Mets manager Buck Showalter's candid message with lineup after humbling defeat: "If you don’t like it, do something about it. Play better"

Buck Showalter's New York Mets completed their series against the Chicago Cubs on Friday, but there are still some lingering feelings.

Marcus Stroman's antics on the mound left some bad blood between the two teams. Stroman, who played for the Mets between 2019-2021, had one of his best outings of the season against his former club on Wednesday.

His conduct and behavious on the mound, however, seemed to rub some New York players the wrong way. Stroman could be seen celebrating excessively, clapping, pounding his chest and chirping toward the Mets dugout. The 32-year-old made his feeling known on the night to his former teammates.

Per a recent New York Post article, Mets manager Buck Showalter commented on Stroman's conduct and had some advice for his team:

"If you don’t like it, do something about it. Play better.”

Showalter also stated that they knew what to expect from Stroman:

"It pretty much doesn’t surprise anybody, right? It’s kind of his M.O., right?"

Stroman stated that he may have approached this as a "revenge game" in his younger days, but insists he was focused solely on pitching well.

"Marcus Stroman getting a big double play...and is fired up." - Rob Friedman

The Mets lost Wednesday's game 4-2 at Wrigley Field. Stroman allowed just two runs and four hits on the night and completed eight innings for the Cubs.

Veteran manager Buck Showalter is in his second season with the New York Mets

Manager Buck Showalter talks with home plate umpire Adam Beck during a game against the Detroit Tigers at Comerica Park

The Mets lineup may be wise to listen to Buck Showalter. The veteran manager has seen it all during his 22 years as an MLB manager.

Showalter has had spells with the New York Yankees (1992-1995), Arizona Diamondbacks (1998-2000), Texas Rangers (2003-2006) and Baltimore Orioles (2010-2018).

"At least one Met was not a fan of Marcus Stroman's demeanor toward his former team last night" - Talkin' Baseball

He is in his second year as the manager of the New York Mets and has a 128-86 record.

The New York Mets are in search of their first World Series since 1986. After a lavish spending spree during the offseason, the pressure is on Showalter to deliver. The best way for this team to answer their doubters (and Marcus Stroman), would be with a championship.