Mets manager Buck Showalter gets ejected for the second time in four games

Just hours before his team’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday night, New York Mets owner Steve Cohen attempted to talk his fan base off the ledge — while also assuring that manager Buck Showalter’s job would “absolutely” be safe for the remainder of the season, regardless of whether the Mets managed to dig themselves out of their current 8.5-game hole and snag a Wild Card spot.

So, how did New York respond to that vote of confidence? Well, they scored just two runs in yet another dispiriting loss, but not before Showalter got ejected for the second time in the last four days:

Now, in fairness to Showalter, that was a truly abysmal call — Milwaukee’s Joey Wiemer clearly went around while being plunked on the hand by a pitch from Mets reliever Adam Ottavino, and what loaded the bases should have been strike two. (The Brewers would go on to tack two runs onto their lead in the inning, because of course.)

But still, it’s not the best look right after your owner made a big show of preaching patience and reiterating his faith in your and your team. The primary problem for the Mets right now is that their star players — the guys around whom their rather thin roster was built — are either hurt or underachieving or both, but it certainly doesn’t help that the vibes around the team are in the gutter. Showalter has long been viewed as a player’s manager, a guy who can keep things steady in a clubhouse even as all hell is breaking loose, but at this point all he seems to be good for are futile on-field blow-ups and quotes that shift the blame onto his players.

Sometimes a manager’s fiery outburst at an umpire can rally the troops, but right now, it seems like whatever Showalter’s selling isn’t being bought. Wednesday’s loss dropped the Mets to 7-17 in June and 36-44 on the year, 17 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.