3 takeaways as Mets return home on heels of dissatisfying road trip

Carlos Mendoza shot straight to the point late Sunday afternoon. Sure, the Mets had finished with a 5-4 record on their nine-game road trip, featuring matchups with the Angels, Rockies and Diamondbacks , but they also stumbled in a massive opportunity. The Mets had sealed a winning trek with a 3-1 victory over the Diamondbacks on Friday night.

Then, the offense looked feckless in the final two games as they managed a combined seven hits and scored two runs in two straight losses to tarnish the back half of their voyage. "You could say on this road trip we went 5-4, but we're better than that, especially the last couple of days," Mendoza told reporters. "We needed to be better.

" The Mets' opportunity to fill up the valley they created in the National League East sank in the final two games of their trip. Now, they head home for a six game homestand, beginning with three games against the Tigers followed by the Subway Series with the Yankees, with an MLB-worst 15-25 record and 12. 5 games behind the Braves (29-13) in the NL East.

Juan Soto, Bo Bichette lacking a 1-2 punch As the Mets offense sputtered to close the weekend and their west coast trip, the expected catalysts were missing. Across the team's three-game series with the Dbacks, Juan Soto was 0-for-10 with two walks, two strikeouts, no runs and no RBI. Bo Bichette was also 0-for-10 with two walks, no runs, no RBI and no strikeouts.