Pirates outscored them 30-4 across three games, capping it off with a crushing 12-1 blowout. It was a nightmare return to the mound for starter Frankie Montas, who ended up at the center of the collapse in the series finale.

The series finale against the Pirates turned into yet another nightmare for the Mets. They are now 3-10 in their last 13 games, and with an embarrassing series loss to one of the worst teams in terms of record, things are slipping further out of their control. Desperation hung in the air on Sunday at PNC Park, but the finale almost slipped away the moment the first inning concluded. Starting pitcher Montas’ second return to the mound this season after a long injury break ended up being one of the roughest outings. And, manager Carlos Mendoza didn’t sugarcoat anything when asked about his starter’s performance.

“I think a few things… couldn’t put hitters away, was having a hard time finishing hitters,” the skipper told the reporters after the tough loss. “And then the pitch to Cruz, I think it’s just more about pitch selection there. That’s not a good pitch. That’s a pitch he hammers. And then, obviously, same thing with Tommy,” Mendoza said, breaking down Montas’ struggles. “So I think it was just, you know, obviously not able to finish hitters and a little bit of pitch selection as well.“

Well, it’s hard to argue with that. Guess what happened in the first inning? The 32-year-old right-hander threw 38 pitches and allowed five runs in the opening inning, and he couldn’t pitch deep into the game as expected. The costly first inning itself erased possibilities of a comeback for the team, and coupled with the Pirates’ offense, the Mets stood no chance at all. Pirates’ Oneil Cruz, Tommy Pham, and Bryan Reynolds were all exceptional as they went deep to clinch that win. And for Mets? It became another bitter pill to swallow.

Mendoza acknowledged the team’s frustration on Sunday, admitting, “It’s frustrating, and we are all frustrated, obviously. Not gonna lie, we’re better than that, and they know that.” He emphasized that while it was a tough stretch, improvement had to begin with him. “We believe in those guys. Off day tomorrow, and then we’ve got another good team coming into town in the Brewers. They’re playing well, so we’ve got to bring our best game,” Mendoza added. If the skipper hopes to secure a win, however, he and his staff might need to look beyond the obvious pitching concerns.

Their offense is no different, and, at times, it goes completely absent, too. However, Mendoza is not the only one remaining hopeful. Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor also stepped up and owned the failure as he shared his hope of coming out of this painful slump they are in.

Francisco Lindor speaks out after sweep

The Mets are 48-37 as they sit 1.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East standings, and with that record, it is hard to believe that it is the same team we saw at the start of the season. And the worst part? Every shot they take to reclaim the divisional lead seems to make it slip further away with each outing. The current slump even led to a players-only meeting on Saturday before the final game, with players like Pete Alonso, Juan Soto, Brandon Nimmo, and Lindor discussing their strategy going forward. But, unfortunately, it failed to have any immediate impact on the field. But hey, the loss isn’t enough to break the team’s spirit, certainly not Lindor’s, who struck a hopeful note about a potential comeback.

“With that being said, there’s a sense of — yeah, we’re frustrated that we’re not winning, but at the end of the day, it’s just part of the adversity we’re dealing with right now,” Lindor opened up about the series sweep. “We’ve got to stick together and play as hard as we can to come out of it. Hopefully, once we’re out of it, we don’t go back to something like this,” he added.

Yes, that is the only goal right now; they have to somehow find a way to break the losing streak as they prepare on their off day to face the Brewers. But with their current form, a win definitely won’t come easily, especially considering the Brewers are 8-2 in their last 10 games. If the Mets want to flip the script Tuesday at Citi Field, they’ll surely need a combined effort of the whole team. Will they be able to finally snap the losing streak? Tuesday night will have the answer.