It’s getting late early…
The Mets lost a series vs the worst team in the NL East. Plus, how the same loss seems to keep happening every single day.
What’s up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets dropped the finale against the Nationals 9-3 to drop the series (box)
LHP Sean Manaea was not good enough in Washington, pitching 4.2 innings while allowed four runs and striking out eight
RHP Ryne Stanek officially put the game out of reach when he gave up four runs in his one inning of work
SS Francisco Lindor went 3-for-5 with a home run
DH Starling Marte went 1-for-3 with a home run
New York blew a 3-0 lead in the game, and proceeded to go scoreless against the Nationals bullpen for the second straight day
Injury Updates 🏥
2B Jeff McNeil (sore right shoulder) did not start the game since he is dealing with a shoulder injury that bothers him when he throws. He did enter the game as a pinch-hitter
“We don’t have much time left.”
–Mets manager Carlos Mendoza after Thursday’s loss to the Nationals
Playoff Race 🏁
Both the Phillies and Reds were off so the Mets only lost a half game to both. Their lead over the final playoff spot is now down to a half game…
Per FanGraphs, the Mets playoff chances have dropped to 78.2% down from 82.3% the day before.
Who’s Hot? 🥵
Over his last 15 games, DH Starling Marte is hitting .319/.365/.596 with three home runs and four RBIs
Over his last 15 games, SS Francisco Lindor is slashing .339/.406/.613 with four home runs and eight RBIs
Play of the Game 🙃
The Mets were barely hanging on to a lead when Sean Manaea exited with runners on in the fifth inning. With a run already home Carlos Mendoza turned to Tyler Rogers with two outs. Rogers could not stop the bleeding and allowed the tying and go-ahead runs to score on a single by Riley Adams.
It’s a new bullpen jester every night for the Mets these days; a given that they are going to blow a game. It’s just become a question of who and when.
Down on the Farm 🌾
LHP Jonathan Santucci (No. 14 prospect, Double-A): 5 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 3 K
OF A.J. Ewing (No. 7 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-4
OF Eli Serrano III (No. 12 prospect, High-A): 2-for-4, RBI, run scored
BOX SCORES
Single-A STL | High-A BRK | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓️
Match-up: Mets (67-60) at Braves (58-69)
Where: Truist Park — Atlanta, GA
Starters: RHP Nolan McLean (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. LHP Joey Wentz (4-3, 4.72 ERA)
When: 7:15 PM EDT
Where to Watch: Apple TV+
Groundhog Day… ✍️
What is there left to say about the 2025 New York Mets? They are stuck in a Groundhog Day-like loop where the outcome is already predetermined and the only drama remaining is who is going to be the main culprit on a nightly basis.
More often than not in these last several months, that culprit has been the starting pitching. In the club’s unacceptable series loss against the Nationals, it was both Kodai Senga and Sean Manaea — the arms who are supposed to be the stoppers of this staff — who fell apart against a hapless, last place Washington team. These are two pitchers who should have been able to find a way to win against an inferior team but that turned out to not be the case.
If we’re being brutally honest, can the Nationals even be considered the inferior team at this point in time? The Mets are 12-18 since the All-Star Break, while the Nationals are 14-17. These were two sub-par teams going at it this week and the Mets issues managed to somehow outdo Washington’s many problems.
The loss of Francisco Álvarez certainly played an immediate role since both Luis Torrens and Hayen Senger had brutal (and crucial) moments at the plate, but this team should still have enough firepower to overcome that, especially with Franciso Lindor getting hot.
Ryne Stanek continued his awfulness by putting the game out of reach with another meltdown inning, but I think we all knew in our heart of hearts that the game was over the second the Nationals took a 4-3 lead. That’s been a theme for pretty much this entire season — when the Mets go down, their offense goes out. This is a team that has yet to have a 9th inning comeback all season long, after all — they’re now 0-52 when trailing after eight. They could go an entire season without one at this point, which is an unbelievable antithesis of what made the 2024 club so lovable.
That is too large of a sample to just be a statistical oddity. Once this team seems to face any adversity or pressure, it’s clear that there is no belief that they will come back whether it is one run or five. Is a mental block? Is it the pressure? Is it injuries? Whatever it is, it is clear that something is missing from this group.
David Stearns has been taking some heat recently for putting this team together, and granted several of his moves from this past year just have not panned out. Frankie Montas was injured then bad then stashed away into the bullpen, Clay Holmes has been hit or miss as a starter, Ryne Stanek is on the verge of being DFA’ed, Ryan Helsley has blown multiple games, and Cedric Mullins has contributed virtually nothing to the team since joining them at the deadline. And yet given all of that, this is still a talented team on paper… too talented to be as bad as they’ve been for so long. And that’s on the players — they are underperforming across the board right now.
Nolan McLean was a nice shot in the arm for a game and perhaps he is the first to usher in a new era of a young homegrown rotation as Brandon Sproat and Jonah Tong will either be September call-ups or fight for a spot next season. It might be time to start looking to the future because it is still bright no matter how much of a disappointment this season has become. Carson Benge is the centerfielder of the future and Lindor and Soto are locked up for years to come. It’s frustrating that this is what this season has come to, especially when it once held so much promise but unlike the collapses in 2007 and ‘08, this team is better equipped at putting a disappointing season behind them instead of wandering in the desert for years to come.
As for the rest of 2025, however, making the playoffs is starting look more like a mirage than an oasis.
Around the League 🚩
Roman Anthony left his mark on the Red Sox/Yankees rivalry with a two-run home run in the ninth in Boston’s 6-3 win
The Astros are reportedly signing reliever Craig Kimbrel to a major league deal
Braves 3B Austin Riley underwent season ending surgery after landing on the IL with a strained abdominal muscle
The Rays are promoting top prospect SS Carson Williams with Ha-Seong Kim expected to head to the IL
'We don't have much time left' Chilling. This is what a death row inmate is told the morning of his execution.
EVERY time they're about to play Atlanta..arch enemy...the Mets enter limping after getting beat up the previous 6/7 games.
We lack last season's grit. It's as simple as that. We press rather than attack the game with determination, and there's a huge difference.
It also doesn't help that we left our best speed (and best middle infield partner for Lindor) in the minors. But I digress. And it's not like Acuña would have been some kind of savior, anywy.
But he may have been a spark. And this team needs a spark — desperately.