David Lennon: Blame for Mets' disaster can't fall only on Carlos Mendoza

If the Mets don’t pull out of this current malaise, there will come a time when Carlos Mendoza is replaced as manager. But the front office apparently hasn’t arrived at that point yet, as Mendoza is expected to remain at the helm for Tuesday’s series opener against the Nationals.

Judging by the angry mobs gathering lately at Citi Field, that’s probably an unpopular decision among the extremely frustrated fan base. But it’s based on a number of factors, not the least of which is Mendoza’s solid relationship with owner Steve Cohen and president of baseball ops David Stearns, the duo that hired him.

Without that kind of support, it’s unlikely Mendoza could have survived this $370 million roster being 10 games under .500 (9-19) and having baseball’s worst record after getting swept by a perennial bottom-feeder like the Rockies this past weekend. Look what happened to Alex Cora up in Boston.

It’s the luxury of calling this first-month freefall “early” rather than “fatal.” Also, by sticking with Mendoza, there’s recognition that the blame deserves to be spread around, which anyone would agree is a fair assessment.

Take Sunday’s terrible twin bill as an example. Whose fault was it that Kodai Senga again was non-competitive for a third straight start -- allowing 17 hits, 17 runs and eight walks over a total of 8 1/3 innings? Does Justin Willard, in his first year as a pitching coach, deserve some of that scrutiny?

How about Mark Vientos, part of the Mets’ revolving-door solution at first base, drilling Mickey Moniak between the numbers with a throw to second that should have started a pivotal double play? Instead, the Rockies scored the go-ahead run later that inning. Does part of that fall to defensive guru/bench coach Kai Correa?

And, of course, the Mets’ totally impotent offense, a group so broken they could only scrape up one run Sunday over 18 innings, with that coming on Tyrone Taylor’s homer off old pal Jose Quintana in Game 1. As of Monday, the Mets ranked dead-last in on-base percentage (.288), slugging (.337) and scored the fewest runs per game (3.29) in the majors. Their batting average (.226) and walk rate (7.8%) both were the fourth-worst overall. They also were tied with the Marlins for the second fewest homers (20). Should Jeff Albert -- the new director of major league hitting -- and his assistant Troy Snitker be on the hook for that measly production?

These are random snapshots from the Mets’ gallery of awful, which is about the size of the Guggenheim these days. Regardless, the only person among the staff left to answer for all that ineptitude Sunday was Mendoza, who actually had to do it twice -- once between games of the doubleheader and again after the sweep. As you might imagine, the conversation has become depressingly similar every time the manager steps to the microphone.

“I don’t think I have ever seen anything like this where it goes for so long,” Mendoza said, “when you have got so many guys struggling at the same time.”

And Mendoza, along with his staff, seem dangerously short on answers. But would a new manager suddenly change all that? Mendoza is surrounded by all new coaches, so there’s no sweat equity of success shared by this group, which was thrown together during the winter. Same goes for the clubhouse, where a handful of one-year mercenaries -- some at new positions -- can’t seem to build any collective momentum.

It’s Stearns who stands alone as the architect of this April failure, and neither Mendoza nor any other manager is going to magically turn a bunch of ill-fitting, underperforming pieces into a playoff contender if they don’t figure things out individually.

On Sunday, there were only three Mets featured in their doubleheader lineups with an OPS over .700 -- Juan Soto, Francisco Alvarez and MJ Melendez. Among their qualified players, Alvarez is the team leader in batting average (.240), Next up is Bo Bichette, a career .292 hitter who is wallowing at .233 -- and being relied on in the leadoff spot.

Soto is the one who could be holding Mendoza’s fate in his hands. The Mets’ offensive woes during the 12-game losing streak were easily pinned to Soto’s absence, but they only climbed out of that hole briefly upon his return before going dark again. He has three singles (3-for-15) since rejoining the lineup with six walks, and with the wasteland around him, why would anyone pitch to Soto?

“I’m going to keep trying my best to put anything I can out there,” Soto said. “But I can’t tell you they’re pitching around me. I had a couple pitches [Sunday] to do damage and I couldn’t come through. They don’t want to give up any extra-base hits, so definitely they’re being a little careful. Not only with me -- they have other guys they’ve got to be careful with in this lineup.”

Some of the names might suggest that. The reality, however, has been very different. It’s also tough to envision a scenario where the Mets can win consistently without Francisco Lindor, who is now in a walking boot for his severe calf strain and probably won’t be back for another two months, minimum. Not only was Lindor heating up when he got hurt -- hitting .304 (14-for-46) with two homers in his previous dozen games -- his absence leaves a worrisome void at shortstop.

Initially, Lindor’s IL stint presented itself as a chance for the perennial prospect Ronny Mauricio to shine at his natural position. But Mauricio already has raised concern there, making a costly error in Thursday’s debut and failing to chase a fly ball in shallow leftfield. On Sunday, Bichette drew the Game 1 start at shortstop, and should be used there more regularly as this is no time to be experimenting at the position.

As far as Monday’s changes, the Mets DFA’d Tommy Pham -- whose second tour in Flushing ended without a hit (0-for-13) -- and signed outfielder Austin Slater, a former Yankee (briefly) to be activated for Tuesday’s series opener. We don’t know for sure how long Mendoza has to turn the Mets around, but taking two of three from the Nats feels mandatory before they head to Anaheim to begin a nine-game road trip.

“I can sit here and tell you guys a lot,” Mendoza said. “But at the end of the day, we got to go out and do it. Simple as that.”

Mendoza will be back in the manager’s chair Tuesday night. To stay there, he’s going to need way more help.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.