PHILADELPHIA — For quite some time, the Mets have lived dangerously. They’ve remained in first place because their division rivals continued tripping over themselves, but time after time, they’ve wasted opportunities to run away with the NL East. Whether because of injuries or offensive ineptitude, the Mets kept their competitors within striking distance.
In the most fitting way, with men left on base and poor at-bats in big spots, the Mets received a cruel reminder that they are not invincible. While they sat in first place, the issues they often publicly downplayed were real all along.
On May 9, the Mets took sole possession of first place in the division — and held it for nearly three months.
On Aug. 6, they fell into second place.
The Phillies on Friday defeated the Mets, 4-2, to grab first place in the division. The visitors’ season is not over — they have two almost two months to straighten out their problems — but they must act quickly. The Mets need to win the next two at Citizens Bank Park to head into their off day in first place.
The Mets (56-53) were within a run until the bottom of the eighth, when Bryce Harper launched a two-run home run to center field off Edwin Diaz. In the dugout, manager Luis Rojas continued to flip through his clipboard while his assistant coaches watched the on-field action. Players sat around. There didn't appear to be any yelling or clapping.
The Mets looked defeated.
They have lost five of their last six games. They could be spiraling.
This season, the Mets have struggled with the bases loaded. They’ve performed poorly with runners in scoring position. They’ve turned seemingly advantageous situations into brutal missed opportunities at the plate.
They did all of that in this one loss.
They collected five hits and went 1 for 8 with runners in scoring position and left eight men on base. They put the leadoff man on base in four of the first six innings, but found themselves in a tie game until the fifth, when opposing pitcher Kyle Gibson singled home a run off starter Marcus Stroman. The Phillies committed three errors and the Mets never made them pay.
In a tie game in the fourth inning, the Mets loaded the bases with no outs before Stroman struck out — he opted to take three strikes and didn’t swing once — and Brandon Nimmo grounded into an inning-ending double play.
This loss might be best described this way: It was everything concerning and painful about the 2021 Mets wrapped up into a few hours.
Their starting pitcher kept them in the game, the offense didn't show. They whiffed on good chances to score early, then didn't create many late.
Jonathan Villar homered off Ian Kennedy to lead off the ninth, which made Harper's home run the difference. But the next three Mets went quietly.
As it pertains to the Mets, there are still more questions than answers. Why does a team with talented hitters struggle so much in big spots? Why is this club experiencing this type of slide in a division that doesn't look as scary as others in baseball? When will this all end.
It's only early August. The Mets certainly have time to sort out their issues. They have plenty of games against division opponents remaining on their schedule. Their talent is not the problem. Right now, they are collapsing.
When the Mets arrived here on Friday afternoon, they were atop their division.
Hours later, they no longer held that title.
