The Mets’ meltdown continued Sunday with what might be the most gutting loss of the 2025 season. The seventh straight loss and 11 in their last 12 games, each one seems to be more brutal than the last.
The Milwaukee Brewers completed the sweep of the Mets with a 7-6 walkoff win, erasing a 5-0 lead, tying the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the eighth before Isaac Collins hit a home run off right-hander Edwin Diaz in the top of the ninth. The Mets sat stunned in the dugout.
It was the first earned run allowed by Diaz, the All-Star closer, since April 23.
It’s been a balling free-fall for the Mets (63-55) since June 13, going 18-30 since then to fall from first place in the NL East to on the bubble of the NL Wild Card standings, with uninspired at-bats and pitching performances that have fallen far short of expectations.
The starting pitching situation has proven to be unsustainable time and time again, and the point was further driven home Sunday when left-hander Sean Manaea pitched into the fifth but was removed after giving up a hit to Collins. They used all of their high-leverage relievers to eat innings for Manaea, bringing in Reed Garrett, Brooks Raley, Tyler Rogers, Ryan Helsley and Diaz (5-2).
Rogers got out of a jam in the seventh, but Helsely was unable to in the eighth, allowing the tying run in the eighth before being replaced by Diaz with two outs.
One night after tying Darryl Strawberry for first all-time on the Mets’ home run list with the 252nd of his career, Pete Alonso went 2-for-4 in the third game of a three-game set. The Mets went up 5-0 in the top of the fourth, only for Manaea to give up three runs in the bottom of the inning.
Juan Soto singled off right-hander Quinn Priester to open the inning, and was moved over on a sacrifice bunt by Brandon Nimmo. Alonso swung on a first-pitch slider and dropped it next to the right field line for a double to score Soto. It was a strong response to giving up two runs in the inning prior, and gave them a 6-3 lead, and got Priester out of the game.
But then Manaea gave up a single to Isaac Collins in the bottom of the fifth and the Mets brought in right-hander Reed Garrett, the opener in Saturday’s loss. Facing William Contreras, Garrett came inside with a cutter on 2-2, and the catcher sent it over the left field fence for a two-run homer, cutting the Mets’ lead to just one run, 6-5.
For a moment, it looked as though Alonso’s run would be the game-winner, but the Mets went hitless after Soto scored and had only three baserunners scattered over 4 1/3 innings.
Manaea was charged with four earned runs on six hits, walked two and struck out five over four innings. Over the last 53 games, only left-hander David Peterson has completed six or more innings.
The Mets showed signs of life taking five earned runs on 10 hits off Priester, drawing two walks and striking out only twice. Cedric Mullins and Brett Baty each homered, with the Mets getting some much-needed production out of the bottom of the order. Milwaukee’s bullpen effectively closed the door, with DL Hall going 3 2/3 and Nick Mears (3-3) doing his job to keep the game tied in the ninth.
The playoffs aren’t out of reach for the Mets, but the Brewers (73-44) are the best team in the league, so if this was a test of how they stack up against the best, they failed in Amazin’ fashion.
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