Mets’ hitting coach explains what’s wrong with reeling lineup: ‘It’s pretty simple’

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As shocking as those numbers may be, new Mets hitting coach Troy Snitker believes diagnosing what’s wrong is “pretty simple.”

“We need to execute better in the game,” Snitker told NJ.com before Wednesday’s 8-2 loss. “We need to drive the ball more. We need to swing at pitches that we can do something with. It’s just kind of a combination of those two things.”

On Wednesday against Dodgers ace Shohei Ohtani and three other pitchers, the Mets struck out 14 times and mustered five hits and two walks.

“Guys gotta start playing better,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said on Wednesday night. “Simple as that. They’re too talented, but right now, we’re not seeing anything on the field.”

This isn’t a preparation issue. From the coaching staff to the players, there are no questions about effort. Snitker believes the Mets are handling this ugly stretch maturely. They’re “doing everything they can.”

When the game starts, however, the Mets aren’t executing. That’s led to hitters pressing, making quick outs and abandoning their approach.

“We need to be committed to what we’re doing,” Snitker said. “We need to be committed to what we want to swing at, what we’re looking for and just stick with that the whole time, regardless of the situation.”

Mendoza agreed that the Mets need to have more conviction in their swing decisions. It’s a troubling trend that cost the Mets in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s loss, a slate of dreadful at-bats during which the Mets, down by one run, were flailing at pitches out of the zone in a big spot.

Snitker pointed out that hitting is contagious — when you’re struggling and when you’re hot. He trusts that all it will take is one game, one rally, or potentially even one at-bat to reverse the trend.

But any glimmers of hope have been rare in recent days — for example, Francisco Lindor’s leadoff homer against Yoshinobu Yamamoto on Tuesday and MJ Melendez’s RBI double on Wednesday, which cut the Mets’ deficit to one run in the fifth inning.

Evidently, the Mets are still searching for that slump-busting swing.

“Once one guy gets hot, everybody else feeds off it,” Snitker said. “I think we just gotta grind it out until that happens. The guys are getting after it. We’ve got guys having better at-bats. We just need to do more in the game.”

It doesn’t get any easier for the Mets. After Thursday’s off day, they’ll open a series against the Cubs at Wrigley Field with Edward Cabrera on the mound. The right-handed pitcher has a 1.62 ERA in three starts this season.

While Juan Soto, recovering from a calf strain, is progressing, he won’t be saving the lineup anytime soon. New York also lost Jared Young for the next few months to a knee injury, and Jorge Polanco remains hampered by his Achilles bursitis.

But there are no excuses for what has transpired to start 2026.

“We’ve got plenty of firepower and capable guys that can get the job done,” Snitker said. “We’ve got a deep lineup that when guys are clicking, we can score a lot of runs. I feel confident that everybody in our lineup can produce and help this team win.”

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