Juan Soto discusses Mets' woes 'in big situations' after latest loss to Braves

The New York Mets' offense once again came up short during Monday's 3-2 loss to the Atlanta Braves, New York's ninth defeat in 10 games. 

Following yet another disappointing result for the Mets, outfielder Juan Soto indicated he and others in the clubhouse aren't panicking despite all that's gone wrong for the club since June 13. 

"In the season, there’s gonna be ups and downs," Soto said, as shared by Peter Sblendorio of the New York Daily News. "Things happen. I think these guys are trying their best to come through, and as a team, we’re all trying to come through in big situations." 

Soto remained hot at the dish on Monday, as he crushed a two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning to get the Mets to within a run of the Braves. Per ESPN stats, Soto slashed .324/.484/.704 with a 1.188 OPS, eight home runs and 16 RBI over his first 21 games of June. 

That said, he had an opportunity to play the role of hero when he stepped up to the plate with two runners on base and two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning of Monday's contest. Instead, Atlanta's Dylan Lee got Soto to whiff on a 3-2 slider outside of the strike zone. 

"He made a great pitch," Soto said about losing that battle to Lee. "He made really good pitches on the corners. I just couldn’t come through. The last one, he made a really good one, and he just got me right there."

Of course, one person isn't responsible for the Mets falling from 45-24 to 46-33 on the season. As ESPN's Jorge Castillo noted, the Amazins scored just 19 total runs over their last nine losses. On Monday, Mets batters in the No. 4 through No. 8 slots in the lineup went a combined 0-for-18 with five strikeouts.

The 36-41 Braves are a perfect 4-0 against the Mets this season and are scheduled to have three more opportunities to earn victories at Citi Field through Thursday. At this rate, it's fair to wonder if the Mets will even be in a wild-card playoff spot on July 1.