3 Up, 3 Down: Mets Eliminated From Playoffs, Swept Out of Milwaukee

Unfortunately for the Mets, the above headline does not bring to mind much good news. Before Saturday’s game concluded, New York was already eliminated from winning the NL East, by virtue of a Phillies win. By weekend’s end, the Mets were swept out of Milwaukee and watched the Brewers celebrate their own division title on Sunday afternoon.

In a weekend where the team did not win a game and scored just six total runs, there were few positives to take away as the season nears its final few games. But let’s make an attempt here at finding some good in the mess that has been the Mets since late July.

3 Up

Brandon Nimmo Continues To Get On Base

This series in Milwaukee was the complete opposite of an offensive showcase for the Mets. But one player who actually did hit well was Brandon Nimmo. The Mets center fielder led off Friday’s game with a triple while walking later in the game as well. On Saturday, Nimmo collected three base hits, each by way of a single.

Although he has not collected enough plate appearances to qualify for the batting title, Nimmo’s strong performance this past weekend pushed his slash line to .301/.411/.428 in 356 plate appearances this season.

Javier Báez Has Strong Sunday 

Sunday’s 8-4 loss was most notable for the Brewers clinching the NL Central, but lost in Milwaukee’s celebration was the brilliance of Javier Báez on the day. Batting fifth, Báez went 2-for-4 with a two-RBI double. In the field, he made a sensational catch, diving on the edge of the outfield grass to snag a Lorenzo Cain line drive in the seventh inning.

Báez continues to show improvement as a Met, and resigning him will likely be one of the team’s top priorities heading into the offseason.

Francisco Lindor’s Deep Home Run

On Sunday, the Mets took a quick 1-0 lead for the second time in the series. Sunday’s lead came off a deep Francisco Lindor home run that reached the second deck in right field at Milwaukee’s American Family Insurance Field. With 18 home runs in 2021, this number marks the fewest Lindor has hit in a season since 2016 (excluding last season’s 60-game schedule, when he hit eight homers).

However, Lindor now was seven home runs in September 2021, his most in a calendar month all season. This should be an encouraging sign for the Mets shortstop as he looks to get off to a hot start next April, unlike this year.

3 Down

Offensive Letdown 

An inability to get hits and score runs has been the story of the Mets for the past several months. The exact same thing happened in Milwaukee. On Friday and Saturday, New York combined for two total runs, 10 total hits, and perhaps more concerningly, just two extra-base hits. Granted the Mets did not have much to play for (we’ll get to that in a bit), but even in meaningless games, to see the lineup with such little fight in them is super discouraging. Even on Sunday, when the Mets put up a Ruthian *four runs*, it was not enough to keep up with the Brewers, who put up five runs of their own after just two frames.

Carrasco Has Worst Start Since Mid-August 

After pitching six consecutive starts of at least five innings and no more than four runs allowed, Carlos Carrasco had his worst outing since August 15. On Sunday against the Brewers, Carrasco went four innings, allowing seven hits, five runs, and four walks. He also allowed a two-run home run to Willy Adames.

This was the fourth loss of the season for Cookie, whose season ERA now sits at 5.73. The start was doomed from the beginning, as the first three Brewer hitters reached base off Carrasco in the first inning.

Goodbye, Postseason 

This was inevitable for the past month. But reality finally sunk in for the Mets, who were officially eliminated from postseason contention this weekend. Not only was the team swept themselves, but the Mets certainly did not receive any help when the Braves and Phillies also picked up wins this weekend.

With Sunday’s loss, the Mets’ 82nd of the season, it also ensured they wouldn’t finish above .500. This is all the more disappointing when remembering this club held first place in the NL East for 90 days earlier this season. Their elimination brought additional sour news, too; the Mets have now missed the postseason for five consecutive seasons, a streak of futility that comes immediately after two consecutive, exciting, hopeful playoff berths in 2015 and 2016.

Now that October baseball won’t be played at Citi Field, the team’s focus turns toward revamping the front office, possibly hiring a new manager, and re-signing key players such as Báez and Michael Conforto – signing a premier free agent away from another ballclub is likely on Steve Cohen’s agenda as well.