Carlos Mendoza's blunder masks what's really wrong with the Mets

The New York Mets snatched defeat from the jaws of victory on Thursday afternoon against the Baltimore Orioles, and fans across the tristate quickly identified who was to blame: manager Carlos Mendoza.

New York took a 1-0 lead into the bottom of the eighth inning, largely thanks to lefty David Peterson, who needed just 87 pitches to sail through seven shutout frames. With a manageable pitch count and all the momentum in the world, Mendoza let Peterson come back out to start the eighth. But after giving up a leadoff single to lefty Colton Cowser, Mendoza opted to go to his bullpen, pulling Peterson at 90 pitches and replacing him with righty Ryne Stanek.

The move was questionable on its face. Stanek has been up and down with New York this season, and his most recent outing, a full five days ago, featured two walks, a hit and a run allowed while needing 37 pitches to get through just one inning of work. Plus, pulling Peterson for a right-handed pitcher allowed Baltimore to swap out righty-hitting Luis Vázquez in favor of lefty slugger Gunnar Henderson.

Four pitches later, Henderson flipped the game on its head:

Stanek wound up walking a whopping four batters in the inning, allowing another run across as the Mets would eventually fall 3-1.

Mendoza came in for tons of criticism in the immediate aftermath, and it's not hard to understand why. Taking out a pitcher who was cruising, while allowing your opponent an easy decision with their best hitter, sure seems like questionable process. But the hard truth is that the Mets didn't lose this game because of any decision Mendoza did or didn't make, or because Stanek imploded. They lost because of another miserable offensive performance, one that should serve as a wake-up call to David Stearns with the trade deadline looming.

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Mets fans need to be more worried about the team's offense than Carlos Mendoza

New York has shown signs of busting out of late, but overall this remains a frustratingly inconsistent offensive team, one whose .706 OPS since June 1 ranks just 20th in baseball. That's not good enough for a team with World Series aspirations, even one that has as much starting pitching as the Mets do this year.

And that inconsistency cost it again on Thursday. New York managed seven baserunners over six innings against Charlie Morton, but they went just 1-for-11 on the day with runners in scoring position, squandering multiple quality chances to stretch their lead. The easiest way to take a game out of a manager's hands is to score more than a single run; the Mets weren't able to do so, and eventually it cost them. Mendoza said as much after the game, and while fans might want him to take more responsibility, it's hard to argue that he has a point.

All of which should clarify what this team needs to be focused on at the trade deadline, especially with Jesse Winker seemingly headed back to the IL after his back "locked up" on him during Thursday's game. Mark Vientos had two hits in his stead, but he continues to struggle mightily overall, and New York needs to find a way to address third base and/or the DH spot over the next three weeks.

All the ingredients are here to make a run. The starting rotation has held together better than anyone could've hoped despite tons of adversity. Juan Soto is hitting like Juan Soto again, and Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso are more than capable running mates. Another pitcher or two would certainly help, but this loss should serve as a reminder that the Mets' lineup is far too fragile right now.