The Mets’ late-season push took another hit Monday night in Philadelphia, as New York fell 1-0 to the first-place Phillies and slipped eight games back in the NL East. With just three games left in their final regular-season series against Philadelphia, the Mets are clinging to the league’s third wild card spot.
“Look, we’ve been pretty inconsistent,” manager Carlos Mendoza said after the game. “We put ourselves in this position, which we’re still right there. Obviously, the goal is to win the division… But we’ve got to keep going. We’ve got to turn the page here. We’ve got to be ready for another game tomorrow and continue to get the job done. But overall, the inconsistency and here we are in this position.”
The Mets managed just five hits on the night and went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position, stranding several chances to tie the game. Their best scoring opportunity came in the seventh, when Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso both reached base, but Phillies starter Ranger Suárez escaped the jam with back-to-back strikeouts.
Philadelphia’s lone run came in the second inning on Nick Castellanos’ RBI single, a tough-luck blemish against Mets rookie right-hander Nolan McLean, who pitched well but received no run support.
“I think it’s just having a hard time putting everything together for quite a bit,” Mendoza said of the Mets’ up-and-down 2025 campaign. “We got out of the gate and everything was working. And then, at times — whether it was the starting pitching or runners in scoring position offensively, we haven’t been able to play good defense at times. So, I feel like we haven’t done that consistently and here we are. But continue to trust the guys, I know we have a lot of talent and we’re going to turn the page.”
New York (76-68) has 18 games left on the schedule, with the series continuing Tuesday at 6:45 p.m. on SNY. Mendoza insists the team still has enough fight to make a run.
“Very confident,” he said. “This is a team that’s been through a lot, and we’ll find a way — we’ll find a way to get the job done. We’ve got to keep fighting. We’ve got to continue to work. But I trust those guys. There’s a lot of experience there, there’s a lot of talent and I’m pretty confident that we’ll get to where we want to get.”