MLB scout torches Mets lineup after firing of Carlos Mendoza

The New York Mets firing manager Carlos Mendoza early Friday morning didn't prevent the club from dropping two of three home games to the rival Philadelphia Phillies over the weekend. Those defeats dropped the Mets to 35-49 on what continues to be a woeful season for the organization.

On Monday, John Harper of SNY spoke with one MLB scout about all that has gone wrong for the Mets since they were 7-4 on the morning of April 8.

Mets impacted by risky "gambles," "virus"

"It’s hard to be that bad across the board with some of the high-level talent they have," the scout said about the Mets. "It’s like their lineup was infected by some virus that they couldn’t stop from spreading. At the same time, I thought they created a lot of uncertainty about what they’d be offensively with some of the gambles they took."

In this scenario, the "virus" is the much-discussed injury crisis that impacted the Mets over the past several months. Specifically, star shortstop Francisco Lindor didn't play due to a calf injury from April 23 up until he returned on June 24. In April, the Mets went 3-12 when star outfielder Juan Soto was dealing with a calf strain.

That said, ESPN stats show that the Mets began Monday ranked 27th in MLB with a .231 team batting average, 26th with 339 total runs scored and 29th with a .674 team OPS. Such numbers show how the many controversial moves made by Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns this past offseason have thus far blown up in his face. 

Two rookies give Mets hope for the future? 

A different MLB scout noted that Mets rookie outfielders Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing have been bright spots for the club. Over his first 81 games, Benge hit .257 with nine home runs and 32 RBI. Across his first 44 contests, Ewing hit .279 with four homers and 19 RBI.

"Those two kids are really good pieces for anybody’s offense," the second scout said about Benge and Ewing. "It all went wrong for the Mets in the first half, and injuries were a factor, but with their big guys healthy now...they could be much better in the second half."

Under interim manager Andy Green, the Mets will look to play much better when they open a three-game series at the Toronto Blue Jays (39-45) on Monday.