The New York Mets’ downward spiral continued Friday night with an 11-9 loss to the Seattle Mariners at Citi Field, where the home team was showered with boos after squandering two separate leads.
The defeat marked the Mets’ 14th loss in their last 16 games, dropping them six games behind the first-place Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East. Their hold on the third and final NL wild-card spot has also become tenuous, with the Cincinnati Reds just a half-game behind.
“It’s part of the mountain,” said shortstop Francisco Lindor. “You got to climb the mountain, and right now, we’re in a very steep part of it. And if we don’t get ourselves together and we don’t push ourselves to be better day in and day out, the mountain is going to be tough to climb.”
This collapse is a stark reversal of fortune for a team that boasted the best record in baseball on June 12 at 45-24, holding a 5.5-game division lead. Since then, the Mets have compiled a 19-34 record, the second-worst mark in the majors over that span.
The team has found numerous ways to lose, from an inconsistent offense and costly defensive errors to breakdowns in the starting rotation and bullpen. The inability to play complete games has left the clubhouse searching for answers.
“We have all asked that question, and it’s tough to point out one thing,” Lindor said. “We are all trying to win ballgames. All I can think of right now is that we’re not clicking at the same time and the other team is outplaying us.”
Lately, the primary culprit has been the bullpen, a unit the front office heavily invested in with three key acquisitions before the trade deadline. “It’s hard to describe, especially with how much talent and elite arms we got back there,” manager Carlos Mendoza said.
On Thursday, a strong 5⅔-inning start from Kodai Senga was undone when deadline addition Ryan Helsley failed to protect a one-run lead. The bullpen imploded again on Friday after the Mets built a 6-4 advantage. The Mariners scored seven runs over the next three frames against relievers Tyler Rogers, Helsley, Brooks Raley, and Frankie Montas.
“I haven’t seen anything like this,” said Raley, a 37-year-old veteran. “Been playing for a long time. Our offense did that tonight. Those guys were great. Score nine against a team like that, you probably should win the game. I was part of the problem and didn’t get it done.”
With just 40 games remaining, time is running out. Mendoza continues to express confidence in his team’s talent, but acknowledges the urgency. “Bottom line, we got to start playing better,” he said. “Especially when you get the lead, we got to be able to shut those games down.”
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