Mets losing streak reaches to four games after series opening loss to Phillies

Remember all that drama nearly a week ago, when Francisco Lindor and Giancarlo Stanton exchanged pimped out home runs, jawed at each other, the benches cleared, and the Mets won the series against the Yankees?

That was the last time the Mets won a game, five days ago, at a time when winning still mattered. Now, the Mets have lost four consecutive games, including their latest 4-3 defeat to the Phillies on Friday night at Citi Field. For the Amazin’s, 15 of their last 17 one-run games have resulted in losses.

The Mets (72-76) dropped 5.5 games from a wild card spot and six games behind the Braves. The Phillies, attempting to catch up to Atlanta, gained ground in the division race following their series-opening success. The NL East title is still very much up for grabs, but the Mets are not in a position to join the fun.

“We’re not mathematically out,” said Brandon Nimmo. “Crazy things have happened in the past. They’ve made movies about it. It can happen.”

For the moral victories crowd, the Mets knocked Zack Wheeler out of his start after five-plus innings, a definite win against the starter with the most innings pitched (200.1) in baseball this year.

Wheeler was once again a dominant pitcher against his former team. He held the Mets to one run on four hits and recorded six strikeouts. He did not allow a hit until the fourth inning, when Nimmo ripped a single into left field in his second at-bat since coming off the injured list.

Nimmo continued his trend of being one of the few Mets hitters to do damage against his old teammate. The last time the Amazin’s faced Wheeler, on Aug. 8 in Philly, the right-hander held the Mets to two hits in nine innings for a complete-game shutout; both of those hits came off the bat of Nimmo. But in the fourth inning Friday, Javy Baez joined Nimmo by knocking an RBI single to the opposite field with the bases loaded.

Knocking Wheeler out after five meant the Mets could move on to the Phillies bullpen, a relief corps ranked 25th in MLB with a 4.75 ERA. The Mets lineup did manage three hits against reliever Archie Bradley in the eighth, a rally which led to two runs. Francisco Lindor, Michael Conforto and Kevin Pillar all doubled off Bradley to bring the Mets within one run of the Phillies. In the ninth, they came up short, going down in order against closer Ian Kennedy.

“It’s Mets-Phillies. Those are always big series, and two teams that always want to beat each other,” said Nimmo. “Yet again we came up short and it was another one-run ballgame.”

Taijuan Walker allowed just three hits to the visitors across five innings and 88 pitches. He retired 15 of his 18 batters faced for a solid outing that was cut short before he could face the Phillies order for a third time. Walker, though, could not complete an outing without being bit by the long ball. He gave up his 18th home run of the second half – compared to six homers allowed in the first half – to Brad Miller in the fifth inning.

Rojas said he took Walker out after five innings so that he didn’t face Bryce Harper in the sixth. The Mets went with Aaron Loup against the top of the Phillies order, and the team’s best reliever lowered his season ERA to 1.03 after his spotless inning. Still, Walker was frustrated. He said he didn’t get the opportunity to lobby with Rojas and pitching coach Jeremy Hefner to stay in the game.

“There was no conversation,” Walker said. “I didn’t get a chance to. They told me I was done after 88 pitches and I don’t make the call, that’s on them. And it is what it is. I felt great tonight. … I feel like they really should’ve given me the chance to go back out there for the sixth. It’s frustrating. I want to go out there and pitch. I want to go as deep as possible. In that moment, I felt like I should’ve gone back out there for the sixth.”

Rojas said he respects Walker’s competitive attitude. The pitcher told Rojas back in spring training that he would be tough to take out of a game. The skipper said Walker takes it personally when the coaching staff decides his night is over, and that’s OK with Rojas.

What’s not OK with the team, of course, is losing. The Mets are trying not to get down about their nearly nonexistent playoff chances. Four losses in a row in a pennant race in September is discouraging, but the Mets think they still have a shot at contention with 14 games left to play.

“You feel like things are getting away, but at the same time you feel like there’s a real chance here,” Rojas said. “I believe in that, and I think everybody in there believes in that as well.”