Lather, Rinse, Repeat!
Mets free fall continues with sweep in Philadelphia in another embarrassing defeat on Thursday
What’s up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets dropped their sixth consecutive loss in humiliating fashion and got swept by the Phillies in four games, dropping the final game of the series 6-4 (box)
LHP David Peterson, like the rest of the starting staff, failed to go deep into the game. He gave up three runs in five innings while striking out eight and walking one
RHP Reed Garrett gave up the lead and then some in his appearance. His final line was 0.2 IP, 3 ER, BB, K
DH Starling Marte went 1-for-3 with 2 RBI
The Mets went 0-for-25 after Marte’s RBI double in the first inning
The Mets are now 31-44 on the road, 31-47 since June 13, 3-7 in September, been swept seven times, 0-63 when trailing after eight innings, 23-23 against the NL East, 60-26 when scoring four or more runs, and 21-29 since the All-Star Game
Playoff Race 🏁
The Mets’ lead in the Wild Card race is almost completely gone, and they are most definitely out of the NL East race after dropping four straight to the Phillies. This will be the last update on the race for the NL East since the Mets do not have anymore games with the Phillies:
The Wild Card lead is down to just 1.5 games with the teams chasing them not playing.
Per Fangraphs, the Mets playoff chances are 78.1% which is down from 83.1% the previous day.
Play of the Game 🙃
Old friend Harrison Bader continued to torture his former team on Thursday, reminding them once again what they let go at the end of last season and what they didn’t acquire at the trade deadline this last July.
His RBI hit in the sixth inning gave the Phillies their first lead of the game and he went 19-for-36 against the Mets this season.
As a general reminder, the Phillies acquired Bader at the trade deadline whereas the Mets opted for Cedric Mullins instead.
Once the Phillies had the lead it was all but over since the Mets did not pick up another hit for the rest of the game. This is par for the course with this team that does not fight back once they get knocked down.
Down on the Farm 🌾
LF AJ Ewing (No. 7 prospect, Double-A): 2-for-4, 2 R, 3B, SB, BB
CF Nick Morabito (No. 16 prospect, Double-A): 1-for-4, R, RBI, SB, BB, K
CF Yonatan Henriquez (Single-A): 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 SB
SCORES
Single-A STL | Double-A BNG | Triple-A SYR
Today’s Game 🗓️
Match-up: Mets (76-71) vs Rangers (77-70)
Where: Citi Field - Flushing, NY
Starters: RHP Jonah Tong (1-1, 4.09 ERA) vs. RHP Jacob deGrom (11-7, 2.78 ERA)
When: 7:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY, MLBN (out-of-market only)
The NL East is gone - is the Wild Card next? ✍️
After getting swept in a four-game series by the Phillies this week, the Mets now sit 11 games behind them for the division lead. While they are not mathematically out of the division race yet, for all intents and purposes, the crown belongs to Philadelphia.
But quite frankly, with the way the Mets sleepwalked through this series and the back half of this road trip, the race for the NL East was over while the Mets were still in Cincinnati.
Since Edwin Diaz’s Houdini Act last Friday night against the Reds, the Mets haven’t even really come close to winning a game, let alone shown any sign of a pulse or quality that would suggest they’re even deserving of a playoff spot.
It’s a shame since just two weeks ago, after they swept the Phillies at home, they were just four games behind the Phillies and in complete control of a Wild Card spot. They looked like they could have made a run, but instead they’ve completely fallen on their faces. They are 4-10 since the Phillies left Citi Field two weeks ago.
Luckily for the Mets, they still have the Wild Card race, and even more lucky for them is that there is a third Wild Card which they are currently holding. But for how long remains to be seen. Their lead is down to a mere 1.5 games, and this is not a team that has shown any kind of resiliency this season. And it would seem that in every game, this club is just waiting for something bad to happen. It’s the same thing every day - they may score a few runs early, the starters continue to be incompetent, and someone in the bullpen blows the whole game up and the offense just falls flat.
Why wouldn’t it happen tonight against the Rangers? Again, it happens every day. That’s the fabric of this club, that’s the DNA of this club. This is how bad teams play and the Mets have been among the worst teams in baseball for three months straight.
Why are we even talking about a playoff spot? There’s no evidence to suggest they can hold onto even the lowest seed in the National League now.
Carlos Mendoza put the blame on himself after the game, but what can he reasonably do? Can he make pitchers not implode in the fourth inning? Can he tell the bullpen to stop giving up runs every time they make an appearance? Was it his fault Francisco Álvarez swung at three pitches out of the zone to end the game, again?
At some point, the players have to perform. This team has the talent to do it, so it is unfathomable as to how they ended up in this position.
The road doesn’t get any easier now that they have to face Jacob deGrom and the red-hot and seemingly hungry Rangers this weekend. They could very well be on the outside looking in by the end of the weekend if they continue down the path they are currently on. Maybe losing a playoff spot will be a wake-up call they urgently need, or perhaps they figure it out before that happens. Either way, they can’t continue on as they are now and expect to be playing in October. They don’t deserve it, and even if they squeak in, there’s a good chance it will be an early exit for this team.
The pressure is on everyone, including Mendoza, to avoid yet another late-year collapse in franchise history, and of course, it could all come down to the Marlins yet again in the final series of the season. The team still has time, but the sun is starting to set on the 2025 season. They’ve already lost one goal in the division; now they just need to make sure the Wild Card isn’t next.
Around the League 🚩
Mike Trout is now one home run away from 400 for his career when he blasted number 399 against the Twins
The Padres defeated the Rockies 2-0 to increase their lead as the second Wild Card holder
The Yankees revealed that Anthony Volpe has been playing with a small labrum tear, but he is not expected to go on the IL
Toronto starter Kevin Gausman pitched a 100-pitch shutout of the Astros missing a “Maddux” by one pitch
Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit two home runs to tie Joe DiMaggio for fourth in franchise history
Scanning last night’s box score, I find the boys had 5 hits, all of them in the 1st inning, and they phoned it in for the remaining 8 innings: zero hits. Under my cardiologist's advice, I didn’t watch the game. He likely saved my life.
I’m not GM material and wasn’t a big Harrison Bader fan last off-season, but his .282 BA, 16 HRs, and .827 OPS, coupled with his plus defense, sure would have looked sweet in Citi Field's CF this season.
Game set match on the season. This team for the past 80 games is bunched with the Rockies, Nationals, White Sox, & Twins. A winning percent of .408. That won’t get it done. I expect they don’t make the playoffs.