2023 Mets finish first half looking very much like the 2023 Mets

The 2023 Mets are back. Having seen a six-game winning streak come to an end last night in San Diego, the team lost again this afternoon in a game the perfectly summed up their performance through the first half of the season.

Things got off to a poor start right from the jump in this one. Padres starter Joe Musgrove retired the side in order in the top of the first with ease. The Mets wasted their challenge after Max Scherzer’s first pitch of the game on a foul pop-up that looked like it was caught by Brett Baty but ruled to have touched the netting first. A few batters later, Scherzer served up a three-run home run to Manny Machado. And before the inning ended, outfielder Tommy Pham exited with a groin injury.

From there, the Mets had some opportunities but very thoroughly wasted them. Machado took Scherzer deep again in the fifth, a two-run shot that put the Padres up 5-0. In the sixth, with the Mets’ bullpen having taken over, Gary Sánchez doubled and later came around to score the Padres’ sixth run of the afternoon.

The Mets avoided a shutout when Mark Canha doubled in a pair of runs in the eighth, but they didn’t score again after that. They enter the All-Star break with a 42-48 record.

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What’s WPA?

Big Mets winner: none
Big Mets loser: Max Scherzer, -24.7% WPA
Mets pitchers: -25.2% WPA
Mets hitters: -24.8% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Jeff McNeil is hit by a pitch to load the bases in the fourth, +6.8% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Manny Machado hits a three-run home run in the first, -17.3% WPA