Despite this skid, the Mets still sit atop the National League East, owning a 2.5 game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies. As the Mets look to turn things around, they could use increased production from one player in particular.

NEW YORK — Shane Baz had lots of reasons to smile after Sunday’s outing in which he used his high-octane fastball and a good mix of his curve, changeup and reworked slider/cutter to hold the Mets to three hits while working into the seventh inning.

Takeaways from Sunday's game between the Mets and Rays, a 9-0 loss in which right-hander Griffin Canning regressed and Tampa Bay's pitching blanked New York's offense.

Shane Baz se combinó con tres relevistas para permitir solo cinco hits, y los Rays de Tampa Bay blanquearon el domingo 9-0 a Nueva York para completar la primera serie

After Sunday’s miserable 9-0 loss to the Rays marked their first time getting swept all year, the Mets are finally facing something resembling adversity.

NEW YORK — Mets infielder Brett Baty exited Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Rays. In the moment, with the Mets trailing 6-0, it looked like Mets manager Carlos Mendoza was trying to spark something, pinch-hitting Ronny Mauricio in Baty’s place.

Tampa Bay’s 17-6 record since May 20 is the best in baseball, and the Rays showed a lot of the reasons why Saturday.