Wild Card Update: Mets Escape Tough Weekend Tied For Third Spot

The regular season is winding down, and with about two weeks remaining in the schedule, the race for the Wild Card is as tight as ever. Four teams are still battling for three spots. Here’s how each of them fared this past weekend.

San Diego Padres (85-65, +3.5)

San Diego had an ideal weekend in the heat of a tight playoff race, not only gaining ground in the Wild Card chase by sweeping their division rival Giants but also moving closer to contending for the NL West title with their outstanding performance.

The Padres completed the crucial sweep with a 4-3, 10-inning win on Sunday afternoon at Oracle Park. The victory pushed San Diego to 20 games above .500 for the first time since 2010.

Fernando Tatis Jr. delivered in the clutch, hitting his first career pinch-hit home run in the eighth inning to give the Padres the lead. Despite closer Robert Suarez blowing a save opportunity for the second time in three chances, San Diego pulled ahead for good with a two-run rally in the 10th inning, improving their extra-innings record to 9-1 on the season.

With the win, San Diego stayed 3 1/2 games behind the Dodgers in the NL West after Los Angeles beat the Braves on Sunday Night Baseball.

The Padres also came out of the weekend series in a stronger position, sitting 3 1/2 games ahead of the Mets in the Wild Card race, and they gained two games on the Diamondbacks and now lead Arizona by 1 1/2 games for the top Wild Card spot. Fangraphs has San Diego at a 90.4 percent chance to clinch a Wild Card in any capacity.

Arizona Diamondbacks (83-66, +2)

After tallying just nine runs across two losses, the Diamondbacks roared back on Sunday to defeat the Milwaukee Brewers and avoid a sweep, preventing further ground lost to San Diego in the standings.

Arizona jumped out to a 5-0 lead by the third inning, only to see it slip away as Milwaukee surged ahead 8-5 by the seventh. The D-backs managed to tie the game in the eighth, and though the Brewers added two runs in the top of the 10th, Arizona responded with a three-run rally in the bottom half to grab the win.

In the 10th inning, the D-backs started with three consecutive singles, scoring one run and loading the bases. Jared Koenig hit Christian Walker with a pitch, bringing in the tying run, before Eugenio Suárez singled to right field, driving in the game-winner.

With the victory, the D-backs remained just 1 1/2 games behind the Padres for the top NL Wild Card spot and have an 88.6 percent chance of clinching a Wild Card spot, according to Fangraphs. Another bright spot for the D-backs? They just reinstated top catcher Gabriel Moreno from the IL.

New York Mets (81-68, – )

The Mets entered their weekend series against Philadelphia riding high after a strong 6-2 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays. They carried that momentum into the opener against the Phillies with an impressive 11-3 win. However, the team faltered in the next two games, squandering leads and losing ground in the Wild Card race.

Sunday’s 2-1 loss to the division-leading Phillies was particularly tough, as Edwin Diaz surrendered a game-winning single to J.T. Realmuto in the bottom of the ninth. Diaz struck out Bryce Harper to start the inning, but Nick Castellanos singled to right. After Castellanos stole second and Alec Bohm struck out, Realmuto delivered the game-winning hit to right field, scoring Castellanos.

To make matters worse, Francisco Lindor left the game due to ongoing back discomfort in the first inning, casting further doubt on the Mets’ playoff aspirations. Lindor will undergo an MRI on Monday; there is no guarantee he’ll be at full strength for the rest of the season. His potential absence could be a major blow as the Mets return home to face a surging Nationals team.

The upcoming stretch without Lindor, including a crucial series against the Phillies at Citi Field followed by road games in Atlanta and Milwaukee, looks challenging. The Mets currently trail the Padres by 3 1/2 games for the top Wild Card spot, and after Atlanta’s loss to the Dodgers, they remain tied with the Braves for the third and final Wild Card position.

As it stands, the Mets have a 43.7 percent chance of clinching a Wild Card spot after Sunday’s loss, as noted by Fangraphs.

Atlanta Braves (81-68, – )

The Braves, chasing the Mets, have gone toe-to-toe with their rivals in Queens, and even though the Mets lost two out of three to Philadelphia, they could not take advantage of their misfortunes as they blew a huge lead on Sunday to the Dodgers.

Entering the ninth inning tied at two, the Dodgers exploded against Braves relievers Raisel Iglesias and John Brebbia, giving up a total of seven runs combined between the two. Raisel Iglesias intentionally walked Shohei Ohtani, setting the stage for the Los Angeles Dodgers to take control.

Mookie Betts followed with a single to left, scoring Will Smith and advancing Ohtani to second. Freddie Freeman then hit a sharp single to left, driving in both Ohtani and Betts and advancing to second on an error by Jarred Kelenic, pushing the lead to 5-2.

Teoscar Hernández extended the lead with his 29th homer, a two-run shot, followed by solo home runs from Tommy Edman and Max Muncy. This loss keeps the Braves tied with the Mets in the battle for the third and final National League Wild Card spot and will finish their series against Los Angeles on Monday night.

Fangraphs has the Atlanta Braves with a 67.7 percent chance at clinching a Wild Card spot despite not gaining ground on Sunday.

The post Wild Card Update: Mets Escape Tough Weekend Tied For Third Spot appeared first on Metsmerized Online.