The New York Mets may have suffered a season-defining loss to the Washington Nationals as the team’s Wild Card dreams hang by a thread.
- New York Mets 10 (70-68)
- Washington Nationals 11 (78-59)
- NL, Final, Box Score
- Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
That’s all she wrote. Tuesday night feels like a backbreaker. The New York Mets took fans on an unexpected run during the second half, but the NL Wild Card dream is on life support.
In a game where the Washington Nationals handed the Mets the win on a silver platter, New York’s bullpen had a Chernobyl-level meltdown. Up 10-4 in the ninth inning, Paul Sewald allowed four runs while only managing to secure one out.
Luis Avilan couldn’t clean up the mess so manager Mickey Callaway was forced to hand the ball to Edwin Diaz with the winning run at the plate. Down 10-8, Kurt Suzuki ripped a three-run home run to the left-field seats to complete the monumental comeback in the ninth inning.
The @Nationals with a comeback for the ages. ?
(MLB x @Supercuts) pic.twitter.com/apuljYJ81z
— MLB (@MLB) September 4, 2019
This was a golden opportunity for Callaway’s squad. Max Scherzer was not at his best, uncharacteristically allowing four runs in six innings. Although not spectacular himself, Jacob deGrom won the war of attrition between the two aces, surrendering four runs in seven innings.
The Mets offense was not to blame for the loss. Pete Alonso launched his 44th home run of the season. Jeff McNeil led the way with three RBIs, while Alonso, Brandon Nimmo, and Joe Panik each had a pair of their own.
Joe Panik smacks his first home run as a Met and the Mets just pounded Max Scherzer for four runs in the fourth. 4-1 game. #LGM pic.twitter.com/CAs1uZeNaa
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) September 4, 2019
A Trea Turner error leads to a Jeff McNeil 2-RBI single, and then this … a Pete Alonso moonshot (44) to make it 10-4. #Mets pic.twitter.com/DOzhWHU0VB
— ESNY (@EliteSportsNY) September 4, 2019
This loss is on the bullpen 100%. Unfortunately, the bullpen has been a liability for a vast majority of the season.
The Mets are running out of time to make their move in the NL Wild Card hunt. They trail the Chicago Cubs, the second-place Wild Card team, by five games in the loss column.
Not to mention, they need to leapfrog the Milwaukee Brewers, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Philadelphia Phillies before they can even think about catching the Cubs.
Never say never, but the Nationals may have just hammered the final nail into the coffin.
