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MILWAUKEE – The official knockout came before the Mets even entered the field on Saturday night.
In Philadelphia, the Phillies had won, ensuring this season’s NL East champion will have at least 83 wins, a number the Mets can’t get regardless of their outcome. In other words, the Mets were officially dead in the playoff race, marking a fifth straight year taken out of the playoffs for this underperforming franchise.
Unofficially, the Mets had been over for weeks. A team built to play beyond the regular season breathed, leaving a foul odor in its wake.
“I think it’s pretty clear that we didn’t swing the sticks well enough, obviously that’s a big part of that,” Michael Conforto said of the Mets season after his team lost 2-1 against the Brewers at American Family Field for a 12th loss in 15 games.
When asked if it was depressing that the team were eliminated without a fight in this stretch, Conforto disagreed with the premise.
“I wouldn’t say we didn’t come down without a fight,” Conforto said. “I think we fought. We didn’t have the victories, but our guys, we fight every day.
Whether it’s the absence of ace Jacob deGrom, sidelined by forearm and elbow discomfort since the All-Star break or Conforto’s underperformance, Francisco Lindor, Jeff McNeil, Dominic Smith and James McCann, the Mets never got their spring mojo back. They were 35-25 after beating the Cubs on June 16, but since then they’ve produced a record 38-56.
The Mets spent 90 days in first place, but that party ended with a loss to the Phillies on August 6. Since then, the Mets have been trying to catch the Braves and the Phillies, who are fighting fiercely to determine the division champion. .
“The offense was the only thing that wasn’t or wasn’t there consistently,” manager Luis Rojas said. “It showed up here and there and for the second half we hit a little better, but still not enough.
“We’ve had a tough schedule for the rest of the season after the trade deadline. I think it was there, it was no secret so we had to score more points … our defense also in the second half was not like in the first half and our pitch wasn ‘ was not like before in the first half. “
The Braves, who lead the division race by 1 and a half games, will try to win a fourth straight NL East title. The Mets last won the division in 2015 – when they qualified for the World Series – and appeared in the NL wildcard game (one loss to the Giants) a year later. Since then, they have only had one winning season.
Rich Hill gave the Mets a chance that night by allowing two earned runs on two hits and four walks in five innings. It was the left-hander’s eighth consecutive start in which he allowed three earned runs or less.
But the Mets were quiet with the sticks, placing just three runners in scoring position. For the fifth time in six games, they have scored three points or less.
The Brewers, who already clinched a playoff berth, took a 2-0 lead in the third. Eduardo Escobar delivered a two-run single in the inning after Hill knocked out Willy Adames and Avisail Garcia.
Javier Baez’s RBI single in the fourth reduced the Mets to 2-1. Brandon Nimmo scored early in the set and was sent off trying to steal second place before Conforto doubled up, advancing to third on a wild throw from Corbin Burnes, and Alonso walked. Baez then delivered his 20th RBI in 41 games for the Mets.
The streak ends Sunday before the Mets return to Citi Field for their last home stint of the season, four games against Miami starting with a double-scheduled Tuesday. matches, ”said Conforto. “Getting beaten 2-1 today was frustrating and there have been a lot of those games.”
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