The New York Mets now seem to be the second team in New York to be experiencing a collapse. The Mets are currently on a three-game losing streak, which features losses against the Washington Nationals and the Pittsburgh Pirates. Earlier today, the Mets got blown out by the Pirates by a score of 8-2.
The game started off quietly, with the Pirates scoring first thanks to a sacrifice fly in the second inning. Pittsburgh then put up two more in the third thanks to a two-run home run by Rodolfo Castro. They then scored another in the fifth after an RBI single by Bryan Reynolds.
A two-run shot by Brandon Nimmo in the seventh inning made the score 4-2. However, the New York Mets had a complete meltdown in the eighth, giving up four runs. Mets reliever Bryce Montes de Oca gave up three of the four earned runs, raising his ERA to 11.57 on the season.
New York starter Taijuan Walker earned just his fourth loss of the season after giving up four earned over five innings pitched. Despite getting seven hits in this game, the Mets left 12 runners on base while going 0-6 with runners in scoring position.
This is the third loss in a row for the New York Mets, and all three are to mediocre squads. New York now holds just a 0.5 game lead over the Atlanta Braves in the National League East. For the first time in months, the Mets could actually lose their spot in the division.
Since the start of the season, the Mets have been the frontrunners for the NL East. Now, however, this could all come to an end.
Are the New York Mets on the verge of another collapse?
Historically, the Mets are known for collapsing leads late in the season. The most infamous instance was in 2007, one season after they just missed the World Series. With just 12 games to go in the season, the Mets blew a seven-game division lead to the Philadelphia Phillies. New York wound up missing the playoffs altogether because of this.
Other less notable collapses include 2008 and 2021, both of which saw the Mets lose late division leads. Perhaps the same might be in store for the 2022 season as well.
Even if the Mets lose the division, they are still a lock for the NL Wild Card spot. However, a division title would be great for the New York Mets, and it would be awful if they blew their chance.