This has been a miserable season in Queens.
The Mets entered Monday in last place in the National League East with only two NL teams owning worse records: the Giants and Rockies.
A turnaround at this point seems unlikely, since the team’s litany of issues — from injuries to key players, to poor performance from the rotation and the lineup — has left it reeling.
One of the few bright spots has been the emergence of the rookie outfielders, as Carson Benge and A.J. Ewing have at least met expectations.
Now, they have to make sure they don’t get accustomed to losing.
Ewing, the 21-year-old who’s been in the majors a little over a month, acknowledged the challenge of adjusting to the majors while not winning as much as he’s used to.
“You’ve got to show up every single day,” Ewing said. “Everyone in this room is trying to win every day and putting their best foot forward whenever they’re here. There are gonna be ups and downs. Those are gonna happen, and it’s impossible to avoid them. I’m gonna keep showing up.”
That included Monday, when he was scheduled to be in the lineup against Cubs left-hander Shota Imanaga before the game was postponed due to rain, with plans to make it up Wednesday as part of a split doubleheader.
The Mets have been careful about which lefties the left-handed-hitting Ewing faces. While Monday was rained out, Ewing nonetheless will have to improve that part of his game in order to reach his potential.
In what has a chance of becoming a lost season for the Mets, they’re looking to see what they have in their younger players, like Ewing and Benge.
“It’s big,’’ Carlos Mendoza said of getting Ewing in the lineup versus lefties, as he has just a .437 OPS against lefty pitching, compared to .823 against righties.
“That’s part of the development at this level,’’ the manager said. “I’ve said from the beginning, he’d get some starts against lefties. We had some tough ones here and there, but I feel good about what he brings to the table. The more at-bats you give this guy, he’ll benefit from it.”
So far, so good.
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After going through a horrid 13-game stretch in which he went 8-for-44 with no extra-base hits, two walks and 19 strikeouts, Ewing recovered and has hit well in 17 games since.
“There’s always a chance when the initial success a young guy has runs out that he’s gonna get stuck in that kind of slump he was in,’’ said one American League scout who has seen Ewing this season. “You watch to see if that’s gonna happen and if he’s gonna give them a reason to send him back to [Triple-A] Syracuse. That didn’t happen with him. That will probably do him some good, even with them not winning.”
The not winning part could take a toll.
Ewing said he has a way of getting around that.
“A lot of growth happens when a person or team hits adversity,’’ Ewing said. “We’re growing. Every single day, I act like we’re on a 20-game winning streak, no matter what. That gives you confidence. I’ve always believed that and as a competitor, that’s what you have to do.’’
