The New York Mets returned home from a grueling 10-day road trip on Sunday, but the silence in the visiting clubhouse at Chase Field told the story of a team running out of time. After stops in Southern California, Colorado, and Arizona, the Mets head back to New York with the same struggles that have plagued them all season.

The only thing saving their weekend from complete disaster was a 3-1 win in 10 innings on Friday, but Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks was a painful reminder of how far this team has fallen. The Mets managed just nine hits and three runs in regulation across the three-game series, making Diamondbacks starters Eduardo Rodriguez, Merrill Kelly, and Ryne Nelson look like legends of the game. The trio, who entered the weekend with a 5.50 ERA, posted a stunning 1.23 ERA over 22 innings, with Rodriguez tossing a career-high 8 ⅓ innings on Sunday.

"We're better than that," said a visibly frustrated Mets manager Carlos Mendoza. "Especially the past couple of days. We needed to be better."

The numbers back up the frustration. The Mets hit just .209 on the nine-game road trip, averaging a paltry 3.6 runs per game. The struggles of Juan Soto and Bo Bichette, who combine for a staggering $103.875 million in salary this year, have been particularly glaring. The duo went 0-for-20 in the three games against Arizona, leaving fans wondering if the team's big investments are paying off.

"There's no issues right here," Soto insisted. "We're all professionals. We can handle this stuff. But definitely, we're struggling."

As the season slips away, the Mets' clubhouse was a portrait of defeat on Sunday. No music, no TV, no conversation. The only sounds were chopsticks picking at sushi, bags being packed, and feet shuffling toward the team buses. This game, as they say, eats you up.