A Close-Up Look at a Mets' Losing Lineup

The boxscore below is for the Mets July 2, 2015 home game against the Cubs, the third game in a row they lost to the Cubs, the Mets shut out in the first two. Only three batters in the lineup are hitting above .250 while four are hitting below .200. It is not a lineup that will cause concern for an opposing pitcher. Complicating matters is the slump that the #4 hitter, Lucas Duda, is experiencing.

Image Credit: CBSSports.com

During June, Duda hit only .179 while striking out in 31% of his 96 At Bats. In an interview published in yesterday's Star-Ledger in the article, "Which player says sad Mets offense is his fault?," Duda said this about his June performance:

"Essentially, it's centered around me," Duda said after the Mets 2-0 loss to the Cubs. "I'm not getting job done. I'm not moving guys over. I'm not getting guys in. I've had a pretty tough month, actually. But I'm going to continue to work hard and prepare like I do. I have a good feeling it's going to change."

I'd rather know what he's doing wrong, what he needs to correct? What are the Mets two hitting coaches, Kevin Long and Pat Roessler, telling him?

In another Star-Ledger article, "Terry Collins' message to the struggling Mets: Just relax," Terry Collins is quoted as telling the team this after their latest loss:

"I just told them, 'No disrespect to anybody in this room, we've got to lighten it up around here,'" Collins said. "I mean, they are so tense and so tight. They are so worried about making a big out instead of walking up there like they're going to get a hit."

That's fine too. But it seems that the team needs to do more than relax. The big question: "What's that more"? Before a recent Cubs-Mets game, Cubs manager Joe Maddon had a magician perform for his team; the Cubs won the game. Maybe the Mets need some of that magic.