Mets’ Playoff Hopes In Danger Amidst Six-Game Losing Streak

After holding what seemed like a nearly insurmountable lead in the National League Wild Card standings, the Mets have found themselves in a tight playoff race that may come down to the final days of the regular season for the second year in a row.

Heading into their series against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park last weekend, New York was five games ahead of them and four in front of the San Francisco Giants, whom they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over, for that last Wild Card spot. After winning a thriller in the series opener last Friday night, a contest in which Edwin Díaz worked his way out of a bases-loaded, nobody-out jam in the ninth, the Mets moved to six games ahead of Cincinnati while also entering a tie with the San Diego Padres for the second Wild Card spot and No. 5 seed.

The Mets failed to put further distance between themselves and the Reds by losing the final two games between the teams, however, thus giving Cincinnati the tiebreaker while also allowing it to creep back within four games of them. New York caught a break in regards to the Giants, though, as they dropped the final two contests of their series vs. the St. Louis Cardinals and failed to capitalize on the Mets’ own shortcomings.

Next up on the docket for New York was a four-game series at Citizens Bank Park against the Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets knew the division would be out of reach barring a sweep, but coming away with at least a game or two was crucial as they looked to fend off Cincinnati and San Francisco.

Instead, they fell flat on their faces. After nearly pulling off a ninth-inning comeback against Jhoan Duran on Monday night, New York proceeded to lose the following three contests by a combined score of 26-10 while the Phillies completed a sweep and cemented their status as division champs for the second season in a row.

Elsewhere, the Reds and Giants won their three-game series against the Padres and Arizona Diamondbacks, respectively. As the Mets get set to welcome Jacob deGrom and the red-hot Texas Rangers to Citi Field this weekend, they’re now only 1 1/2 games up on both Cincinnati and San Francisco while even the D-backs sit just three games behind them.

There wasn’t much of a race as recently as August 28 when New York was five and six games ahead of the Reds and Giants, respectively, but the tide has obviously turned amidst the Mets’ six-game losing streak. They have no one to blame but themselves for losing their tight grip on a playoff spot, and their three-month-long swoon has turned into an utter collapse of embarrassing proportions.

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