"He's not lying, which is bad" "LOL Buck is finally sick of this boring offense" - New York Mets fans supportive of manager Buck Showalter calling out team's lackluster offensive effort amidst NL East race

The New York Mets have played some pretty inconsistent baseball over the last couple of weeks. The Mets were swept by the Chicago Cubs in a three-game series. This isn't the time for the Mets to hit a cold streak as they're in a tight battle for the lead in the NL West.

The Mets have an 89-55 record going into Thursday. They hold a one-game lead over the defending World Series champs, the Atlanta Braves, in their division. Their 10.5-game lead over the division has dwindled down to half a game.

The Mets haven't been swept by a team all year, thus it is surprising that they were swept by the lowly Cubs. The recent sweep has Mets manager Buck Showalter calling out his team's terrible offensive effort in the media.

The New York Mets were outscored 15-6 in their series against the Cubs. They were outscored by a team that is about to lose 90 games this season. The sudden lack of offense has Mets fans scared for the club as they're approaching the postseason.

It's a wonder why the New York Mets have been struggling offensively. The team is backed by Francisco Lindor, Eduardo Escobar, and Pete Alonso. All three of them could change the game with one swing of the bat.

Some fans believe that the team could benefit from restructuring the batting lineup. Moving Eduardo Escobar up in the batting order could allow the Mets to extend their innings and score more runs.

Whatever is wrong with the Mets, they need to figure it out and do it fast. They are wasting series' against teams that are below .500. At the start of September, they dropped two games against the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. They have gone 5-7 against teams below .500 this month.

The New York Mets need to take advantage of this next series and pull away from the Atlanta Braves while they have a chance

The Mets go into Thursday to host the Pirates for a four-game series. While the Pirates are on pace to lose 100 games this year, the New York Mets can't let this series slip away. A sweep of the Pirates could give the Mets breathing room in the divisional lead.

With only a half-game lead over the Braves, every game is a must win for the Mets. The Mets and Braves will play in a three-game series starting September 30th. This series might be the most important between the two clubs given how tight this NL East race continues to be.

About the author

Jared "Bloomy" Bloom is a journalist covering Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda and a former college baseball pitcher from Illinois, who just graduated with a Master's degree in Sport Psychology.

A writer with over 3 years of experience, Jared is consistently more concerned with quality than quantity, thoroughly checking multiple sources of information, and prides himself in being knowledgeable not just about MLB, but the game of baseball in general. He loves breaking down plays and game-changing moments, as well as looking closer into players' statistics.

Jared is a die-hard Chicago White Sox fan, and one of his earliest memories is seeing his great-grandfather, a huge Sox fan, in his rocking chair watching a game. Jared started playing from the age of 5 with his grandfather coaching him early on.

Jared loved Tim Lincecum for his quirky delivery and looked up to him as a role model when playing. His current favorite is Phillies star Bryce Harper, an exciting player who doesn't let injuries hold him back. Jared's favorite sports moment is Mark Buehrle's opening day between-the-legs glove flip to first base in 2010.

When he is not watching or writing about baseball, Jared can be found racing BMX at his local Rockford BMX track or coaching his local youth travel baseball team.

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