The New York Mets found a way to hit another low in yet another June skid. After getting runners on first and third, followed by bases loaded, with two outs, Starling Marte struck out on three pitches to seal a 3-2 Mets loss in their series finale to the Milwaukee Brewers.

The loss finishes their first half of games played, and the Mets sit 36-45, 17.5 games out of first place in the NL East and nine games back of the Wild Card. In June, the Mets have yet to win a series and boast a 7-18 record this month, and continue to underwhelm despite having a top payroll in baseball.

The issues are what a typical inconsistent team go through: nothing simply clicks together for stretches at a time. Whenever the bats get their act together, their starting pitching prolapses and bullpen can’t carry the load. When the pitching dominates, more often than not, the bats can’t pick up their end of the load.

Some of the main elephants in the room are their two top pitchers: Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander. While neither pitched overly poor in their two starts this week, they aren’t pitching to their pay rates. Scherzer is pitching to a 3.87 ERA in 14 starts, even being suspended 10 games for a sticky substance violation. Verlander owns a 4.11 ERA in 10 starts and hasn’t replicated his Cy Young form either.

The bullpen depth has also been remarkably thin as well. Although losing Edwin Díaz hurts the bullpen, they simply don’t have anyone outside of David Robertson who can replicate his production. As a result, when their starters struggle, they consistently have to turn to AAA guys in big spots, and these names often crumble despite their best efforts.

Along with all these factors in play come some excruciating losses. This month featured a 13-10 loss in Atlanta after taking a 10-6 lead over the Braves, losing two of three to the last place Cardinals, and plunking two batters in a row in a 7-6 loss to the Phillies.

Owner Steven Cohen recently addressed these struggles in a press conference on Wednesday. While he does take responsibility for the Mets’ struggles, he will remain patient with manager Buck Showalter and GM Billy Eppler.

He said, “Everybody says: Fire this person, fire that person. But I don’t see that as a way to operate. If you want to attract good people to this organization, the worst thing you can do is be impulsive, OK, and win the headline for the day.”

However, he also acknowledged that if the Mets continue to falter, he will make the Mets sellers at the trade deadline. With the Mets continuing to struggle, that seems to be in the realm of possibility. As a result, it’s getting late early for the Mets, or else they will take the crown of the worst team money can buy in baseball.