NEW YORK, NY — A tough start is one way to describe the beginning to the 2026 MLB regular season in Queens for the Mets.
Poet T.S. Eliot wrote “April is the cruelest month” as the opening line in his poem, “The Waste Land,” written in 1922. I have a feeling if Eliot were alive today, he would be a Mets fan. After getting off to a respectable 7-4 start, the Mets hit the skids by going into a double-digit losing streak. While it would be hyperbolic to say the season is over, there is an understandable lugubrious feeling amongst the Flushing faithful that it’s getting late incredibly early.
Mets fans might be slightly more charitable if this season did not look like an extension of the 2025 season from mid-June right through the end of September.
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Mets President of Baseball Operations David Stearns, tried to do damage control by meeting with the media Friday in the Mets dugout in Wrigley Field before their matinee with the Chicago Cubs.
Stearns attempted to convey “an everything is all right” and “all teams go through this” message. I am not sure if he grew up reading MAD Magazine, but his “What, Me Worry?” shtick would have embarrassed Alfred E Neuman, and it failed to assuage the Mets fan base. The Mets went on to lose their ninth straight game which marked their longest losing streak since 2004.
There is no doubt the absence of slugger Juan Soto, because of a right calf injury, has been a big reason for the Mets’ malaise. All teams endure injuries to star players, but good teams find a way to overcome them.
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It is telling of the Mets ‘culture they have never been known for “their next man up” attitude. As we have seen all too often, the Mets do not fare well when adversity strikes.
The leading culprit for the Mets’ putrid April has been shortstop Francisco Lindor. It has been a struggle for him to get to the .200 batting average mark. I am willing to overlook that because (1) Lindor always has slow starts, and (2) he is recovering from hamate bone surgery in his left hand.
Perhaps Lindor does not feel the bone in his hand is fully healed, or something else has been distracting him, because he has endured several embarrassing mental lapses such as being picked off first base; forgetting how many outs there were in an inning; and being out of position for some ground balls. That is very uncharacteristic.
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The same starting pitchers who let the Mets down in the second half of 2025 are picking up where they left off. Opposing hitters have pummeled Kodai Senga, Sean Manaea, and David Peterson. To be fair, Peterson pitched well in his four innings of work against the Cubs on Sunday.
Following Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the Cubs, SNY’s Todd Zeile called out the Mets, now losing 11 straight, for their popgun offense, and for implying they lacked grit compared to the Mets teams he was on.
There are silver linings for the Mets. They have not yet played against their NL East rivals. The Phillies have also struggled in 2026.
Which MLB fanbase has had the most emotional distress?
We have all seen those personal injury attorney commercials on TV. Andy Whiteoak, a writer for the sports website, Covers.com, has authored a satirical piece about how passionate baseball fans should be entitled to collect damages for emotional distress from the teams they follow. Whiteoak has the Mets at the top of his list as the team which should most compensate their fans for prolonged suffering.
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He jokingly sets the payout at $2,884 per fan. I have a feeling some may feel that “settlement” is too low.
A New Royal in Town: Starling Marte
Former Mets outfielder Starling Marte signed with the Kansas City Royals during the winter. He returned to New York for the first time since departing the Mets this past weekend when the Royals took on the Yankees in the Bronx.
I asked Marte in Spanish if he was surprised at how the Mets have struggled the first month of the season. “I am too busy worrying about my current team!” he said with his characteristic smile. I then asked him about reports of clubhouse dissension in 2025. “I did not see or hear of any problems. We all got along.” Marte may have been diplomatic, which is understandable.
A Homecoming for Royals radio play-by-play announcer Jake Eisenberg this weekend at Yankee Stadium
It was a homecoming for Royals radio play-by-play announcer Jake Eisenberg who grew up in Port Washington.
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Eisenberg called a few Mets games in Howie Rose’s absence in 2022 and is still close to the retiring iconic Mets voice. “I owe everything to Howie!” he told me. He is obviously looking forward to returning to Queens in July when the Royals take on the Mets at Citi Field.
Analytics continuing to Impact the Game
Baseball has statistics for everything except for hitters who make productive outs. Those are the kind which move runners to the next base but do not show up in the box score. I chatted with former Mets catcher, and current Royals third base coach Vance Wilson, about this topic.
“Productive outs are often the difference between winning and losing a game. The problem is that analytics gurus do not value them. They just see an out as an out. Many of these analysts never played the game.”
“Small Ball” still works in the Big Leagues
Athletics first base coach Ryan Christenson is also a firm believer in “small ball” when I spoke to him a week earlier at Citi Field. “The extra innings ghost runner at second base, combined with the pick-off rules which limits a pitcher to three tosses to first base creating more runners in scoring position, has made getting a runner to third base with less than two out crucial. He also believed bunting, which has become a dying art, will make a comeback.
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Christenson provided a reason teams prefer their hitters to take batting practice in the indoor cages rather than the traditional outdoor variety a lot of us grew up with and enjoyed watching. “The problem is too many players want to jack homers during outdoor BP and get into bad upper cut habits. The batting cage is better for line drives which most hitting coaches prefer. Upper cuts become annoying pop-ups in a batting cage.”
New York Road Runners announce plans for the 50th anniversary of NYC Marathon
It will be back to the future for the New York Road Runners this November. The NYRR announced that in honor of the 50th anniversary of the New York City Marathon incorporating all five boroughs, it will be returning for one year to its original format of running all 26.2 miles within Central Park.
Check out Martin Dugard’s new read titled “The Long Run”
The crucial decision in 1976 to expand the NYC Marathon out of Central Park and into the streets of the Big Apple is chronicled in Martin Dugard’s new book, “The Long Run” (Dutton).
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Dugard also pays tribute to those great 1970s runners who put marathons on the sports map as Steve Prefontaine, Jim Ryun, Bill Rodgers, Frank Shorter, and Grete Waitz.
“Challenge Accepted” out now on YouTube
YouTube, which is presenting more original sports content, has a documentary series, “Challenge Accepted,” about daredevil Michelle Khare who ran seven marathons in seven continents in seven days.
And The Pick Is In: Recapping 2026 WNBA Draft
The 2026 WNBA Draft was held last month at The Shed located in Manhattan’s Hudson Yards. Commissioner Cathy Engelbert admitted relief that a collective bargaining agreement was reached with the players in time to avoid delaying the start of the season.
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Engelbert was surprised to learn the players were most concerned about housing costs.
Glamorous UConn star guard Azzi Fudd was selected with the first pick by the Dallas Wings where she will rejoin her former college backcourt mate, and close friend, Paige Bueckers.
The Minnesota Lynx selected TCU guard Olivia Miles. Miles is one of the few basketball players who wear their glasses on the court. “It is part of my brand!” she told the media. She then thanked her agent for getting her an optical endorsement deal.
Fan Event and Draft Party Details for Giants and Jets
Even though the Jets and Giants use the term “New York” in their corporate identities, they play their home games, and play their home games, in New Jersey.
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Both NFL teams are returning to New York City for the April 23 NFL Draft by hosting fan events in Manhattan. The Jets will be holding their draft party at the Seaport in the Financial District, while the Giants are celebrating at Hudson Yards. In recent years, both teams have held their Draft Nights events at MetLife Stadium.
25th Anniversary of Tribeca Film Festival on the way
The Tribeca Film Festival will be celebrating its 25th anniversary when it gets underway this June 1. Its marquee opening night feature will be an HBO documentary on the legendary band, and Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees, Earth, Wind & Fire.
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Tribeca used to be known for debuting sports documentaries, but that has tailed off in recent years. No word yet as to whether that trend will reverse this June.
A Potential Fix for Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
Speaking before of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, it would be advisable for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame to be like the National Baseball Hall of Fame and establish a veterans nominating committee. It is unconscionable that so many pop/rock legends from the 1960s and 1970s have not even sniffed the RRHOF ballot. It is an insult to great artists who brought joy to millions in their successful careers as Neil Sedaka, Connie Francis, Lesley Gore, Paul Anka, Johnny Rivers, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Tommy James and the Shondells, the Guess Who, the Monkees, Three Dog Night, the Grass Roots, the Monkees, and many others., who have been completely ignored.
A veterans committee is a start for correcting this egregious oversight.
Another NCIS franchise coming to CBS
The pride of St. Albans, LL Cool J, will be reprising his role as Sam Hanna as CBS announced last week it is establishing yet another NCIS franchise. “NCIS: New York.” LL’s co-star will be another veteran actor from CBS procedurals, Scott Caan. Scott’s dad was acting legend, and Sunnyside native, James Caan.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
