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Braves knocking on Mets’ door as jubilant homestand fizzles out

The homestand burst with effervescence. There was the Old-Timer’s extravaganza that affirmed franchise history, the retirement of Willie May’s No. 24, the electric night featuring Jacob deGrom and Timmy Trumpet, plus two out of three from the Dodgers. 

But it all kind of just fizzed out, didn’t it, the Mets closing their 10-game stay in Queens with consecutive 7-1 defeats to the sad-sack Nationals, Sunday afternoon’s effort just a tad less feeble than Saturday night’s. 

It will be a grind now for the Mets, who have spent 150 days in first place and have been alone at the top since April 12. But just as Jean Valjean had Inspector Javert on his tail, just as Richard Kimble always had Lt. Gerard on his back, the Mets have the Braves relentlessly tracking them down. 

“It’s something we’re aware of,” Jeff McNeil said. “We can’t focus on that. We’ve got to focus on what we have to do. We have to come ready to play every day.” 

The division lead is down to one game, the skinniest margin since the Mets woke up with a half-game lead on July 23. It had been seven games on Aug. 10. That is a function of the Mets going 10-10 since Aug. 15 while the Braves have gone 20-5 since Aug. 9. 

“It’s a ‘dip,’ a ‘slump.’ You’ve got to use something to describe it,” manager Buck Showalter said. “But it’s about us. It’s been that way all year. [The Braves] are an obstacle to face when we face it.” 

Francisco Lindor reacts during the Mets' loss to the Nationals on Sunday.
Francisco Lindor reacts during the Mets’ loss to the Nationals on Sunday.
Michelle Farsi/New York Post

The Mets will get the Braves face-to-face in the penultimate three-game series of the season in Atlanta from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 before finishing with three at Citi Field against Washington. Those games against the Braves — plus three in Milwaukee a week earlier — are the only exceptions to a schedule against the majors’ underbelly. 

But then, the Mets lost two of three this weekend to a club whose .351 winning percentage ranks 30th and last in baseball. These series — including the pair of three-game series on the road this week in Pittsburgh and Miami — are no gimmes. 

“They took advantages of our mistakes the way we’ve been doing all year,” said McNeil, who went 2-for-2 but whose third-inning error enabled the Nats to strike for four unearned runs against Carlos Carrasco. “They played good ball.” 

Patrick Corbin entered Saturday’s game with a 6.56 ERA and an 8.54 ERA in the nine starts immediately preceding that one. Other than on Eduardo Escobar’s solo home run, the Mets got only two runners as far as second base on the night. 

Erick Feddie entered Sunday’s game with a 5.29 ERA and a 9.15 ERA in the five starts immediately preceding this one. The Mets managed to get two runners in scoring position — both in the second inning — during Feddie’s six innings of work. 

That is largely a function of the top four hitters in the order — Brandon Nimmo, Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso — combining to go 1-for-17 in this second consecutive defeat. 

Braves
The Braves are firmly on the Mets’ heels.
Getty Images

“These are major league pitchers. I’m always going to give credit to major league pitchers,” said Showalter. “But the last little while, there have been differences. A lot of fly balls. We popped out the last few times.” 

The Mets are in a bit of a rut. All but the greatest teams in baseball history endure these types of stretches. Hey, listen, for much of the Mets’ six decades, 10-10 over 20 games would be considered a surge. This is a lull. 

There are questions about the rotation, too. Carrasco, who hadn’t pitched since Aug. 15 while dealing with tightness in his left side, said he “felt good,” following his 2 ²/₃ innings of work in which he surrendered six hits and allowed nine of the 16 batters he faced to reach base, though only one earned run was charged to his record. 

Taijuan Walker, scheduled to start Monday afternoon in Pittsburgh, has a 6.98 ERA over his last five starts. Max Scherzer removed himself from Saturday’s start after five innings because of what seemed to be a sense of body fatigue, though Showalter said he is confident the veteran won’t miss a start

Indeed, the Mets are working their rotation so that their starters will all work with at least five days between starts for the second straight spin cycle. There will be rest for the weary. 

Suddenly, you have to wonder where the Mets would be without Jacob deGrom. 

They weren’t going to run off and hide, not from the Braves. But now they’re in the crucible with the defending champs. Now, as Showalter said, “We all have our tales of woe.” 

Javert is on their heels. Gerard is knocking on the door.

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