NEW YORK _ This season, the Mets have often taken a step forward, only to take a couple or a few back. It's seemed rather cyclical, which has frustrated the club and its fans.
Well, the swing between Thursday and Friday might sting more than others. The Mets were positioned to begin this series with the Cardinals with two wins, but instead they're left with a pair of losses. With a brutal three-city road trip coming up, it feels like the Mets really need to win the last two against St. Louis.
On Friday night at Citi Field, Jeurys Familia entered the game in the eighth inning with a one-run lead for which the offense had battled a half inning prior. The Mets were down three when he exited, and they eventually lost 9-5.
It somewhat resembled the suspended series opener, which is even more painful for New York. On Thursday, Edwin Diaz toed the rubber on a rainy night with a two-run lead. Needing three outs, he allowed two runs, and then he gave up the go-ahead run when play resumed on Friday.
Paul DeJong, who is basically the Met-killer these days, launched a game-tying solo home run off Familia. That elicited groans and eye rolls from the fans. It seemed like a collective, Here we go again.
What happened next was even worse for them to watch.
Familia got two outs, but then Yadier Molina doubled and Harrison Bader walked. That set the table for Dexter Fowler, who hit a ball 407 feet to give St. Louis an 8-5 lead. Familia's ERA is now 6.91.
That pretty much sealed the Mets' latest loss.
Thursday and Friday are two of 162 games. That is true. However, they might prove crucial. Mets manager Mickey Callaway has talked about how hitting a certain mark in a record can jumpstart a team.
His Mets had that opportunity. If they had won the series opener, they would've been .500 for the first time since May 26. If they had won that and Friday night's game, they would have been over that mark for the first time since May 2.
Yet here they are, 33-36. After this weekend, they play three contending teams in the Braves, Cubs and Phillies. They play four in Chicago and four in Philly. And the Mets have not played well on the road.
So, basically, the Mets need to get it together and quick.
The Mets had ingredients for a win on Friday.
With the bases loaded and the Mets down one in the seventh, Wilson Ramos lined a two-out, two-run single to give New York a lead.
Before that, the Mets were relatively silent on offense. For some of this game, it looked as if Steven Matz's lone mistake would doom New York.
In the fifth, Jose Martinez blasted a three-run homer off Matz to give the Cardinals a 4-1 lead. Matz, though, did his best to try to make up for it and led off the bottom half with a solo home run, the third long ball of his career.
Matz pitched well otherwise, throwing 113 pitches over six innings. He allowed four runs, but only three were earned because a Frazier error put a runner on base in the fifth before the home run.
His offense picked him up, but Familia could not protect the lead.
Thus, the Mets are once again left wondering what went wrong and how they can finally string together a few wins.
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