Mets’ skid reaches five with 11-3 loss to Phillies; wild-card grip narrows
Quality opposition and recurring pitching problems quiet New York’s offense in blowout at Citizens Bank Park, though the Mets remain two games clear for the final NL wild-card spot
PHILADELPHIA — The New York Mets dropped their fifth straight game Wednesday, falling 11-3 to the Philadelphia Phillies and exposing the same pitching and offensive shortcomings that have dogged the club since mid-June.
The loss left the Mets 76-70 but did not immediately change their place in the National League wild-card chase: a loss by the San Francisco Giants left New York two games in front of the final postseason spot with about two and a half weeks remaining in the regular season. Still, the defeat underscored the Mets’ recent slide from the majors’ best record at 45-24 on June 12 to a club that has struggled to solve reliable pitching and timely hitting.
Cristopher Sánchez dominated New York for six innings, allowing one run on four hits and striking out six, continuing a streak in which quality opposing starters have quieted the Mets’ lineup. Over a recent span that included starts by Hunter Greene, Aaron Nola, Ranger Suárez and Sánchez, New York’s core hitters were held to three runs and 12 hits in 25 innings while striking out 30 times.
The Mets’ afternoon unraveled early. Reliever Clay Holmes needed 29 pitches in the first inning and exited charged with two runs; a series of miscues and timely Philadelphia hitting pushed the lead further out of reach. J.T. Realmuto’s single and a drive into the right-field corner by Brandon Marsh — a double that went for extra bases after Juan Soto was slow to the ball — drove in a run and chased Holmes from the game.
Gregory Soto replaced Holmes and immediately yielded an RBI single to Max Kepler. The sixth inning became decisive: a nine-batter, four-run rally erased any faint hope of a Mets comeback. That frame included hit batters and successive run-producing hits, with Marsh delivering an RBI single and Kepler lacing a two-run single that widened the deficit.
New York managed a run in the fourth when Juan Soto doubled, moved to third on a Pete Alonso single and scored on a Starling Marte fielder’s choice. Soto later hit a solo home run in the eighth, but the solo shots were insufficient against a Phillies attack that capitalized on Mets mistakes and the inability of New York’s pitching staff to deliver extended, clean outings.
Manager Carlos Mendoza’s club has shown flashes since the trade deadline, when the bullpen was bolstered and expectations rose, but recent results suggest those reinforcements have been uneven. The veterans who were expected to provide length and stability in the rotation have struggled to consistently do so, and when starters exit early the bullpen has not always held leads or limited further damage.
Alonso, one of the team’s offensive leaders, had a quiet night and was left to chase late as the Mets’ attempts to rally faltered. The club’s recent offensive success in August has dissipated in the skid, particularly when facing top-level starting pitching.
With roughly two weeks remaining in the season, the Mets retain a narrow margin for error in the wild-card race. The team must stabilize its pitching staff and reawaken an offense that was once one of baseball’s most productive if it hopes to clinch a postseason berth and carry momentum into October.
