Carlos Mendoza’s diplomatic armor may have finally cracked. The Mets skipper, who built his reputation on unwavering loyalty to his roster, delivered a scathing indictment that reverberated through Citi Field’s corridors. His calculated words targeted the heart of New York’s collapse, a starting rotation led by Kodai Senga that has betrayed every ounce of trust, revealing raw frustration underneath. The reckoning had begun.
The numbers tell a damning story. The Mets sit at 66-58, trailing the Philadelphia Phillies by five games in the NL East despite their recent two-game winning streak. August has been particularly cruel — their starting pitching collapsed with a 6.22 ERA, forcing an overworked bullpen to shoulder impossible loads. Eight of their eleven August losses can be directly attributed to bullpen failures, a unit stretched thin by starters who struggle to reach the sixth inning.
“You guys know everything starts with starting pitching, and we haven’t been able to get consistency from them.”
Carlos Mendoza says the Mets’ rough stretch leading up to this weekend’s series win was frustrating for everyone, but he remains confident in his group. pic.twitter.com/4sj0fgu9Hz
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) August 18, 2025
When Mendoza finally spoke, his words cut deep. The usually composed manager didn’t mince words about his rotation’s failures during his appearance on Foul Territory on X. “Everything starts with starting pitching, and we haven’t been able to get that consistency from them,” Mendoza declared after his team’s series win against Seattle. He specifically highlighted recent glimpses of hope: “I felt like Kodai Senga last time, his last outing going into the sixth inning, followed by Mclean, that we’ll talk about it. And then yesterday, Lean gave us a solid five innings.” Yet even his praise carried pointed criticism—praising Senga for “finally” reaching the sixth inning revealed underlying frustration. “There’s a lot of talent there, and I’m pretty confident that we’ll get through this,” he added, though his tone suggested lingering doubts about when that breakthrough might arrive.
The manager’s second wave of criticism struck even harder. Mendoza painted a picture of organizational chaos, describing how injuries forced him to rely on Triple-A call-ups for spot starts. “The guys are at almost 90 pitches within the 4th inning, like, how much can I push them?” he asked, highlighting the impossible position his rotation has created. His frustration peaked when discussing the bullpen’s overuse: “I get somebody hot in the 4th inning—it’s just hard to continue to get 15 outs every night from your bullpen.” The message was clear: his starters must step up, or the season will slip away.
As if the pitching woes weren’t enough, the baseball gods delivered another crushing blow. The fragile momentum the Mets had barely managed to build faced its newest threat.
Alvarez Injury Adds to Mets’ Growing Concerns
The hits keep coming for a franchise already weathering one storm after another. Francisco Alvarez became the latest casualty in what feels like a cursed season, jamming his right thumb during a spectacular head-first dive into a second base against Seattle. The young catcher managed to complete his seventh-inning double but couldn’t mask the pain that followed, forcing his early exit from catching duties in what became a rare 7-3 victory.
Carlos Mendoza’s injury update carried the same measured frustration he’d shown discussing his pitching staff. “Right now, we don’t know what we’re dealing with,” he admitted, as Alvarez prepared for an MRI back in New York. The uncertainty hung heavy — nobody wanted to speculate about losing their hottest hitter at the worst possible moment.
Credits: Daily News
The timing feels particularly cruel. Alvarez has been scorching since his late July promotion from Triple-A, slashing .323 with 10 extra-base hits and 13 RBIs that have energized a previously lifeless lineup. His Sunday performance—going 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI—exemplified the spark he’s provided during the team’s first back-to-back wins since July’s final days.
An extended absence would thrust Luis Torrens into the spotlight, and that prospect terrifies Mets fans. Torrens has struggled catastrophically, managing just a .214 average this season while posting an abysmal .167 mark through five August games. Losing Alvarez now would gut a team finally discovering its identity after months of mediocrity.
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