Would the Mets not making the playoffs be a failure?

Have expectations changed that much that not getting the job done would be seen as disappointing? Plus, the Mets are shutout in Seattle to begin their final leg of the road trip...

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What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️

• The Mets opened up their series in Seattle with a 6-0 shutout loss to the Mariners on Friday night (box)

• LHP José Quintana gave up five earned runs and a home run on four hits with two walks and eight strikeouts in 6.2 innings. Quintana did retire 14 batters in a row at one point, but couldn’t prevent a Seattle rally

• RHP Adam Ottavino walked two and allowed one earned run on a hit with no strikeouts in relief. He also gave up a two-run single that blew the game open

• LHP Alex Young did record a scoreless inning for the Mets, giving up just one hit with no walks and a strikeout

• The bats went ice cold again with the Mets recording just seven hits on the way to being shut out for the ninth time this year

• 2B Jeff McNeil was the only Mets hitter to have a multi-hit game, finishing 2-for-4

• New York went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left eight runners stranded on base

• The Mets are now 4-4 on the road trip with two games remaining before returning home to Queens

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Playoff Race 🏁

The Mets retained possession of the third Wild Card spot in the National League, despite losing to the Mariners. They remain half a game ahead of the Atlanta Braves, but are 2.5 games behind the Diamondbacks, and 3.5 games back of the Padres for the first Wild Card berth.

There are 46 games remaining.

Per FanGraphs, the Mets have a 38.3 percent chance of making the postseason.

New York has the 18th easiest schedule in MLB the rest of the way.

Tiebreakers:

• vs. ATL: 5-5

• vs. ARI: 2-2

• vs. SD: 3-0

• vs. CIN: 2-1

• vs. STL: 4-2 (finished)

• vs. SF: 2-4 (finished)

• vs. PIT: 5-2 (finished)

• vs. CHC: 4-3 (finished)

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Injury Updates 🏥

• OF Starling Marte (bone bruise in knee) will continue his rehab assignment with Double-A Binghamton on Sunday

• RHP Reed Garrett (elbow inflammation) has rejoined the team in Seattle and will be activated at some point this weekend

• RHP Christian Scott (right elbow UCL sprain) is “symptom-free” and will now look to strengthen his elbow before starting a throwing program

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Who’s Not Hot 🥶

• Since the All-Star break, the Mets are 38-for-171 (.222) with runners in scoring position

• Pete Alonso is hitting .143/.280/.429/.709 with a 40.0% K% with RISP since the All-Star break

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Down on the Farm 🌾

• 2B Boston Baro (No. 22 prospect, Single-A): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 2B

• OF A.J. Ewing (No. 27 prospect, Single-A): 2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 3B

• 3B Colin Houck (No. 7 prospect, Single-A): 1-for-4, 1 3B

BOX SCORES

Single-A STL | High-A BRK (PPD) | Double-A BNG (PPD) | Triple-A SYR (PPD)

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Today’s Game 🗓

Match-up: Mets (61-55) at Mariners (61-56)

Where: T-Mobile Park - Seattle, WA

Starters: LHP Sean Manaea (8-4, 3.30 ERA) vs. RHP Logan Gilbert (6-8, 3.05 ERA)

When: 9:40 PM EDT

Where to Watch: WPIX, MLBN (Out-of-market only)

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Will the Mets not making the postseason be considered a failure? ✍️

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The good vibes have seemingly done a Harry Houdini act.

In an instant, the narrative has flipped and the Mets’ relentless march to the postseason doesn’t seem as convincing as it was only a few weeks ago.

I’m not sure if it is just me, but I certainly noticed a dramatic change in discourse around the Mets this week.

Several talk sports hosts in New York made clear this week that they don’t think the Mets will make the playoffs. It is a far cry from the conversations we were all having less than a month ago when we were talking about this team doing something special in October.

Of course, those claims aren’t exactly unfounded given that the Mets have displayed a slew of ugly warts since the All-Star break. They’ve dropped costly games to the Braves, while also losing a tough series to the lowly Angels. Plus, per FanGraphs, New York has just a 38.3 percent chance of making the postseason as of today.

So, while watching the bats go Siberian cold in a series-opening shutout loss to Seattle on Friday, I began to ponder the following question…

Will this year be considered a failure if the Mets don’t make the postseason?

It is indeed a very loaded question.

And, let me preface this with the fact that, as of right now, and with 46 games to go, the Mets do currently occupy a Wild Card spot and are ahead of the Braves who seem to be imploding. However, with a series against the American League leading Orioles coming up, not to mention do-or-die sets against both the Padres and the D-backs, the wheels could fall off as soon as this month.

But, let’s not buy into doom prophecies just yet. Back to the question.

Would it be considered a failure if the Mets didn’t secure a Wild Card spot? It is a compelling exercise to take part in.

Based on expectations before a regular-season pitch was even thrown, you would say no it wouldn’t.

After all, I think most people expected this to be a transition year for the organization. As such, an under .500 season with maybe a brief flirtation with a Wild Card spot was the general feeling around this team heading into Opening Day.

However, I’m a big believer in recalibrating expectations on the fly when it comes to sports. As such, once this team emerged from the dark days of May and started to play like a World Series contender, the vibes dramatically and significantly changed.

All of a sudden, experts were viewing the Mets as a team that could make a lot of noise in October and go on a deep run.

More importantly, the front office shared those sentiments given their decision to be buyers at the trade deadline.

Okay, granted, the organization wasn’t exactly uber-aggressive given they made marginal upgrades. However, they still added pieces to bolster the depth and help this team become better in the now.

Therefore, I am of the belief that if the Mets were to ultimately fall short this year and fail to make the playoffs, it would be looked upon as a crushing disappointment and, indeed, a failure. I think when you stage the kind of remarkable turnaround this team did this year, which included some elite baseball for a two-month stretch, ending the year without postseason baseball could only be looked at through a negative prism.

Plus, owner Steve Cohen has been pretty consistent in saying that he himself would be disappointed if the Mets didn’t extend their season into October.

Ultimately, I think the sudden change in narrative surrounding this team probably boils down to how tight the Wild Card race is, coupled with the fact that the Mets do seem to be losing momentum and their way at the wrong time.

Did this team peak too early? It is possible.

With one loss enough to hurl you out of a Wild Card spot, and one win enough to propel you back in, it is only natural for some to look at this Mets team right now and doubt their ability to maintain the consistency needed to stay in the hunt. While there are some patsies on the schedule, there are also some potential death traps and do-or-die series against those teams you are in direct competition with on the slate too.

It is easy to study this faltering offense and question if they will be able to generate the runs needed to beat an elite Baltimore team, as well as clinch crucial series against the Padres and the Diamondbacks, who are both seemingly getting hot and generating momentum at exactly the right time.

The increasingly concerning struggles with runners in scoring position should also worry you, as should Pete Alonso’s inability to take over games on a consistent basis. The bullpen has been better but that is a group with flaws, as is the starting rotation. This team has clear flaws, and it will have to be a case of keeping those said flaws under control the rest of the way.

All in all, there is still enough time for the Mets to right the ship and get the train back on the track. Avoiding a series loss to the Mariners would be a good start. Finishing the road trip on a high point and then taking care of business at home against the A’s and the Marlins would start to generate some much-needed momentum again.

However, despite the up-and-down ride we’ve been on since the All-Star break, the only natural conclusion to come to at this stage is that, yes, it would be a failure if the Mets were to completely stumble down the stretch run and fail to make the postseason.

That’s just the reality of the situation.

Let’s hope we don’t have to face that reality anytime soon.

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Around the League 🚩

• MLB announced that the Braves and Reds will play a regular-season game at the historic Bristol Motor Speedway in the MLB Speedway Classic in 2025

• Dodgers star Mookie Betts will return to right field when he returns from the IL

• Shohei Ohtani and Freddie Freeman both hit a home run to help lead the Dodgers past the Pirates

• Jackson Merrill hit a game-tying leadoff home run in the ninth - his 16th of the year - as the Padres beat the Marlins to improve to 15-3 since the All-Star break

• Zach Eflin dominated against his former team the Rays, delivering seven scoreless innings to help lead the Orioles to a 4-1 win

• Adrian Del Castillo’s first Major League home run was one to remember - a ninth inning walk-off blast to help the Diamondbacks beat the Phillies, 3-2