At The All-Star Break: Boston Stays Hot As Mets Continue To Stumble

FLUSHING, NY — The Red Sox turned around their slow start of the season when Alex Cora was dismissed as manager. Chad Tracy assumed the interim role. The Mets’ slow start to 2026 and continued failures resulted in the firing of manager Carlos Mendoza, yet there’s no difference with their interim Andy Green.

And as repeated often here, it’s all about roster construction. Managers don’t lose ballgames, it’s analytics playing the role now more than ever. You can’t fire the entire 26 player roster provided from the higher ups but things do turn around for a team when they click on all cylinders.

Sunday afternoon at Citi Field, it was the Red Sox continuing their push towards playoff contention, extending their winning streak to a season high nine games—all coming on the road. They battled from behind, scored two runs in the ninth, and got the go ahead winning run in the 10th.

Another Mets loss, this one ending 3-2. The record in Queens at the All-Star break, the unofficial midpoint of the season, 40-57, which is last in the NL East and the fourth worst record in the NL. It’s 16 games behind the division leading Braves, and 12 games from a Wild Card. A season lost in April and not in September.

Meanwhile, Boston is in play in the AL Wild Card hunt, sitting a half game back for the third and final spot that seemed unlikely four weeks ago. But winning a series as they did again will get a team right back into the thick of things.

“It’s impressive,” said Tracy. “I think when you leave on the plane to start the road trip, the mindset’s like: ‘Let’s try to go win three series and at least put ourselves within a couple of games or a few games if we can.”

He later said he was proud of his team, as this weekend started off on a rough note, due to flight delays in Chicago. The mindset still was to inch closer to the Wild Card.

You try and not fault the manager, interim as the case. Green is doing his best and put in a position now with higher ups to determine what works best for next year and beyond. Green, though, will return to the front office at the end of the season while Cora, Carlos Beltrán and other suitable names become candidates. 

It’s a question with many to be answered. Who manages the Mets if there is no extended lockout with the owners and MLBPA in 2027? Who remains on the roster prior to the August 3rd trade deadline and during the offseason?

Regardless, there will be different names on uniforms in the next month and beyond. Inevitably, it will be done. When a team as the Mets fall further into an abyss that wasn’t expected coming out of spring training in late March, vast changes are needed. Not accounting also the roster construction in the hands of President of Baseball Operations David Stearns who may be forced to hire a general manager.

Sunday was another example of that recurring theme, and 37,638 including an array of Red Sox fans could have seen this coming. Another loss after holding a slim lead. A costly ninth inning error from star shortstop Francisco Lindor that could have been a game-ending double play ball—resulting in two runs and the Red Sox coming from behind.

With closer Devin Williams summoned, he could not hold the lead, a recurring theme from an offseason free agent acquisition who has been a failure with his constant issues of command. 

“It hasn’t been fun,” Williams said about walking in two batters that forced in a run after the Lindor error and an ensuing game-tying single. “Not a lot of celebrating going on in this clubhouse right now.”

Lindor would say the error was “unacceptable,” a ball that got the heel of his glove. He tripped, fell, and instead, the Mets went into the break with another loss. Though Lindor did spark the Mets’ anemic offense with a home run (No. 5 on the year) to left center in the sixth inning. Also earlier in the game on an RBI first inning double to left that gave his team a 1-0 advantage. 

Added Lindor who had his first multi-extra base hit game of the season, and is 2-for-16 with runners in scoring position since coming off the injured list: “I’m not playing to the standards that I have. I’m not playing to the organization’s standards. I’ve just got to get better.”

Though overall this entire Mets team is not playing to the standards of what was expected, a disappointment that is difficult to comprehend and that mood is displayed in a Mets postgame clubhouse that is not fun.

Players had their bags packed to other destinations for the break while Juan Soto, the lone Mets NL All-Star, was preparing to head down I-95 to Philadelphia. 

The positives? Starter Zach Thornton. The rookie’s third career start, totaling out to 82 pitches. He finished with seven shutout innings, and had command throughout it all by controlling the zone. And Luke Weaver out of the pen, his 25th consecutive appearance without allowing an earned run. Rumors are also floating that a team needing bullpen help will pursue their interest with the Mets to obtain Weaver.

Said Green about Thornton: “We’ve been needing that from someone. You can see he’s unafraid, and you can see he’s on the attack, so as painful as this moment is, those are good signs for our future to see a young guy step on the mound and pitch like that.”

The other positives are continued development and consistency from rookies A.J. Ewing, Carson Benge, Nolan McClean, and now Thornton who figures to remain in the rotation.

It will be a rollercoaster of roster moves prior to the deadline when the Mets resume play Thursday on the road in Philadelphia. Going up against a Phillies team that turned things around when they dismissed manager Rob Thomson and hired Don Mattingly on an interim basis. They are sitting two games behind the NL East division leading Braves, and hold possession of the second NL Wild Card spot by two games. 

So the Red Sox continued their surge, and the Mets continued their first half theme of compiling losses that could amount to 90 or more. Time away from the ballpark is always good for a team that can’t break their slide, perhaps not good towards momentum when wins lead to what the Red Sox have accomplished.

For the Mets though, it’s more about the second half and rebuilding. Answering that recurring question as to what went wrong in what became their seventh series of getting swept.

Rich Mancuso is a senior writer and columnist at LatinoSports.com with coverage of MLB, boxing, and MLS – X: @Ring786, Facebook.com/Rich Mancuso

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