HOUSTON _ Even when favorable draft position may be the only consolation from this spoiled season, Mets manager Terry Collins has played to win. This was evidenced by the starting lineup he posted in Sunday's series finale against the Astros.
At a time when the focus has shifted toward next season, and evaluating the unproven player who might someday participate in a turnaround, the top three batters in the lineup were also among the oldest on the roster. Indeed, Jose Reyes, Norichika Aoki and Asdrubal Cabrera have long established big league track records.
But following an 8-6 loss to the Astros on Sunday, the Mets appeared to show that defeat may be increasingly inevitable, no matter how the lineup is arranged.
The loss completed a three-game sweep at the hands of the Astros (83-53), who began the day 12 { game lead in the American League West despite a second-half slowdown. Meanwhile, the Mets (58-78) dipped to 20-games under the .500 mark, the furthest they've fallen away from the break-even point in the tenures of both Collins and general manager Sandy Alderson.
Not since 2009 have such depths found the Mets, who began the day with the sixth most losses in Major League Baseball.
Reyes finished with two hits and swiped two bases. And in his second game as a member of the Mets, Aoki collected three hits, knocked in two runs, and scored two more of his own. In the second inning, the Mets held a 4-1 lead.
But the Astros blitzed right-hander Chris Flexen with five runs in the third inning, seizing a lead they would not relinquish.
Flexen, 23, made the leap straight from Double-A Binghamton to the big leagues. But his eight starts with the Mets have only underscored the scope of such a jump.
He has surrendered 14 runs over his last two starts.
Against the Astros, who moved closer to strength with the return from the DL of star shortstop Carlos Correa, Flexen looked overmatched. He lasted just four innings, allowing seven runs on nine hits. It was punishment for the pitches he left over the heart of the strike zone.
Flexen (3-4) allowed towering home runs to Cameron Maybin and George Springer while watching his ERA rise to 7.85.
But it wasn't a total loss for the other Mets looking to use the rest of the season to prove themselves.
Rookie first baseman Dominic Smith went 2-for-5 including an RBI single. During the three-game set, he went 5-for-13 with a homer, a double and four RBIs to show signs of emerging from a slump to begin his big league career.
Brandon Nimmo, in his first extended opportunity to play the outfield, has reached base in all four of his plate appearances. He finished with a hit and three walks, including one intentional. One of those walks came with the bases loaded to knock in a run.
Nimmo walked in every game of the Astros series. He has 20 walks in 44 games, raising his on-base percentage to .398.
