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The Mets will have to reach the playoffs and win the wild-card round if they are going to play again at Citi Field this season.
Sure, it could happen.
Or the Mets could simply call it a season when the last game on the schedule is played next Sunday in Miami.
The reality of that possibility crept closer on Sunday with a 3-2 loss to the Nationals that left the Mets in serious scoreboard watching mode.
With the loss and the Reds’ victory, the Mets are in chase mode with the teams tied for the NL’s third and final wild-card spot. Cincinnati owns the tiebreaker between the two teams.
Jacob Young’s second highlight-reel catch of the game helped seal it: the Nationals center fielder reached above the fence in left-center to rob Francisco Alvarez of a game-tying homer leading off the bottom of the ninth.
For a second straight day, the Mets couldn’t produce enough offensively to handle a Nationals team about to finish last in the NL East. The Mets went 2-4 in their final two series against the Nationals.
Sean Manaea, returning to starting duty following a bullpen appearance last week, lasted just three innings and allowed three earned runs on four hits with three strikeouts.
Clay Holmes piggybacked Manaea and pitched 3 ²/₃ scoreless innings. It was a reversal from Tuesday, when Manaea piggybacked Holmes.
Manaea fell into a 3-0 hole in the second inning. Jorge Alfaro stroked a double and Daylen Lile, who had been running from first base, scored on the play after Francisco Lindor took the cutoff and threw errantly to second base attempting to nail Lile. With two outs, Nasim Nuñez cleared the left field fence for a two-run homer.
The Mets pulled to within 3-1 in the bottom of the inning as Cedric Mullins followed Luis Torrens’ leadoff double with an RBI single. On the play, Lile slid into the side wall and lost the ball.
Umpires signaled a timeout for the injury, sending Mullins back to first base after he had initially been ruled out at second.
But any chance of a big inning was erased when Lindor lined to first base to start a double play. Juan Soto followed with a double and reached third on a balk before he was left stranded.
Young’s circus catch in center robbed Brett Baty of an extra-base hit in the fifth. Young hit the fence, bobbled the ball and then kicked it midair (hacky sack style) into his glove for a jaw-dropping out.
Lindor homered leading off the bottom of the sixth against Jake Irvin to slice the Nationals lead to 3-2. The homer was Lindor’s 28th, leaving him within two of joining Soto and Pete Alonso in giving the Mets three players with at least 30 in a season, which would be a first in franchise history.
Mark Vientos got ejected after protesting a check swing that was ruled Strike 3 to end the sixth with two runners on base. Vientos, who slammed his bat in anger, was ejected by plate umpire John Tumpane.
Alonso singled with two outs in the eighth and reached second on a wild pitch before Jeff McNeil was retired.
