DENVER — Juan Soto might have summed up the situation best Friday when he was asked about the Mets’ underwhelming production with runners in scoring position this season.
“S–t happens,” Soto told The Post.
The latest letdown occurred Thursday when the Mets went 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position — and left 13 runners on base — in a 6-5 loss to the Dodgers.
The Mets entered play Friday ranked 27th in MLB, owning a .218 batting average with runners in scoring position.
That number is among the reasons the Mets began the day 10th in MLB in scoring at 4.44 runs per game despite ranking sixth with a .741 OPS.
The team’s anemic production with runners in scoring position has been an ongoing theme throughout the season.
“It’s frustrating,” hitting coach Jeremy Barnes said before the Mets faced the Rockies at Coors Field. “When you look at it, the approach doesn’t change. A lot of the underlying things don’t change. On one hand, I know it’s a very volatile stat and you can have massive swings from one year to the next, but it’s something we would like to get better at.
“We’re definitely talking about it. I don’t think there is a black and white, ‘If we do this, it’s going to work.’ We understand how we’re getting pitched. We understand the situation. We have just got to come through. It’s something we are going to continue to monitor and work on and try to drive through.”
Not every member of the lineup has struggled in such situations.
Pete Alonso has carried the offensive load over the first two-plus months of the season, and his production with runners in scoring position reflects that fact.
Alonso entered play 23-for-65 (.354) with runners in scoring position.
He also had seven of the team’s 16 homers in such situations.
“Pete’s great at it,” Barnes said. “In a way, there’s an art form to it. There’s a little more pressure, and they may pitch you a little differently. And Pete has shown in his career that he is very good at it.”
Luis Torrens is another player who has emerged with runners in scoring position.
The catcher entered play 11-for-39 (.296) in that scenario.
At the other end of the spectrum is Soto, who began the day 7-for-51 (.137) in such situations.
Soto said his approach doesn’t change, regardless of the number of runners on base.
“I try to do the same thing,” he said.
Others struggling with runners in scoring position include Francisco Lindor, who was 10-for-53 (.189) in such situations to begin the day, and Jeff McNeil, who was 4-for-24 (.167).
“We have guys in this room who have been very good at it their entire year or their career,” Barnes said. “And for whatever reason — you could probably point to a million different things on an individual basis — it hasn’t happened.”
The Mets began a three-game series against a dismal Rockies team (albeit one that carried a three-game winning streak into play), and the Coors Field altitude could lead to plenty of offensive fireworks this weekend.
But one series alone won’t cure the Mets, who swept the Rockies in three games at Citi Field last weekend.
Barnes remains optimistic the script will soon flip.
“We are aware of this, but this isn’t Code Red yet,” Barnes said. “It is so volatile. It is starting to warm up, and some of these balls that we are hitting hard, if they start to land, the narrative completely shifts.
“Right now, my answer is to cross our fingers a little bit harder.”
