PHILADELPHIA — After another miserable loss — where the Mets choked away a four-run lead in a 6-4 decision to the Phillies on Thursday night at Citizens Bank Park, manager Carlos Mendoza knew exactly who to blame.
“I’m responsible,” he told reporters outside the Mets clubhouse.
But, like he has after every loss in this four-game sweep at the hands of the Mets’ division rivals, Mendoza exuded unwavering confidence in his team after the game.
“I’m the manager, so it’s my job to get these guys going, and I will,” Mendoza added. “I’ve got a lot of confidence in myself, my coaches, and the players. It’s not easy right now, and we’re all frustrated, but look, like I said, we’ve still got an opportunity to achieve our goal.”
Mendoza had better move fast, because time is running out.
The Mets entered the series trailing the Phillies by seven games in the NL East. A Mets sweep would have put them within three games of the division. They held a four-game lead for the third NL Wild Card spot and had a 93.4% chance of making the playoffs, according to FanGraphs.
Now, they’re 11 games out in the division and clinging to a 1 1/2-game lead over the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds for the third NL Wild Card spot. Their postseason hopes are down to 78.2%.
“We’ve got to play better. Simple as that,” said Mets starter David Peterson, who allowed three runs over five innings against the Phillies. “We’ve seen what this group can do, and we’ve got 15 (games) left and gotta take care of business.
“The past is the past. We need to let it go and play better.”
Looking ahead, the Mets have nine games remaining with opponents with records above .500 (tough opponents). That’s the most among the teams they’re either chasing or trying to stave off for playoff positioning.
Mets -1.5 runline is +172 on DraftKings for Friday’s game against the Rangers. Our DraftKings Sportsbook review provides a comprehensive guide on how to use their site.
The San Diego Padres, who have a two-game lead over the Mets for the second NL Wild Card spot, have seven games remaining against tough opponents, as do the Giants and Reds.
