The Mets Have Turned It Around 360 Degrees

The crud-ass New York Mets were able to manage a series split on the road against division-leading Atlanta during the long weekend, overcoming severe bullpen issues for 10-9 and 7-6 victories on Sunday and Monday. But before any fan could even begin to think about letting their guard down or their hopes up, New York returned home to kick off a series with the Royals and deliver another entry in this year’s contest for “Most Frustrating Loss.” Again, the Mets offense did their part, but Kansas City beat the brakes off some minor-league relievers to win the game 16-12.

The Royals play 500 miles from the nearest Defector blogger, and they don’t possess the largest payroll in baseball, so we haven’t given them a fraction of the attention we’ve devoted to the Mets. But they’ve sucked just as bad, albeit in a less spectacularly disappointing way. They spotted the Mets a 9-4 lead through four innings; Carson Benge opened the scoring on a three-run, three-error slapstick display that, defensively, is basically what you do when you want your 6-year-old nephew to feel like he hit a home run.