Luke Weaver opens up after another painful loss by the Mets

The Mets are spiraling through one of their worst stretches in franchise history, and pitcher Luke Weaver’s blunt words reveal just how deep the problem goes. The Mets fell to the Washington Nationals on Thursday, in another loss during a season in which manager Carlos Mendoza continues searching for answers. Weaver was the unfortunate key figure in the game after allowing the two-run home run that gave Washington the lead in the eighth inning. The Mets posted a 10-21 record, the third-worst start in franchise history. Weaver said, ‘I've been sitting here trying to think about what to even say to you guys and what you're even going to ask. At the end of the day, this pursuit of perfection is an ultimate pressurized failure mindset. Everybody wants to be the hero because we care, and we want to win really, really bad. I just don't think success lives in that realm. It truly doesn't. The freedom with which we play day-to-day is kind of being suffocated a little bit.’ Although the bullpen is a vulnerable area for many teams, the Mets’ situation is particularly challenging. Weaver added, ‘I want to do my job, it's that simple – there are moments that feel really close, and then there are mistakes that magnify our situation. I sit there and feel the weight of the world, like I let the team down.’ He further explained, ‘We sit there, and we tell you guys, “It'll come. This is the game. This is the law of averages.” But those words just don't hold the same weight when you continue to lose day after day.’ Weaver concluded, ‘The encouragement and motivation to pursue being the best person and best baseball player you can be is the only answer. Until we prove that, I understand the grievances from the outsiders.’ For now, the Mets are looking for an urgent response after losing 17 of their last 20 games.