The New York Mets' season is hanging by a thread, and Francisco Lindor's rare display of public anger might have captured the mood in Queens better than any stat sheet could. Saturday night in Milwaukee, a costly defensive miscue by the $341 million shortstop opened the door for two unearned runs, and the Mets never recovered in a 7-4 loss to the Brewers, their sixth straight defeat.
The error looked routine -- a chopper from Joey Ortiz hopped just enough to glance off Lindor's glove. The timing was brutal. Frankie Montas had loaded the bases with two outs, and the Mets clung to a 1-0 lead. Instead of ending the inning, the ball trickled away, allowing two runs to score, and momentum shifted to the home team.
By the time Lindor reached the dugout, his frustration was fully visible. Cameras caught him slamming his glove repeatedly against the bench -- an unusual flash of temper from a player who typically keeps his emotions contained.
"Every year, there's always a moment for me where I vent out like that -- just this time, it was right there in the dugout," Lindor admitted afterward. "But I have to be better. I have to pick up my teammates. I have to be there for my teammates, and I have to finish the plays."
The Mets have been spiraling since the trade deadline, when a mix of bullpen collapses, rotation inconsistencies, and a stagnant offense buried any sense of momentum. Losing games in bunches is one thing, but the manner of these losses has made the frustration impossible to ignore.
Saturday followed a familiar script. Reed Garrett opened with a scoreless first before Montas took over. The right-hander, dealing with command and health issues since his return, delivered a steadier outing with just one earned run over three innings. But Montas' effort was overshadowed by the defensive breakdown behind him and another night of offensive letdowns outside Pete Alonso's power bat.
Lindor, who has been both a leader and lightning rod since arriving in New York, didn't hide the fact that his mistake ate at him. "That's the frustrating part of this because Montas did everything right, and I wasn't able to come through for him," he said.
For a player known for his calm demeanor, the glove slam was more than a moment of personal anger -- it felt like a release of weeks' worth of built-up pressure from a season veering toward disaster.
Manager Carlos Mendoza's club is searching for answers. Injured starters Tylor Megill and Paul Blackburn are working back, but neither is a sure solution. Newly acquired Cedric Mullins broke a hitless skid with two hits, but the lineup remains inconsistent.
The bullpen remains a bigger problem. Multiple late-inning collapses have turned winnable games into morale-crushing defeats, leaving position players to wear the disappointment night after night.
With each loss, the Mets' margin for error in the Wild Card race shrinks, and their internal frustration grows more visible. Lindor's dugout outburst reflected more than a single misplay -- it was a team running out of time to save its season.
Unless the Mets stop the bleeding immediately, this stretch could mark the moment the 2025 campaign slips away. And if one of the roster's steadiest veterans is losing his composure, it may already be too late.