By losing again Sunday and dropping their crucial three-game series to the lowly Washington Nationals, the Mets now find themselves in a tough spot with six games left to play in the regular season.
They are currently tied with the Cincinnati Reds, who completed a four-game sweep of Chicago Cubs on Sunday, for the third and final Wild Card spot in the National League. But the Reds hold the tiebreaker over the Mets by winning the regular season series and would make the playoffs if the two teams finished with the same record.
Knowing what’s at stake in the coming week, Carlos Mendoza said the club needs to do everything it can during this final stretch.
“We got to keep going,” Mendoza said. “We got six more and a lot can happen. That’s where we’re at.”
The manager is still confident in his players, believing they are often “one hit away” and adding that anything “could happen.”
“You look at the talent there, we’re one hit away, making one play, making one pitch. We’re close,” Mendoza said. “We just haven’t be able to get that last hit like I said, to make that play when we need to, or to execute a pitch. It could happen.”
Sean Manaea added: “Just looking around at everyone in the room, I feel like the veteran guys have been in this situation before. Maybe not the exact situation, but we’ve been in some precarious situations before. The young guys have been stepping up. I think combination of that is good. I think if anyone can do it, it’s us.”
Acknowledging that where the team is in the standings is on them, Francisco Lindor said it’s their responsibility to figure out a way to win.
“It comes down to winning,” Lindor said. “We’ve put ourselves in this position, so we’ve got to find a way to get out of it. And that comes down to winning. We just got to win ballgames.”
Brandon Nimmo shared a similar message about the position the team is in, saying they need to “pick ourselves back up” and “put it all together.”
“It’s been happening right in front of our eyes, so yeah, I can definitely believe it,” Nimmo said. “We’re down to the last week of the season and our playoff hopes are in front of us. We’ve got to play winning baseball and put it all together.
“It’s come and gone during the season, so we just need to pick ourselves back up and win some games down the stretch here.”
The Mets are off Monday and then begin a three-game series with the Cubs on Tuesday and then finish the regular season in Miami against the Marlins over the weekend. Their odds to make the postseason are currently at 63.2 percent, with the Reds at 31.5 percent, per ESPN.
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