What once seemed inevitable, the New York Mets reaching the National League playoffs, now seems wholly uncertain.
The Mets’ August malaise continued with trade-deadline acquisition Ryan Helsley blowing an eighth-inning lead in New York’s inexplicable series loss to the lowly Atlanta Braves, 4-3, on Thursday in Flushing.
The Mets, who led the National League East as recently as Aug. 2 and were seven games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds on July 8, now hold just a half-game advantage over the Reds for the final NL playoff spot.
New York is 2-13 in its past 15 games and will square off against the white-hot Seattle Mariners this weekend, capped by the Little League Classic in Williamsport, Pennsylvania on Sunday night.
What Happened To The Mets?
The Mets were cruising along in the hunt for the NL East title with the Philadelphia Phillies.
But even as Philadelphia pulled ahead in recent weeks by going 13-9 in its past 22 games, it was assumed the Mets would do enough to right their ship and qualify for postseason for the second year in a row.
New York appeared poised to get right this week against Atlanta, first by blasting the Braves 13-5 on Tuesday — snapping its seven-game losing streak — and pulling within five games of the Phillies. They then endured a nearly two-hour rain delay Wednesday and built a seemingly insurmountable 6-0 advantage against Carlos Carrasco in the second game.
Yet, New York’s de facto ace David Peterson couldn’t make the lead stick, and reliever Reed Garrett took the loss after the duo combined to allow nine runs in the top of the fourth inning of the Mets’ 11-6 loss.
The Mets lost the chance to put pressure on the Phillies, who lost in Cincinnati that night 8-0. But with another chance to gain on Philadelphia, and not lose further ground to the Reds, the Mets took a 3-2 lead into the eighth inning after Pete Alonso’s two-out single in the sixth.
Yet, Helsley, who was New York’s key bullpen add from the St. Louis Cardinals at the deadline, blew up again. Helsley surrendered back-to-back RBI doubles to Ozzie Albies and Michael Harris, allowing Atlanta to pull ahead for good.
âFor everybody else to do their job and you not to do yours, it sucks,â Helsley said, according to The Athletic. âYou never want to be that guy and be the reason the team loses.
Helsley now has two blown saves, two losses, a 5.40 ERA and 2.00 WHIP in five innings since joining the Mets. He’s allowed seven runs, with only three earned, but New York has not won in any of his six games pitched.
“This guy is elite,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We just gotta get him back on track.”
“Trying to figure out that role and that routine to be ready when my name is called,” Helsley said. “I just havenât been good.”
Can The Mets Recover To Make The Playoffs?
The dog days affect everyone — except, apparently, the Milwaukee Brewers. The Chicago Cubs, who once led the NL Central, trail Milwaukee by eight games and sit just five games up on the Reds. The Phillies have lost three straight. The Dodgers fell out of first place.
So there is still ample time for New York to right its ship, even though Baseball Reference gives it just a 46 percent chance of reaching postseason. Plus, it still has a suddenly colossal three-game set in Cincinnati from Sept. 5-7 ahead.
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