The Mets’ rough stretch got even uglier in Pittsburgh this weekend, and it all boiled over Saturday night when manager Carlos Mendoza got tossed for giving home plate umpire Roberto Ortiz a Bronx-style earful.
It started at the top of the fourth when Mark Vientos stepped to the plate with a 3-0 count, and what looked like a clear ball came in low. Vientos took a confident step toward first, but Ortiz rang him up with a called strike. Mendoza wasn’t having it. From the dugout, he started barking and didn’t let up.
Fast-forward to the bottom of the fourth: Mendoza’s patience had fully tapped out when a Brandon Waddell sinker that caught the corner was called a ball. That was the final straw. Ortiz gave Mendoza the boot, and Mendoza made sure he felt every bit of Queens’ frustration on his way out. Dude shot out of the dugout like he got launched, stormed up to Ortiz, and barked right in his face before finally exiting stage left.
This marks Mendoza’s first ejection of the season, and with the Mets dropping 11 of their last 14, it’s no surprise the man hit his limit. The team’s been stuck in a downward spiral, and watching borderline calls cost them chances only adds to the sting.
The Pirates completed the sweep in their own house, but the Mets left Pittsburgh with more questions than answers, and now their skipper is visibly at a boiling point.
Stay tuned… Queens is feeling the heat this summer.
SOURCE SPORTS reporting live from the diamond.