Mets’ implosion against A’s deals another blow to wild-card hopes.
Mets’ implosion against A’s deals another blow to wild-card hopes
It seems the Mets just can’t stand prosperity.
After overcoming a horrendous start to the season to get back into the wild-card race, the Mets were demolished by the Mariners in a sweep in Seattle and then returned home and dropped a series to the last-place A’s.
The final loss was the worst as Jose Quintana and the bullpen blew a five-run lead in a 7-6 defeat. They’ve dropped five of their last six and their wild-card hopes have taken a hit.
J.D. Martinez said the team addressed its struggles after the ugly Seattle series and emphasized a need to get back to the carefree attitude it displayed in June, when it looked like the Mets were hopelessly out of playoff contention.
“We got here by playing with no pressure,” Martinez said of the team’s early summer attitude after they were 11 games under .500.
Mets’ make comedy of errors with series of bizarre miscues in loss
“We were supposed to lose, so let’s just go have fun,’’ Martinez said. “All of a sudden, we get to this point, make a couple trades, we’re in it and now there’s a little more pressure.”
They don’t seem to be handling it well, which is why Martinez wants the team to get back to a “Who cares?” mentality. That’s what got us here.”
The loss left them two games behind the Braves for the third wild-card spot in the NL.
On Thursday, they were doomed by their pitchers giving up a season-high 11 walks.
Jose Quintana loaded the bases three times in the first four innings.
The A’s didn’t score the first two times, but after a single and a pair of walks in the fourth, the lefty hung a breaking pitch to JJ Bleday, who hit it out to right to cut the Mets’ lead to 5-4.
His high pitch count helped knock Quintana out of the game after just four innings. Quintana said the loss was “on me.”
The A’s scored twice off Reed Garrett in the sixth to take the lead and held on, despite leaving 16 runners on base. The Mets were nearly as wasteful, stranding 10 of their own.
They also threatened in the bottom of the ninth as Tyrone Taylor was hit by a pitch from Mason Miller — the young fireballer was in his second inning of work — and Jose Iglesias drew a two-out walk, but Francisco Alvarez lined to center to end it.
Early on, the Mets were in a good spot as they got a two-run blast from Mark Vientos — his first of a pair of homers on the day — and a two-run single by Luis Torrens in the third inning to go up 5-0.
After Quintana allowed the A’s back into the game, Vientos’ one-out, opposite-field homer in the bottom of the inning made it 6-4.
Oakland inched closer again in the fifth with a run off Huascar Brazoban and took the lead in the sixth.
Bleday started the rally with a single and went to third on a Shea Langeliers double off Garrett.
