The situation has become critical for the New York Mets, whose comfortable lead for the third National League Wild Card has quickly evaporated. After their third loss to the Phillies, 11-3, the team managed by Carlos Mendoza has a worrying record of 4-9 in its last 13 games, just after sweeping that same rival just two weeks ago.
From their highest point on June 12, when they were 21 games above .500, the Mets have gone 31-46, putting them among the four worst teams in all of MLB in that span. “We have a good team. The reality is we haven’t played to the level that everyone expects in here,” shortstop Francisco Lindor admitted after the loss to Philadelphia.
Who threatens the Mets for the third National League wild card?
With a 76-70 record, the Mets are barely clinging to that last wild-card spot, with the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds breathing down their necks (74-72), while the Arizona Diamondbacks (73-74) and St. Louis Cardinals (72-75) are still in the hunt. The most alarming thing for New York is that none of these teams has been particularly consistent.
Starter Clay Holmes admitted the urgency of the moment: “These games mean a lot. We can’t afford to make these mistakes.” On Wednesday, Holmes was punished early and the bullpen, led by Gregory Soto, allowed a crushing rally in the sixth inning that sealed the fate of the game. “Nothing seems to be working for us,” confessed manager Carlos Mendoza after the loss.
Time is running out and the Mets can’t find an answer
With only 16 games remaining on the schedule, every game has become life or death for a team whose multimillion-dollar payroll has failed to deliver results. There is no injury epidemic, no clear explanation, just a string of poor performances accumulated since April
The only advantage still playing in the Mets’ favor is the schedule, none of their direct rivals have managed a strong run to push them to the front, but if New York continues to fall at the current rate, the outcome will be inevitable.
New York controls its own destiny, but the margin for error is practically non-existent, from now until the end of the season, every game will be a test of character and consistency.
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