Sports, and specifically baseball, can have patterns to them. As a season churns along, games start to mirror each other, even if they do not occur in the exact same way. This can happen when a team repeatedly fails, and it can happen when a team repeatedly succeeds. Unfortunately for the Mets, the rhythm of things has fallen into the negative category.

Facing the Phillies on Sunday night, the Mets lost by a score of 6-2. It was a game that represented the main flow of New York’s season up to this point: the team had shaky starting pitching, had some signs of life on offense, and could not get the big hits when they were needed.

David Peterson, tapped as the starter for Sunday’s contest, was shelled over the first two innings of the game. He played a major role in the Phillies striking first, as the lefty walked the first two batterd he faced. Following, two weak hits plated two runners.

In the second inning, Peterson allowed two singles and then saw Kyle Schwarber send a ball to outer space off of him. Before the Mets could blink, they were in a 5-0 hole.

Peterson settled in and pitched better in the third and fourth innings. He finished with five strikeouts, displaying much better command in the process. However, it did not matter at that point. New York did not get what it needed out of Peterson, especially the day after Freddy Peralta’s implosion. Peterson put the Mets in an early hole, and they simply never recovered over the rest of the game. He was not the only reason they lost, but the lefty was one of the main factors on Sunday night.

While Peterson put the Mets in a hole, the lineup’s continued inconsistencies sank them to the bottom of it.

As always, there were some bright spots, especially against a pitcher like Zach Wheeler. Carson Benge continued to show terrific flashes and should be a key piece of the Mets’ foundation. He smoked an impressive, opposite-field home run off Wheeler for the team’s first run of the game. In the sixth inning, he worked an impressive walk against Wheeler, displaying a great eye at the plate.

Juan Soto had a hit and worked a nice walk against Wheeler. A.J. Ewing had two singles, one off closer Jhoan Duran, and an RBI in a bases-loaded situation. Jared Young had a walk and a single as well.

In Sunday’s game, the Mets had Wheeler on the ropes multiple times. They had their chance to not only score runs but also string together rallies. Keeping with the rhythm of the season, though, nothing transpired.

When the Mets had first and second with no outs in the second inning, the Mets took arguably their worst at-bats of the game. After Marcus Semien popped out, Brett Baty and Francisco Alvarez ended the inning on two combinedpitches.

Later in the sixth inning, the Mets had the bases loaded with one out. A.J. Ewing smoked a ground ball at 104.4 miles per hour and drove a run on a fielder’s choice, making it a 6-2 game. The result on the next batter? Marcus Semien expanded the zone and struck out, ending New York’s best chance to get back in the game.

Sunday was the proliferation and continuation of the Mets’ worst traits. They feel flat starting off the game, whether from a pitching perspective or a hitting perspective. They fell flat in the biggest of spots, missing their chances to claw back in the game or possibly have a signature win.

The standings will show that, somehow, New York is a legitimate run away from getting back into the playoff picture. An impending Francisco Lindor return, along with some other contributors, could convince some that a turnaround is possible. But until there is some form of consistency or pulse from New York, they will continue to be dead in the water.

A new series begins on Monday against the Chicago Cubs. If the Mets want to avoid falling into the abyss, they need to find the best version of themselves, and fast.