A devastating loss leaves the Mets on the outside looking in
The Mets are out of playoff position for the first time since April 5
What’s up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets were defeated by the Nationals by a score of 3-2 on Sunday at Citi Field (box)
Sean Manaea started for the Mets and he was pelted for three runs early before Clay Holmes relieved him and shut the valve off - Holmes allowed just four hits over 3.2 IP out of the bullpen
The Mets scattered six singles around a Luis Torrens double and a solo home run from Francisco Lindor
Pete Alonso went 2-for-4 in what could have been his final game as a Met at Citi Field
The team went 1-for-5 with RISP on the day, and could muster much offense against Jake Irvin and Mitchell Parker, two pitchers with ERA’s approaching 6 at the start of play on Sunday
The Mets finished their home schedule with a 49-32 record despite a 4-5 final homestand, and drew 3,182,057 fans, the most since the ballpark opened in 2009
Roster Moves 📰
LHP Sean Manaea activated from the paternity list
RHP Chris Devenski designated for assignment
Injury Updates 🏥
CF Tyrone Taylor (left hamstring strain) went 1-for-4, with a run scored and an RBI for Triple-A Syracuse
RHP Reed Garrett (elbow sprain) could need Tommy John Surgery, which would likely sideline him for the entire 2027 season
Playoff Race 🏁
The Reds swept their series against the Cubs, the Diamondbacks blew out the Phillies, and the Giants beat the Dodgers all after the Mets suffered what was already a damaging loss to the Nationals on Sunday. The Reds now have an identical record to the Mets, while the Diamondbacks sit just one game behind both in the wild card race.
With the Reds tying the Mets in the standings, and the Reds owning the tiebreaker over the Mets by virtue of the fact they won the season series, the Mets are no longer in playoff position, something which they had been since April 5.
As a reminder:
The Mets own the tiebreaker against the Giants (season series: 4-2) - if they finish with identical records, the Mets would finish with the higher seed or eliminate the Giants
The Mets do not own the tiebreaker against the Reds (season series: 2-4) - if they finish with identical records, the Reds would win the higher seed or eliminate the Mets
The Mets and Diamondbacks finished their season series tied (3-3), but the Diamondbacks maintain a better record against the NL West than the Mets do against the NL East, so Arizona would either finish with the higher seed or eliminate the Mets
The Mets own the tiebreaker against the Cardinals (season series: 5-2) - if they finish with identical records, the Mets would finish with the higher seed or eliminate the Cardinals
The Padres own the tiebreaker over the Mets (season series: 2-4) - if they finish with identical records, the Padres would finish with the higher seed or eliminate the Mets
Seven games remain.
Per Fangraphs, the Mets’ 2025 playoff odds have dropped sharply to just 51.2%, down from 75.9% the day before. It’s their lowest statistical odds of making the playoffs this season.
Play of the Game 😭
There were actually two on Sunday, and both came at the expense of the Mets and destroyed their chances of winning the game.
And, they were both by the same player!
Jacob Young had the game of his life in center field on Sunday. He robbed Brett Baty of an extra-base hit in the fifth inning with a wizard-like catch that bounced off his glove, then off his right foot, and into his bare hand 408 feet away from home plate.
Then in the ninth, he stuck a dagger in the Mets’ back by leaping over the fence to rob Francisco Álvarez of a game-tying home run.
Kudos to Young for a superb day and playing the role of spoiler.
Stat of the Day 📊
Juan Soto has two or more walks in 28 games this season, tied with Keith Hernandez (1986) for the most such games in a single season in franchise history. Since August 29, has a .3/3/.410/.801 (31-for-83) slashline with 15 extra-base hits (10 HR, 4 2B, 3B), 25 RBI, 20 runs, 12 stolen bases, 15 walks and a 1.277 OPS
Down on the Farm 🌾
1B Ryan Clifford (no. 8 prospect, Triple-A): 2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI
OF Carson Benge (no. 1 prospect, Triple-A): 1-for-5, HR, 2 RBI
RHP Jonathan Pintaro (no. 17 prospect, Triple-A): 5 IP, 2 H, 6 K
INF JT Schwartz (Double-A): 2-for-4, 3B, RBI
OF D’Andre Smith (Double-A): 2-for-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI
Double-A Binghamton trails Erie 1-0 in their Eastern League Championship Series.
SCORES
Triple-A SYR | Double-A BNG
Today’s Game 🗓️
The Mets are off today. They open a three-game series with the Cubs in Chicago on Tuesday.
Processing what feels like a death blow ✍️
Well, here we are.
What seemed inevitable has finally become a reality for the 2025 New York Mets. They are on the outside looking in after being in a playoff spot every single day since April 5.
On Sunday, they took a devastating blow in their 3-2 loss to the Nationals, a game when literally nothing could go right for them. The game was highlighted (or low-lighted for the Mets) by Jacob Young’s masterful performance in centerfield, as he took away two near-certain extra-base hits from the Mets, one of which was unquestionably going to be a game-tying home run off the bat of Francisco Álvarez in the ninth.
It just seemed so fitting, didn’t it?
The irony of it all yesterday was that they were facing two pitchers who had ERAs approaching 6, shut them down while the Mets, who have been so starved for any sort of consistent pulse from their starting pitchers, got a generally strong performance on the mound from two of them over the course of 6.2 IP.
Then of course it was star-caliber defense by the Nationals which did the Mets and their sloppy defense in.
Again, it just seemed so fitting.
The thing is, I am not surprised the Mets are now the outsiders in this playoff race. They’ve lost 52 of their last 87 games and have a -39 run differential during that span, dating back to what has become a dividing line in their season on June 13. Their team ERA is 4.94 since then, their starters have a 5.12 ERA, their relievers a 4.74 ERA. They have one pitcher who has thrown enough innings for the ERA title since then, and that is David Peterson. Their surface stats offensively have been fine - they are hitting .252/.324/.431 as a team since June 13, and that .754 OPS is the seventh-best during that span.
But we all know the Mets’ problems run far deeper than what we see on the surface. That is a very top-heavy slash line thanks to Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso. There have been far too many empty at-bats in the players that follow them in the lineup.
And their defense - dear lord.
And the mental mistakes - dear Lord.
And the lack of energy and lifelessness - dear Lord.
Yesterday summed it all up for the Mets. Sure, they pitched well, but between the physical and mental mistakes, the poor situational hitting, and the general lethargy, you don’t have to look any further as to why the Mets are where they are today. There have been questionable on-field decisions, questionable roster decisions, and nearly every move since last November outside of the signings of Pete Alonso and Juan Soto have blown up in the Mets faces.
Those are the reasons. They look like a 35-52 team, they play like a 35-52 team, and they are going where 35-52 teams go, which is down in the standings.
The Mets keep saying they are too talented for this. The Mets keep saying (more or less) it starts today. The Mets keep saying they know what they have to do. They keep acting and behaving like they’ve got it all right and know what they’re doing.
Still waiting…
No matter what happens over the next six games, there’s no hiding those patterns over their last 87 games. Whether they get into the playoffs or not, there is a lot of fixing David Stearns and his staff have on their hands this winter. If they make it, they’re only going to make it because 1) they got off to a strong enough start to avoid falling short, and 2) the field is not strong enough to take advantage of this last-place caliber play by the Mets.
I am not one to believe there is a general clubhouse issue here. We always seem to believe the Mets have a strong clubhouse when they’re good, and something is fractured in the room when they’re not good. In the end, they need better players who do the things championship clubs do. They need better pitchers, they need better defensive players, they need fewer gambles, they need fewer hopes, and players who offer more certainty instead. The Mets outfield defense is weak on its best day, they throw and kick the ball around way too much on the infield at this point, and they simply can’t pitch, and that’s all there is to it.
Having said that, it’s a lot of work, and some of it isn’t necessarily fixable in one off-season. Or two, or three in some cases.
But for now, the Mets need to dig deep and find a way to stave off another embarrassing flop in their history. I personally believe it would be far worse for the Mets to come up short over 162 games and deal with another narrative around a collapse for the rest of their lives versus barely making it and getting their clocks cleaned by the Dodgers next week in Los Angeles.
Far worse. Just think about it - fans are still commiserating over the collapses in 2007 and 2008. In many of your cases, you weren’t even born yet when those happened.
Speaking of which, while this might go down as the most disappointing seasons in Mets history should they fail to make it to the playoffs, I don’t think it compares to those seasons.
The writing has been on the wall for this Mets team for 3 1/2 months. This has been a slow bleed out. With those teams, there was instant shock (for a number of different reasons) at the end of those seasons.
Remember, the Mets were seven up with 17 to go in 2007. The Mets were also up in the Wild Card by 3 with a week to go in 2008. Both of those teams won 89 games and just crumbled in the final 1-2 weeks of the season.
With these Mets, the crumbling started when it was still spring and your kids were in their previous grade in school.
It doesn’t make it less difficult to process or endure. It doesn’t make what has happened this year any less forgivable. It just means this team’s flaws were exposed well before those teams’ flaws were.
The Mets have a week to prove everyone wrong. Before, they controlled their fate. Now, they’re asking for a lot of help in addition to needing to take care of their own business.
And whenever teams need so much help, it doesn’t usually end well.
Around the League 🚩
The Mariners beat the Astros 7-3 to pull three games ahead of Houston for first place in the NL West
The Braves handed the Tigers their sixth straight loss and swept them at Comerica Park with a 6-2 win, although the Guardians ten-game winning streak ended with a 6-2 loss to the Twins - Cleveland trails Detroit by one game in the AL Central and will play them this week
With their 8-5 win over the Royals, the Blue Jays clinched a playoff berth in the American League and are two games up on the Yankees, who thrashed the Orioles 7-1 in Baltimore thanks to a six-run tenth inning
Despite losing 5-1 to the Cardinals, the Brewers clinched their third straight NL Central title thanks to the Reds defeating the Cubs 1-0 in Cincinnati
There was a reference around a week ago by at least one Mets reporter, after a Mets loss, that the Giants had the third wild card because of a tiebreaker. The Giants lost (and kept on losing) later in the day & Mets went back to having a third playoff spot.
"The Mets finished their home schedule with a 49-32 record despite a 4-5 final homestand, and drew 3,182,057 fans, the most since the ballpark opened in 2009."
That's a bit amazing given how bad they have been the last few months.
The Diamondbacks have a hard schedule, but it would be a bit amusing if somehow they manage to get a playoff spot.
More amusing is that the Mets STILL are supposedly favored (if only by a hair) for the playoffs over the Reds. The Cubs were just swept. I'm thinking they want to show a pulse vs the Mets. Plus, the Marlins just love beating the Mets. The Reds have the Pirates and Brewers.
FIRST, YES THE PITCHING WAS A PROBLEM
BUT THE HORRIBLE SEPTEMBERS BY AND THE LACK OF RBIs BY THE FOLLOWING
ALONSO, NOT ICE COLD BUT FROZEN
ALVEREZ, SHOULD HAVE STAYED ON THE DL WITH TORRENS STARTING
VIENTOS, ABOUT 1 MONTH OF GOOD HITS AND 5 MONTHS OF HORRIBLE SWING AND MISSED STRIKEOUTS
REMEMBER BARON IN LATE APRIL, I TOLD YOU VIENTOS WASN'T THAT GOOD. YOU SAID GIVE HIM TIME AS HE'S A GOOD HITTER
AND WHAT A JOKE,
AS YES BARON, LINEUPS MATTER
BATTING VIENTOS 4 5 6
BATTING A COOLED DOWN MARTE 5 6
AND BATTING A RED HOT BATY 7 8
*
ALONSO WAS RED HOT IN APRIL MAY AND THEN IT WAS ALL DOWNHILL. ESPECIALLY SUKING IN SEPTEMBER
AND SENDING THE BEST PITCHER SENGA TO THE DL WITH A HORRIBLE THROW. ONE OF MANY I MIGHT ADD
SOTO WAS RED HOT IN SEPTEMBER WHEN IT MATTERED AND WAS NEEDED
SOTO COULD HAVE BEEN PAID $100 MILLION THIS YEAR AND WOULD HAVE BEEN WORTH IT
Since August 29, SOTO HAD A .333/.410/.801 (31-for-83) slashline with 15 extra-base hits (10 HR, 4 2B, 3B), 25 RBI, 20 runs, 12 stolen bases, 15 walks and a 1.277 OPS
PS. HOW MANY TIMES DID ALONSO COME UP IN 7 8 9 INNINGS AS THE GAME TYING OR WINNING RUN AS NOT HOMER BUT STRUCK OUT