The New York Mets have been in a serious downward spiral throughout the second half of the season. And now, they may have played themselves out of the playoffs completely.
On Sunday, the Mets lost 3-2 to the Washington Nationals, falling to 80-76 on the season. In turn, the Cincinnati Reds won 1-0 over the Chicago Cubs, climbing to 80-76 themselves. However, the Reds now hold the tiebreaker over the Mets, via Jeff Passan of ESPN. Cincinnati controls their own playoff destiny while New York will need some extra help.
“The Cincinnati Reds now control their destiny for the third wild cart spot in the National League,” Passan said. “They own the tiebreaker over the New York Mets, who previously had been in control of a playoff spot every day since April 5.”
The Mets have gone 25-33 after their 55-42 start. Things hit their lowest point when New York went 11-17 during the month of August. And now through Sept. 12, the franchise has gone 7-11. The Mets are still in line for a spot in the playoffs, but they have made it much easier for the Reds or another team to leap them.
Cincinnati has gone a modest 29-29 over the second half of the season. However, they're 10-8 in September after struggling to a 12-15 mark in August. Like the Mets, things aren't perfect for the Reds and they'll need strong finish to insert themselves in the playoffs. Still, the momentum is surely on their side as September comes to a close.
The Mets long looked destined for the playoffs. Signing Juan Soto to a massive contract in the offseason was surely a move a franchise looking to make a deep playoff run would enact. But now New York must dig down and forge their way into the playoffs. Their skid has now made those postseason chances a bit less likely though.
