Bullpen Falters Again, Delivering Toughest Loss of Season So Far

It was all going swimmingly for the Mets Sunday afternoon. The team was beating the Nationals 7-1 in the seventh inning, scoring five of those runs before the Nats could take a turn at bat. Unfortunately for New York, what was to come was the most painful three-inning stretch of the season, and a bullpen meltdown that flooded Panic City with residents for the first time in the 2025 season.

The Mets’ bullpen had been pretty flawless early on. But the signs of some inevitable cracks were showing up. Ryne Stanek blew a save in Friday night’s contest. A.J. Minter suffered a triceps injury in Saturday’s matinee that led to the Mets having to go to an already often-utilized Max Kranick with no notice for the second time this week. Edwin Díaz had two “up-downs” on Wednesday, and so even after Thursday and Friday off, he was unavailable to make a second straight appearance on Sunday.

Sum up all of those factors up and the fact that a return to the mean was all but certain for this bullpen, and you get Sunday’s result.

Tylor Megill was pushed to the 7th inning to spare the members of that pen, but gave up two hits in that frame. José Buttó was an out away from limiting the damage in that inning to just a single run but threw gasoline on the fire, giving up three straight hits, including a three-run home run to Riley Adams, who had yet to have an RBI, let alone a home run, in 2025.

It all would’ve been a footnote, as long as Stanek redeemed himself and put up a zero in the ninth. It was strength versus strength, as Stanek tried to overpower a team known for its prowess hitting the fastball. Unfortunately, he only garnered three whiffs out of 13 swings, and it was déja vù for the Mets’ flamethrower, as he blew another save, giving up the tying and walk-off runs.

The Statcast win probability was in the Mets’ favor all game long, after New York put up a five-spot in the first. They were in the upper 80s and lower 90s for the entire afternoon, until Adams’ home run. Even after that, their chances went back up to 90% in the 9th inning. Unfortunately, at that point, the bottom dropped physically and metaphorically. It was compounded by an inability to add insurance runs in the ninth, when the Mets had men on second and third with zero outs.

Carlos Mendoza said that both Buttó and Stanek had issues “finishing” hitters on Sunday. If the Mets aren’t able to give their bullpen pitchers sufficient rest during this 13-games-in-13-days stretch, more and more games will end in tough finishes.

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