The New York Mets suffered their first sweep of the season at home, losing 9-0 to the Tampa Bay Rays in front of a sellout Father's Day crowd of 42,804 at Citi Field. This devastating loss followed earlier struggles in the series, where relievers faltered in the opener and Tylor Megill had a poor outing in game two, leaving the Mets in dire need of a strong pitching performance.

However, Griffin Canning, the Mets' starting pitcher for the series finale, failed to deliver. Canning, who arrived with a one-year deal and an Angels ERA of 4.61, saw his Mets ERA rise from 3.22 to 3.80 after being charged with six earned runs, four hits, five walks, and a wild pitch over 4 1/3 innings. This continued a worrying trend, as four of his last five starts have been unimpressive, and his ERA over his last five starts stands at 7.08, contrasting sharply with his surprisingly effective 2.47 ERA over his first nine starts with the Mets.

The Rays capitalized early with small-ball tactics. In the second inning, two full-count walks set up a bunt single, followed by an RBI fielder's choice, a run-scoring wild pitch, and an RBI single, putting Tampa Bay up 3-0. They added another run in the third with a four-pitch walk and a ground single, leading to an RBI fielder's choice. In the fifth, after Canning walked the leadoff batter and another later in the inning, manager Carlos Mendoza pulled him. Jonathan Aranda then greeted reliever Max Kranick with a two-run double, extending the Rays' lead to 6-0. The rout continued in the ninth when Junior Caminero hit a three-run homer off Ryne Stanek. Infielder/outfielder Jared Young was brought in to pitch the final out, allowing a single and a walk before concluding the game.

The Mets' offense was equally anemic, managing only three singles off Rays pitcher Shane Baz through 6 2/3 innings and finishing with just five hits overall. A crucial missed opportunity came in the third inning when, trailing 4-0 with two outs and the bases loaded, Pete Alonso struck out swinging on back-to-back fastballs after falling behind 3-and-1 to Baz, who walked four and hit one batter. This at-bat symbolized the Mets' struggles at the plate.

This sweep marks a continuation of the Rays' dominance over the Mets, as Tampa Bay has now won 14 of their last 17 games against New York dating back to July 2018. Despite the team's struggles, manager Carlos Mendoza had previously emphasized confidence in the rotation, even after Kodai Senga's Grade 1 hamstring strain, citing the team's major league-leading 2.88 overall ERA and 2.82 starter ERA. Mendoza mentioned reinforcements like Frankie Montas and Sean Manaea in their rehab processes, but their return won't be immediate.

In other team news, Francisco Lindor has been playing with a broken right pinkie toe since June 4 but served as designated hitter on Sunday for rest, with Mendoza hoping for significant improvement in a couple of weeks. David Peterson, Paul Blackburn, and Clay Holmes are scheduled to start the upcoming series against Atlanta. Mark Vientos is set to begin his rehab assignment for a strained right hamstring with Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday. The Mets now face a challenging six-game NL East road trip, with three games against Atlanta followed by three in Philadelphia.