The New York Mets continued their downward spiral with a 7-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field on Saturday night, their sixth consecutive defeat, and dropping their record to 63-54. The loss extended their troubling run, as they have now lost 10 of 11 games and fallen 4 1/2 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. Even after holding a 2 1/2-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds for the third NL wild-card spot, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza delivered a blunt assessment of his team’s performance after the game.“Just continue to make mistakes,” Mendoza said. “We’re not playing good baseball. Especially when you are playing against teams like this, you give them extra outs, extra bases, they are going to make you pay, and that happened today. Yeah, not good enough.”
“We’re not playing good baseball.”
Carlos Mendoza was asked what the most maddening part of tonight’s loss was: pic.twitter.com/VsezGenMw9
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The Mets’ issues Saturday were emblematic of their recent struggles: defensive miscues and bullpen lapses costing them dearly. Early in the game, Pete Alonso hit his franchise-record-tying 252nd career home run to put New York ahead, but that momentum was short-lived.
In the second inning, with two outs and the bases loaded, Mets pitcher Frankie Montas induced a chopper up the middle. Francisco Lindor, a two-time Gold Glove winner and team leader, misplayed the ball, which sailed past his glove into center field, allowing two runs to score and tying the game at 2. Frustrated by the error, Lindor slammed his glove into the dugout bench three times. He finished the night 0-for-5 with three strikeouts, carrying a .176 batting average and a .525 OPS since the All-Star break.
The seventh inning proved even more damaging. With the Mets clinging to a 4-3 lead, reliever Ryne Stanek, who now sports a 5.31 ERA, allowed two hits and exited after recording two outs.
Ryan Helsley then took the mound with two outs and a runner on third. Ronny Mauricio, brought in as a defensive replacement at third base, mishandled a ground ball, allowing the Brewers’ go-ahead run to score. The next batter, William Contreras, appeared to line out, but a pitch clock violation against Helsley extended the at-bat. Contreras then blasted a two-run homer to left field, increasing the Brewers’ lead to 7-4.
Pitching remains a concern beyond just the bullpen. Starter Frankie Montas logged 72 pitches over three innings, allowing three hits, two walks, and three runs (one earned). Meanwhile, Kodai Senga lasted only 4 1/3 innings in his last start, and both Senga and Sean Manaea need to provide more quality innings for the rotation to stabilize.
Offensively, the Mets have relied heavily on home runs from their top hitters. Saturday’s four runs came via solo shots from Alonso, Starling Marte, and Juan Soto. Yet others have struggled. Brandon Nimmo is hitless in his last 17 at-bats with 12 strikeouts, and Lindor is 0-for-15. The Mets’ postseason hopes hinge largely on these players finding consistency.
