Mets ‘Don’t Want to Win’ and Viola Won’t Help--Strawberry

The New York Mets, defending National League East champions, are playing like also-rans, Darryl Strawberry says.

And the possible addition of left-hander Frank Viola, the American League’s Cy Young Award winner in 1988, won’t help, the Mets right fielder said.

“We don’t want to win,” Strawberry said after the struggling Mets were swept in a three-game series by the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday at Shea Stadium. “I might as well pack up . . . and go home.

“Half the time the guys here don’t care. They’re just going through the motions. These guys want to sit around and play cards.”

Strawberry, hitting only .230--36 points below his career average--admitted that he is not having a good season, but he said he is not letting down, although he has been criticized occasionally by the media for lackadaisical play.

“The main guys are not producing; you don’t produce, you don’t win. Guys have to care a little more. They can’t expect me and Howard (Johnson) to do it every day.”

Johnson who is hitting .299, leads the Mets in home runs and RBIs with 25 and 62 respectively. Strawberry is second in homers with 22 and in RBIs with 52.

Going into tonight’s game against the Chicago Cubs, the Mets were in third place, five games behind the Cubs and one game ahead of fourth-place St., Louis.