<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-the-ugly-pitching-stat-7-game-losing-streak');   ga('set', 'title', 'The ugly pitching stat behind Mets 7-game losing streak');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/New-York-Mets-manager-Carlos-Mendoza-1.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>The ugly pitching stat behind Mets 7-game losing streak</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T22:40:05-07:00">September 12th, 10:40pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T22:40:05-07:00">September 12th, 10:40pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-jeff-mcneil-ejected-crazy-strikeout-reaction">New York Mets just can’t catch a break</a>, absorbing their seventh straight defeat Friday night in an 8-3 loss to the Texas Rangers at Citi Field. The defeat has shed light on a troubling trend that has characterized the team’s September collapse, an imploding pitching staff that cannot keep opponents off the board.</p><p>The Mets have now allowed eight or more runs in 20 games this season, including eight times since August 13, according to USA Today reporter Bob Nightengale. During their current seven-game skid, New York’s staff owns an <a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1966691709825544398" rel="noopener">alarming 6.95 ERA</a>, a figure that has undone any chance of maintaining their once-promising playoff positioning. The loss was also the third separate seven-game losing streak of this season, the first time the Mets have done so in a single season since 1980.</p><p>Friday’s game was effectively over in the first inning. Rookie Jonah Tong, making his third big league start, lasted just two-thirds of an inning while allowing six runs on four hits and three walks. His ERA ballooned from 4.09 to 8.49, and his 40-pitch meltdown was the shortest outing by a Mets starter since David Peterson recorded only one out on September 14, 2022.</p><p>Texas, playing without several injured stars, batted around in the opening frame, with RBI hits from Josh Jung, Alejandro Osuna, Cody Freeman, and Michael Helman. By the time Tong was lifted, the Rangers had sent 10 batters to the plate and put New York in a 6-0 hole after just 22 minutes of play.</p><p>The Rangers’ offensive surge came against a Mets team already reeling. New York hitters had been retired in 29 consecutive plate appearances across two games before Mark Vientos singled in the second inning to snap the streak. Their only offensive burst came in the third, when Francisco Alvarez homered and Juan Soto and Pete Alonso added sacrifice flies to cut the deficit to 6-3.</p><p>But former Met Jacob deGrom silenced any comeback hopes. Making his first Citi Field start since leaving in free agency, deGrom allowed just three runs on four hits over seven innings, striking out two and walking none. He retired his final 15 batters and needed only 88 pitches to complete his outing.</p><p>The Mets’ bullpen didn’t fare much better. Gregory Soto surrendered a two-run homer to Dylan Moore in the seventh, continuing a disastrous stretch in which he has posted a 9.45 ERA over his last seven appearances.</p><p>The loss left the Mets clinging to a slim lead in the NL wild-card race, which had shrunk to as little as a half-game over Cincinnati and San Francisco by night’s end. Since holding MLB’s best record at 45-24 on June 11, the Mets have gone 31-48, a collapse mirrored only by historically bad stretches like the 1973 Mets and 2014 Brewers.</p><p>With 14 games remaining, New York faces mounting pressure to stabilize its pitching staff. Unless the Mets find a way to reverse their spiraling ERA, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-new-york-nl-wild-card-situation-mlb-network-reaction">their playoff hopes could disappear</a> as quickly as Tong’s start on Friday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

The ugly pitching stat behind Mets 7-game losing streak

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-jeff-mcneil-ejected-crazy-strikeout-reaction');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jeff McNeil ejected for crazy strikeout reaction');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Jeff-McNeil.jpg"><figcaption>Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Jeff McNeil ejected for crazy strikeout reaction</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T18:47:23-07:00">September 12th, 6:47pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T19:03:25-07:00">September 12th, 7:03pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The pressure is mounting as the New York Mets continue to struggle. After a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-fans-rip-ny-swept-phillies">four-game sweep by the Philadelphia Phillies</a>, New York has lost six straight games and seven of the last eight. The slump comes at a terrible time as the Mets are battling for a Wild Card berth. And on Friday, frustration boiled over for Jeff McNeil.</p><p>The former batting champ <a href="https://x.com/BRWalkoff/status/1966660289480286569" rel="noopener">lost his cool</a> when he struck out looking on a borderline pitch in the fourth inning of the series opener against the Texas Rangers. McNeil flipped his bat, ripped his helmet off and shouted at the home plate umpire after the called strike. The histrionics earned him an ejection, per B/R Walk-Off.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jeff McNeil was EJECTED after arguing this called third strike 👀</p><p>(via <a href="https://twitter.com/SNYtv?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SNYtv</a>)<a href="https://t.co/K5AZAxmTUM">pic.twitter.com/K5AZAxmTUM</a></p><p>— B/R Walk-Off (@BRWalkoff) <a href="https://twitter.com/BRWalkoff/status/1966660289480286569?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>Jacob deGrom got the start for Texas in his return to Citi Field. The two-time Cy Young winner spent the first nine years of his career with the Mets. He hadn’t pitched in Queens since his last season with New York in 2022.</p><h2><b>Mets’ struggles continue in Rangers series opener</b></h2><p>DeGrom rebounded from injury to put together an excellent campaign for the Rangers in 2025. On Friday, he delivered another quality start but lacked his usual strikeout prowess. McNeil was one of just two batters deGrom struck out. And the Mets’ utility man was adamant that the 98 mph four-seamer that got him looking was low.</p><p>Like the rest of New York’s offense, McNeil is slumping. The eighth-year veteran is just 2-15 with no extra-base hits and seven strikeouts in his last five games.</p><p>The Mets appeared to get going in the series finale against Philadelphia. New York got off to a good start with four first-inning runs. But the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/phillies-news-pitching-masterpiece-mets-give-roy-halladay-flashbacks">Phillies responded with a pitching masterpiece</a>. Starter Jesus Luzardo and closer Jhoan Duran combined for eight perfect innings after the opening frame.</p><p>Philadelphia won 6-4 and the Mets’ losing streak grew to six straight games. While New York is no longer a threat to win the division, the team is still in the playoff hunt. The Mets hold a 1.5-game lead for the third Wild Card berth.</p><p>However, New York’s slump continued against the Rangers Friday. Despite an early three-run lead, Texas battled back with eight runs. Meanwhile, deGrom held the Mets in check after the third-inning outburst. He allowed three runs on four hits in seven strong innings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jeff McNeil ejected for crazy strikeout reaction

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-pete-alonso-brutally-honest-future-new-york');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pete Alonso gets brutally honest on future with Mets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Pete-Alonso.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Pete Alonso gets brutally honest on future with Mets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T17:26:56-07:00">September 12th, 5:26pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T17:37:50-07:00">September 12th, 5:37pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>After a lengthy standoff, the New York Mets re-signed Pete Alonso to a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-steve-cohen-key-moment-54-million-pete-alonso-reunion">two-year, $54 million contract</a> over the offseason. While the deal kept the slugger in Queens for 2025, it also includes an opt out for the second year. And, barring an unforeseen disaster, Alonso will almost certainly re-enter free agency at the end of the season.</p><p>The Mets could work out a new contract with the five-time All-Star. But Alonso will have other suitors interested in a power-hitting corner infielder. It’s unclear if either side will prioritize the other in free agency. And Alonso reflected that uncertainty <a href="https://x.com/nypostsports/status/1966621737157550450" rel="noopener">when discussing</a> his future with the team.</p><p>“We’ll see what happens. I love it, it’s great. But you can’t really predict anything,” Alonso said, per New York Post Sports. “It’d be great to stay… whatever happens happens.”</p><h2><b>Pete Alonso focuses on Mets’ playoff push</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Pete-Alonso2.jpg"><figcaption>David Reginek-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Last offseason the Mets were hyper focused on Juan Soto. New York ultimately beat out the competition and signed the star right fielder to a 15-year, $765 million deal. Despite some early struggles, Soto has rewarded the team with his first 30/30 season.</p><p>Re-signing Alonso was not a point of emphasis for the organization. But after the two sides finally agreed on a short contract, the seventh-year veteran responded with his sixth 30+ home run season. The first baseman leads New York in games played, doubles and RBI.</p><p>Alonso has spent his entire career with the Mets and is one of the team’s most beloved players. He secured his place in Mets history by <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-pete-alonso-darryl-strawberry-most-new-york-home-runs">surpassing Darryl Strawberry</a> for the franchise home run record this year.</p><p>“I’ve grown up in this organization and it’s been really special. There’s some great people here. The fans have shown nothing but support. I’ve been blessed with unbelievable coaches, clubhouse staff, teammates. Those people are really, really important to me and it’s been special,” Alonso said.</p><p>For now, he’s not thinking about free agency. “I’m focused on trying to put this thing across the finish line so we can go to the playoffs and do damage.”</p><p>New York is in the midst of a postseason push. The team currently holds a 1.5-game lead for the third Wild Card berth. However, the Mets have struggled of late. After a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-fans-rip-ny-swept-phillies">four-game sweep by the Phillies</a>, New York has lost six straight games and seven of the last eight.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pete Alonso gets brutally honest on future with Mets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/phillies-news-ken-rosenthal-chemistry-gives-philadelphia-edge-over-mets');   ga('set', 'title', 'Ken Rosenthal says ‘chemistry’ gives Phillies an edge over Mets');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Phillies-news-Ken-Rosenthal-says-chemistry-gives-Philadelphia-an-edge-over-Mets.jpg"><figcaption>© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Ken Rosenthal says ‘chemistry’ gives Phillies an edge over Mets</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T09:03:26-07:00">September 12th, 9:03am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T09:03:26-07:00">September 12th, 9:03am</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/colinloughran">Colin Loughran</a>Colin Loughran is a NYC-based Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He has spent several years covering sports and has worked for outlets such as the New York Post, AP Radio, and FanSided. Colin is also a three-time NYSBA award winner and a proud graduate of Fordham University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/phillies-news-bryce-harpers-brutally-honest-take-2025-season">Philadelphia Phillies completed a four-game sweep</a> of the New York Mets on Thursday night and added to their National League East lead in the process. At 87-60 on the season, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/3-phillies-who-must-step-up-alongside-bryce-harper-in-playoffs">Philadelphia is now 11 games ahead of New York</a> in the standings.</p><p>Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic recently highlighted the Phillies’ chemistry as one of the club’s <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6622824/2025/09/12/philadelphia-phillies-bryce-harper-kyle-schwarber/" rel="noopener">driving forces.</a></p><p>“Big stars create a different and occasionally uncomfortable dynamic. The Mets’ big stars, Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso, are viewed by those with the club as good people. They work hard and surely want to win as much as Harper, Schwarber and Turner. But something appears off with this team. And while it might be easy to blame the $765 million addition of Soto, it would be too simple a narrative. Soto sure seemed to fit in well with the New York Yankees last season. He’s also in the middle of a 39-homer, 31-stolen base season, and is tied with Schwarber for fourth in the majors in OPS,” Rosenthal wrote.</p><p>“Chemistry can be elusive, difficult to capture, difficult to define. But whatever that quality is, the Phillies sure seem to have it. Part of it stems from their last-hurrah mentality, knowing Schwarber, catcher J.T. Realmuto and left-hander Ranger Suarez are potential free agents. Part of it stems from their deadline additions, who created a special energy. And part of it stems from Schwarber, one of the game’s most respected leaders and humble characters.”</p><p>The Mets won the season series against the Phillies, but have struggled to remain consistent throughout the campaign. They swept Philadelphia at home last month, but are 4-9 since that set.</p><p>The Phillies have gone 10-3 since that series concluded, and <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/max-kepler-drives-in-5-runs-as-phillies-rout-mets" rel="noopener">look primed</a> to make a deep October run.</p><p>“I’m really proud of the ballclub,” Phillies manager Rob Thomson told MLB.com. ” … I think everybody understands where we’re at and what we need to do to get this thing done. And things change in a heartbeat, so I’m not counting my chickens right now.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Ken Rosenthal says ‘chemistry’ gives Phillies an edge over Mets

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-new-york-nl-wild-card-situation-mlb-network-reaction');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mets’ NL Wild Card situation gets MLB Network reaction');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/New-York-Mets-manager-Carlos-Mendoza-64-jogs-back-to-the-dugout.jpg"><figcaption>© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Mets’ NL Wild Card situation gets MLB Network reaction</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T08:20:47-07:00">September 12th, 8:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T08:20:47-07:00">September 12th, 8:20am</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/colinloughran">Colin Loughran</a>Colin Loughran is a NYC-based Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He has spent several years covering sports and has worked for outlets such as the New York Post, AP Radio, and FanSided. Colin is also a three-time NYSBA award winner and a proud graduate of Fordham University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-suffer-historically-embarrassing-offensive-outage-phillies">New York Mets have gone 3-7 across their last 10 games</a> and just endured four straight road losses to the Philadelphia Phillies. As a result, they own a slim 1.5 game lead for <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/1-mets-player-who-must-step-up-in-nl-wild-card-race-with-giants-reds">the final National League Wild Card spot.</a></p><p>Former Mets starter Ron Darling <a href="https://x.com/MLBNetwork/status/1966507353781441003" rel="noopener">recently spoke about</a> New York’s predicament and was sure to mention a few of the reasons why the club has slipped over the past few months.</p><p>“The Mets have had one of the strangest seasons I’ve ever seen,” Darling said on MLB Network. “Maybe because of the great pitching in the beginning, there was some unrealistic optimism of where they were going to go.”</p><p>Darling mentioned that injuries to starters such as Kodai Senga have impacted the club, but he also highlighted a significant window of time where the team did not capitalize on a hot offensive stretch.</p><p>“I think the one thing they missed is that when they started really hitting the ball, where they were scoring over seven runs a game, about seven runs a game, they went 12-18, something like that, in that time, Darling said. “Most teams would go 20-10 if you got good pitching, you’d go 25-5. So they kind of missed their window there.”</p><p>Following Thursday’s loss to the Phillies, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza<a href="https://nypost.com/2025/09/11/sports/mets-swept-by-phillies-after-blowing-four-run-lead-in-painful-loss/" rel="noopener"> took responsibility</a> for the squad’s struggles.</p><p>“I’m responsible. I’m the manager,” Mendoza told the New York Post. “It’s my job to get these guys going, and I will.”</p><p>New York will begin a three-game series with the Texas Rangers on Friday night <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/texas-rangers/rangers-news-jacob-degrom-breaks-silence-ahead-return-citi-field">at Citi Field.</a></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mets’ NL Wild Card situation gets MLB Network reaction

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/texas-rangers/rangers-news-jacob-degrom-breaks-silence-ahead-return-citi-field');   ga('set', 'title', 'Rangers’ Jacob deGrom breaks silence ahead of 1st return to Citi Field');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Texas-Rangers-pitcher-Jacob-deGrom-throws-to-the-plate-during-the-first-inning.jpg"><figcaption>© Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Rangers’ Jacob deGrom breaks silence ahead of 1st return to Citi Field</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T06:50:33-07:00">September 12th, 6:50am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T06:50:33-07:00">September 12th, 6:50am</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/colinloughran">Colin Loughran</a>Colin Loughran is a NYC-based Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He has spent several years covering sports and has worked for outlets such as the New York Post, AP Radio, and FanSided. Colin is also a three-time NYSBA award winner and a proud graduate of Fordham University.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Texas <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/texas-rangers/rangers-news-jacob-degrom-admission-loss-angels">Rangers starting pitcher Jacob deGrom</a> will return to Citi Field on Friday to face the New York Mets. It will be his first time seeing his old team since he departed Queens after the 2022 regular season.</p><p>The 37-year-old <a href="https://www.thescore.com/mlb/news/3342945/degrom-set-to-face-mets-for-1st-time-since-leaving-for-texas" rel="noopener">recently spoke about</a> what his time with the organization and support from the New York fans meant to him.</p><p>“It holds a special place in my heart,” deGrom told the Associated Press. “I pitched a lot there, and Mets fans were always good to me. So taking the mound in front of that crowd was always a fun experience.”</p><p>Across nine years with the Mets, deGrom earned 82 wins and posted a 2.52 ERA. He was a member of the 2015 team that took home the National League crown and was able to win two Cy Young Awards during his time in Flushing.</p><p>“With what he did for the Mets, how much time he spent there, I’m sure he’s probably going to have some memories and emotions even before he pitches,” Rangers manager Bruce Bochy said. “He’ll be well-received, no doubt. But it’s going to be a big game, so there may be some scattered boos in there.”</p><p>deGrom’s start will mark the beginning of a critical three-game set between the Rangers and Mets.</p><p>Both teams are vying for a Wild Card berth. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/texas-rangers/rangers-news-chris-young-intriguing-claim-playoffs">Texas is currently 77-70 and two games back</a> of the final American League Wild Card spot, while New York holds a 1.5 game lead on the final National League Wild Card spot with a 76-71 record.</p><p>“All these games for us are very important. Same for them,” deGrom said. “So it’s gong to be fun. We’ve got to win, they’ve got to win. It’s going to be a playoff atmosphere.”</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Rangers’ Jacob deGrom breaks silence ahead of 1st return to Citi Field

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-suffer-historically-embarrassing-offensive-outage-phillies');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mets suffer historically embarrassing offensive outage vs. Phillies');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Mets-outfielder-Juan-Soto-22-punches-his-bat.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Mets suffer historically embarrassing offensive outage vs. Phillies</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T21:53:02-07:00">September 11th, 9:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T21:53:02-07:00">September 11th, 9:53pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Mets looked poised to end their five-game losing skid on Thursday night, during the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-carlos-mendoza-calls-out-whos-responsible-for-brutal-skid">series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies</a> at Citizens Bank Park in the City of Brotherly Love, when they scored four runs right out of the gate.</p><p>The Mets got four runs on the board in the top of the first inning, giving their pitching staff robust run support right away. Unfortunately for New York, its offense was not heard of from the rest of the way, while the Mets saw the Phillies’ offense come through. When it was all said and done, the Phillies escaped with a 6-4 victory to complete a three-game sweep of their National League East rivals while the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-fans-rip-ny-swept-phillies">Mets suffered their sixth loss in a row</a>.</p><p>Making the evening worse for the Mets was the fact that they <a href="https://x.com/OptaSTATS/status/1966340083868668374" rel="noopener">became just the first team</a> in the modern era of the big leagues to reach a particular offensive nadir after scoring four runs in the first inning.</p><p>“The Mets are the only MLB team in the modern era to score 4+ runs in the first inning but have nobody reach base the rest of the game and end up losing,” shared OptaSTATS via Twitter, formerly Twitter, following New York’s loss.</p><p>Phillies starter Jesus Luzardo also <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/phillies-news-pitching-masterpiece-mets-give-roy-halladay-flashbacks">showed tremendous focus</a> after getting shelled in the first inning, as he was dominant for the remainder of his time on the mound. Luzardo stymied the Mets’ offense for the next seven innings, during which he did not allow a hit and a walk. He finished his stint against New York with 10 strikeouts, the sixth time in the 2025 MLB season that he punched out that many batters in a contest.</p><p>The Mets’ playoff chances just got even more precarious as well. Their 76-71 record is 11 games behind the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League East standings and only 1.5 games ahead of the San Francisco Giants for the final NL Wild Card ticket.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mets suffer historically embarrassing offensive outage vs. Phillies

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/phillies-news-pitching-masterpiece-mets-give-roy-halladay-flashbacks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Phillies’ pitching masterpiece vs. Mets will give fans Roy Halladay flashbacks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Jesus-Luzardo.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Phillies’ pitching masterpiece vs. Mets will give fans Roy Halladay flashbacks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T21:17:42-07:00">September 11th, 9:17pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T21:33:42-07:00">September 11th, 9:33pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia Phillies completed a four-game sweep of the New York Mets with a 6-4 win in Thursday’s series finale. Philadelphia now has a commanding 11-game lead in the division as the team <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/phillies-news-kyle-schwarber-world-series-mission">eyes a deep postseason run</a>.</p><p>The Phillies enjoyed strong starting pitching performances throughout the four-game series. But Thursday’s outing by Jesus Luzardo was particularly impressive.</p><p>The seventh-year starter and closer Jhoan Duran combined to throw eight perfect innings. It was just the <a href="https://x.com/Paul_CasellaMLB/status/1966333834309279963" rel="noopener">second time</a> in 50 years that the Phillies didn’t allow any baserunners after the first inning, per MLB.com’s Paul Casella. The only other time the team accomplished the feat was in Roy Halladay’s perfect game on May 29, 2010.</p><h2><b>Jesus Luzardo dominated after a rocky start in Phillies’ 6-4 win</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Jesus-Luzardo-2.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thursday’s achievement is all the more impressive considering that Luzardo got rocked early in the game. The Mets tagged the veteran lefty for four runs on five hits in the first frame. But after that, Luzardo locked in. He was perfect over the next seven innings, allowing no runs, no hits and no walks.</p><p>The Phillies battled back and took a 6-4 lead in the sixth inning. Duran then got the call in the ninth and struck out the side, completing an eighth straight perfect inning.</p><p>Overall, Luzardo gave up four runs on five hits and zero walks with 10 strikeouts in eight innings. He earned his 14th win of the season and Duran picked up his 29th save of the year.</p><p>The victory capped a four-game sweep of the Mets. And, despite missing Zack Wheeler, the Phillies’ rotation shined throughout the series. Aaron Nola out-dueled New York rookie Nolan McLean in the opener, tossing six scoreless innings.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/phillies-news-ranger-suarez-sets-new-career-high-in-incredible-start-vs-mets">Ranger Suarez set a new career-high</a> with 12 strikeouts in Tuesday’s game. He also went six scoreless innings allowing just one hit and three walks as Philadelphia won 9-3. And Cristopher Sanchez improved to 13-5 after giving up one run in six innings on Wednesday.</p><p>While Sanchez dominated, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-clay-holmes-struggles-to-explain-ny-woes">Clay Holmes struggled</a> against the Phillies. He was chased from the game after four innings, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks. Philadelphia went on to win 11-3.</p><p>The Phillies’ outscored the Mets 27-10 over the series. The team begins a three-game set against the Kansas City Royals on Friday.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Phillies’ pitching masterpiece vs. Mets will give fans Roy Halladay flashbacks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-fans-rip-ny-swept-phillies');   ga('set', 'title', 'Fans ruthlessly rip Mets after getting swept by Phillies');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Carlos-Mendoza.jpg"><figcaption>© Troy Taormina-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Fans ruthlessly rip Mets after getting swept by Phillies</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T20:37:44-07:00">September 11th, 8:37pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T22:46:34-07:00">September 11th, 10:46pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Thursday night, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-carlos-mendoza-calls-out-whos-responsible-for-brutal-skid">the Philadelphia Phillies handed the New York Mets a brutal reality check</a>, completing a four-game sweep with a 6-4 victory in the finale at LoanDepot Park. The loss was the Mets’ sixth consecutive defeat, dropping their record to 76-71, while the Phillies improved to 87-60. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/1-mets-player-who-must-step-up-in-nl-wild-card-race-with-giants-reds">Once holding a five-game cushion in the National League Wild Card race</a> over Labor Day Weekend, the Mets now cling to a slim 1.5-game lead over the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants for the final playoff spot, effectively 2.5 games over San Francisco due to the tiebreaker.</p><p>The loss and the series sweep left the Mets fans fuming, with many <a href="https://x.com/Mets/status/1966313922417537435" rel="noopener">venting their anger</a> over the team’s dismal showing.</p><p>“Never seen a pro team with more quit in it than this one. Softest baseball team this century,” <a href="https://x.com/zachTNT/status/1966314128663843241" rel="noopener">one fan wrote</a>.</p><p>“No heart. No toughness. No leadership from a single player,” <a href="https://x.com/sean_p_sullivan/status/1966316294430412984" rel="noopener">another fan added</a>.</p><p>“Just do us all a favor and forfeit the rest of the season, can’t bear watching this team much longer. No heart, no consistency,” <a href="https://x.com/FaxShepard/status/1966339212875117034" rel="noopener">another fan added</a>.</p><p>“Overpaid quitters!” <a href="https://x.com/ejprinting/status/1966316029581074785" rel="noopener">one more fan added</a>.</p><p>“Get rid of everyone,” <a href="https://x.com/30Northstar/status/1966325896698122336" rel="noopener">another fan demanded</a>.</p><p>The Mets began Thursday’s matchup with a strong offensive burst, scoring four runs in the first inning against Phillies left-hander Jesús Luzardo. Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto singled back-to-back, accompanied by a successful double steal, followed by an RBI single from Mark Vientos and a single from Brandon Nimmo. Starling Marte added a double off the top of the left-field wall, giving the Mets a 4-0 lead.</p><p>However, Luzardo quickly regained control, retiring 22 consecutive batters and finishing eight innings with four runs allowed on five hits, 10 strikeouts, and no walks. Also, this was the first time a Phillies pitcher allowed four runs in the first inning and completed eight innings since Steve Carlton in 1977.</p><p>The Phillies began their comeback in the fourth inning when Otto Kemp launched a two-run homer off David Peterson, the young Mets lefty who had pitched five innings with three earned runs on seven hits, one walk, and eight strikeouts. Bryce Harper’s two-run RBI double in the fifth, aided by a misplay from Jeff McNeil in center field, brought Philadelphia within a run at 4-3.</p><p>The sixth inning proved decisive as Reed Garrett struggled out of the bullpen, allowing back-to-back doubles from Nick Castellanos and Kemp, followed by walks to Brandon Marsh and Kyle Schwarber, and singles from Harrison Bader and Harper. The rally produced three runs, handing the Phillies a 6-4 lead. Brooks Raley was unable to stop the damage, though Tyler Rogers and Edwin Diaz pitched perfect innings thereafter. Bader finished 2-for-5 with an RBI and is now 19-for-36 in nine games against his former team.</p><p>The Mets’ struggles at the plate continued late, with Soto, Alonso, and Vientos striking out consecutively against Phillies closer Jhoan Duran, who closed the game with three straight swinging strikeouts on just 11 pitches.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Fans ruthlessly rip Mets after getting swept by Phillies

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-carlos-mendoza-calls-out-whos-responsible-for-brutal-skid');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mets’ Carlos Mendoza calls out who’s responsible for brutal skid');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Mets-manager-Carlos-Mendoza-64-jogs-back.jpg"><figcaption>© Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Mets’ Carlos Mendoza calls out who’s responsible for brutal skid</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T20:20:50-07:00">September 11th, 8:20pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T20:20:50-07:00">September 11th, 8:20pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-carlos-mendoza-not-worried-amid-growing-nl-wild-card-threat">New York Mets may be saying publicly</a> that they’re not getting rattled by the fact that the Philadelphia Phillies are running away with the NL East. But the NL East title is not what they should be concerned about anyway. The Mets have fallen into a slump, winning just three of their 10 games in the calendar month of September and losing six straight — with the Phillies sending them spiraling deeper into their misery with the Mets taking a 6-4 defeat on Thursday night.</p><p>It would be one thing if the Mets’ defeats didn’t matter with regards to their playoff standing. But the defeats they’ve been suffering as of late have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/1-mets-player-who-must-step-up-in-nl-wild-card-race-with-giants-reds">put their postseason spot in peril</a>; the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco Giants are both just 1.5 games back of them in the win-loss column with 15 games to go in New York’s season.</p><p>With the Mets seemingly having lost the plot, manager Carlos Mendoza began pointing the finger at himself for his team’s current rut.</p><p>“I’m responsible. I’m the manager. It’s my job to get these guys going. And I will,” Mendoza said, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com.</p><p>The Mets remain confident, and it’s not as if they have another recourse other than to hold steadfast in their belief in themselves. But it truly is not looking good for them, and the way they lost on Thursday against the Phillies has to be all the more demoralizing.</p><p>After scoring four runs on five hits in the first inning, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-francisco-lindor-hitless-phillies-series">Mets proceeded to get no-hit by the Phillies</a>. Again, suffering a defeat is difficult enough. But to do so in this manner has to be soul-crushing in ways that might be beyond repair.</p><p>The Mets have one more game in this current disaster of a series against the Phillies, and all they can hope for is to end that on a high note.</p><h2><b>Can the Mets stop the bleeding in time?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Francisco-Lindor.jpg"><figcaption>Denis Poroy-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><p>The Mets are far from safe in the playoff picture, although the same was the case last year when they just made it into the playoffs by the skin of their teeth — only for them to figure it out when it mattered, making it all the way to the NLCS and pushing the Los Angeles Dodgers to the limit.</p><p>They definitely have it in them to get the job done; but can Mendoza rally his troops in time to avoid what would be an embarrassing late-season collapse?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Mets’ Carlos Mendoza calls out who’s responsible for brutal skid

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-mets/1-mets-player-who-must-step-up-in-nl-wild-card-race-with-giants-reds');   ga('set', 'title', '1 Mets player who must step up in NL Wild Card race with Giants, Reds');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/New-York-Mets-starting-pitcher-Sean-Manaea-1.jpg"><figcaption>Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>1 Mets player who must step up in NL Wild Card race with Giants, Reds</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T18:44:22-07:00">September 11th, 6:44pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T18:44:22-07:00">September 11th, 6:44pm</time><address><a>Zachary Howell</a>Zachary Howell is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints focusing on creating premier MLB content. He is a big fan of the Yankees, Oklahoma City Thunder and the Syracuse Orange. In his free time, he likes to be outside or read.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Mets’ season has been a tale of two halves. Before the All-Star break, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-new-york-pitching-silencing-doubters-2025">Kodai Senga was one of the best pitchers in Major League Baseball</a>. He helped Carlos Mendoza’s team contend in the National League East with the Philadelphia Phillies. Now, Sean Manaea and Co. have to fend off the San Francisco Giants and Cincinnati Reds without him for an NL playoff spot.</p><p>The Wild Card race in both leagues looks like it could come down to the wire. However, New York faces pressure from the Reds and Giants, both of whom sit two games behind in the standings. One bad series could send the Mets out of the final Wild Card spot, a tragic end to a crazy season. If they end up out of the playoff picture, the pitching staff will take the majority of the blame.</p><p>Mendoza has had issues with his starting rotation for months. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-latest-kodai-senga-injury-update-will-catch-fans-attention">Senga’s injury threw a wrench into his operation</a>, forcing other players into large roles. Some of them stepped up for New York, including Nolan McLean and Brandon Sproat. Others, like Clay Holmes, are still getting used to the brighter spotlight. It is a bad sign for a team hoping to make a deep playoff run.</p><p>Of all of the Mets’ pitchers, Manaea is the one who stands to gain the most down the stretch of the season. The veteran was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-sean-manaea-suffers-injury-setback">not a part of New York’s rotation earlier in the season because of injury</a>. However, he has been far from his best since coming off of the injured list. Despite that, he is one of Mendoza’s top options as he starts planning for a potential playoff series rotation this fall.</p><p>Manaea’s pitching could save the Mets’ season or doom it. Here is why he is so important.</p><h2>Manaea’s experience can calm a pitching staff looking for a leader</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Mets-starting-pitcher-Sean-Manaea-59-is-removed.jpg"><figcaption>© Brad Mills-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Mets had a successful playoff run in 2024. New York came two wins away from setting up a cinematic World Series against the New York Yankees before losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NLCS. Walking away from that run, Mendoza looked like he had the makings of an elite rotation. Now, he has a huge issue when it comes to New York’s inconsistency on the mound.</p><p>Looking at the Mets’ roster, the playoff rotation is tough to put together. Clay Holmes, David Peterson, and Manaea will each have a spot, even if the order is not clear yet. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-sean-manaea-breaks-silence-on-carlos-mendoza-convo-in-loss-to-phillies">Manaea and Mendoza have had their own issues</a> this year, but the veteran remains one of New York’s best options. If Senga is not going to be a part of the playoff rotation, Manaea is set up to be a key part of the puzzle.</p><p>As an individual, Manaea’s 2025 numbers are underwhelming. However, he is one of many Mets pitchers that stepped up in the postseason. In the 2024 playoffs, the southpaw was <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/player/stats/_/id/33244/sean-manaea" rel="noopener">2-1 with a 4.74 ERA</a> across four starts. That body of work against teams like the Dodgers, Phillies, and Milwaukee Brewers is tough to ignore. Mendoza hopes he can do the same down the stretch in 2025.</p><h2>The Mets’ offense needs a pitcher to help them stay in games</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/New-York-Mets-outfielder-Juan-Soto-5.jpg"><figcaption>Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Entering the season, the strength of the Mets was supposed to be their offense. However, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-kodai-senga-means-business-blunt-take-nl-best-era">Senga’s hot start</a> and the emergence of Holmes as an effective starter changed that conception. Despite the early success on the mound by Mendoza’s rotation, things eventually shifted the other way. Now, New York’s offense is elite while its pitching and defense have fallen far behind.</p><p>The Mets have a lot to fix and not a lot of time to do it in. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-carlos-mendoza-not-worried-amid-growing-nl-wild-card-threat">Mendoza acknowledged the pressure on New York from the Giants and Reds</a>, but is not concerned. That kind of demeanor is good for a team as talented at the Mets, but it might end up being unrealistic. The truth is that Manaea and others need to snap out of their slumps before it is too late for their team.</p><p>Despite the team’s struggles, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-brandon-nimmo-sends-playoff-warning-rivals-despite-collapse">Mets players are confident in their team’s chances this year</a>. Once the playoffs start, having stars like Juan Soto and Pete Alonso makes New York dangerous. However, poor pitching renders a good offense meaningless when the competition takes a significant jump. Mendoza has about three weeks to find a solution or risk missing the playoffs altogether.</p><p>Manaea is the linchpin that could decide New York’s season. If he wakes up and is effective, the Mets’ odds are good. If not, making the playoffs might be as far as they get.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

1 Mets player who must step up in NL Wild Card race with Giants, Reds

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-brandon-nimmo-sends-playoff-warning-rivals-despite-collapse');   ga('set', 'title', 'Mets’ Brandon Nimmo sends playoff warning to rivals despite epic collapse');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Mets-outfielder-Brandon-Nimmo-vs-Reds.jpg"><figcaption>Katie Stratman-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Mets’ Brandon Nimmo sends playoff warning to rivals despite epic collapse</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-11T07:36:06-07:00">September 11th, 7:36am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-11T07:36:06-07:00">September 11th, 7:36am</time><address><a>Yasmin Edañol</a>Yasmin D.G. Edañol is a PhD candidate in Chemistry at the University of the Philippines Diliman, with a background in scientific research and publishing. He brings a data-driven perspective to sports storytelling as an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints, with a focus on the NBA. Whether it's breaking down a clutch play or a stat line, he believes every great moment has a deeper layer waiting to be uncovered.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The New York Mets<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-francisco-lindor-hitless-phillies-series"> are battling to keep their postseason dreams alive</a> despite a skid that threatens to sink their season. Outfielder Brandon Nimmo <a href="https://x.com/JonHeyman/status/1966120078208069988" rel="noopener">delivered a firm message</a> about the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-carlos-mendoza-not-worried-amid-growing-nl-wild-card-threat">Mets’ postseason outlook and the NL Wild Card race</a> as the team continues to slump. He warned rivals that if the Mets reach October, they will be a dangerous matchup. His defiance comes at a pivotal moment, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-clay-holmes-struggles-to-explain-ny-woes">with the team spiraling while every win grows more critical</a>.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en"><a href="https://t.co/dg42ZNi5Vi">https://t.co/dg42ZNi5Vi</a>  True believer: “There are a lot of teams hoping we don’t make the playoffs. There are definitely teams that don’t want to see us on the other side.” — Brandon Nimmo tells The Post in the wake of Mets unfathomable slide</p><p>— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) <a href="https://twitter.com/JonHeyman/status/1966120078208069988?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 11, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-sean-manaea-breaks-silence-on-carlos-mendoza-convo-in-loss-to-phillies">The Mets are in freefall after dropping five straight games</a> and winning just three of their last ten. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-news-francisco-lindor-joins-historic-company-with-stolen-base-vs-royals">A once-promising season has turned into a fight for survival</a>. Their offense has gone cold, and their bullpen has faltered in key moments. Still, Nimmo insists the Mets are far from finished. “There are a lot of teams hoping we don’t make the playoffs,” he said. “There are definitely teams that don’t want to see us on the other side.”</p><p>The Mets’ postseason push depends on whether they can finally find consistency. With the division slipping away, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-mets/mets-will-clinch-nl-wild-card-spot">the NL Wild Card remains their clearest path to October</a>. Nimmo believes this roster still has the talent to turn things around. Earlier in the season, they showed flashes of dominance and beat some of the league’s toughest opponents. He wants rivals to know that if they regain their form, the Mets can still upset anyone in a short series.</p><p>Time, however, is running out. Every game carries postseason-level stakes, and the Mets can no longer afford mistakes. Nimmo’s message doubles as both a warning to rivals and a challenge to his own clubhouse. If they can shake off this slump and string together wins, they have a chance to sneak into the NL Wild Card. The margin for error is razor-thin, but the belief inside the clubhouse hasn’t wavered.</p><p>The Mets are battered but not broken, and Brandon Nimmo wants everyone to know they are still a threat in October. But can the Mets rally in time to crash the postseason party?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Brandon
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Jeff McNeil ejected for crazy strikeout reaction

Pete Alonso gets brutally honest on future with Mets

Ken Rosenthal says ‘chemistry’ gives Phillies an edge over Mets

Mets’ NL Wild Card situation gets MLB Network reaction

Rangers’ Jacob deGrom breaks silence ahead of 1st return to Citi Field

Mets suffer historically embarrassing offensive outage vs. Phillies

• Phillies’ pitching masterpiece vs. Mets will give fans Roy Halladay flashbacks

• Fans ruthlessly rip Mets after getting swept by Phillies

• Mets’ Carlos Mendoza calls out who’s responsible for brutal skid

• 1 Mets player who must step up in NL Wild Card race with Giants, Reds

• Mets’ Brandon Nimmo sends playoff warning to rivals despite epic collapse