Mets Drop Series to Nationals, Fall Out of Playoff Spot for First Time Since April
The Mets had every reason to make a statement this weekend against the Nationals.
Instead, they left Citi Field with more questions than answers—and for the first time since April, without control of their own postseason destiny.
Sunday’s 3–2 loss capped off a frustrating series in which New York dropped two of three to a Washington club (now) sitting at 64–92, the second-worst record in the National League.
The loss was the Mets’ 11th in their last 15 games, erasing the cushion they once held in the Wild Card race.
With six games remaining, the math is no longer in their favor: to reach October, they must finish with one more win than the Cincinnati Reds, who own the tiebreaker, while also edging Arizona in the intradivision column.
If the season ended today, the Mets would not qualify for the playoffs
Six games remain in the regular season pic.twitter.com/mNw9D6NwmZ
— SNY Mets (@SNY_Mets) September 22, 2025
Sloppy, Flat, and Unfamiliar
The Mets fell behind early on Sunday and never recovered. Sean Manaea, starting in place of Clay Holmes as part of a flip-flopped piggyback plan, was hit for three runs in the second inning, including a two-run homer from light-hitting shortstop Nasim Nuñez.
Manaea lasted just three-plus innings and was undone not only by hittable pitches but also by shaky defense behind him.
Pete Alonso’s error at first base extended the inning, while Francisco Lindor’s throwing miscue earlier in the game helped fuel the Nationals’ rally.
Even routine fundamentals seemed elusive: Juan Soto was picked off at first, and Cedric Mullins’ (unbelievable) lapse in awareness on a live ball down the left-field line cost him extra bases in the fourth. It was a sequence emblematic of the Mets’ broader issues—a supremely talented roster undercut by lapses in focus and urgency.
The offense, meanwhile, sputtered against Nationals starter Jake Irvin, who carried a 5.00+ ERA coming into the weekend. The Mets scratched across only two runs in 5 1/3 innings against him, then failed to solve the league’s worst bullpen beyond Lindor’s sixth-inning two-run shot.
Lindor sends one outta here!@Lindor12BC | #LGM pic.twitter.com/KWeCjhPlEg
— New York Mets (@Mets) September 21, 2025
In the eighth and ninth, Washington’s Jacob Young made two spectacular catches in center to rob New York of potential rallies.
Now is Not the Time for Laissez-Faire Baseball
I’ll be the first to say that the players on the field are human—and that the ebbs and flows of this game sometimes require a sixth sense to understand from the spectator perspective. However, it appears that it’s the intangibles, or drive, that have prevented this star-studded team from finding a flow.
For all their talent, the Mets have looked like a shell of themselves since mid-June. On paper, it’s really not hard to imagine they were once playing with the best record in baseball.
But the freefall has been less about ability and more about approach. The looseness and cohesion that defined last year’s club has given way to something flatter, less urgent.
There’s too much pedigree in this clubhouse for them to play like individuals rather than a unit. Too much baseball IQ to let games slip away on miscues and missed opportunities.
What they need now is not just execution, but ignition—guts, fire, even desperation.
They need to get gritty. They need to play hard.
Manager Carlos Mendoza remained insistent after Sunday’s loss that his team is “one hit away” and “one play away” from turning it around. “We’ve got six more and a lot can happen,” Mendoza said.
“We’ve got to keep going. We’ve got six more. A lot can happen. That’s where we’re at.”
– Carlos Mendoza pic.twitter.com/idS2SAAvX6
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 21, 2025
Veterans echoed that sentiment.
“If anyone can do it, it’s us,” Sean Manaea offered, while Francisco Lindor admitted, “We’ve put ourselves in this position, so we’ve got to find a way out of it. And that comes down to winning.”
“If anyone can do it, it’s us.”
Sean Manaea was asked what gives him the confidence that the Mets will figure it out: pic.twitter.com/AtxlKOHBK6
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 21, 2025
Six Games to Rewrite the Story
The road ahead offers no soft landing.
The Mets will open a three-game set Tuesday in Chicago against the Cubs before closing the regular season in Miami against the Marlins.
The Reds, winners of five straight, hold the upper hand. The Diamondbacks lurk as well.
.@tommylugauer shares why he always believes. Today’s Meet at the Apple with Tommy Lugauer, presented by @PCRichardandSon.
🍎👉 https://t.co/OCkvTBKjoN
🟢👉 https://t.co/iXmrRfxFt2
🎥👉 https://t.co/3FpP3eGpqx pic.twitter.com/qlNqsWXL16— New York Mets (@Mets) September 22, 2025
But baseball has a long history of forgiving the flawed, the battered, and even the desperate—if they can find a way to rally at the right moment.
This weekend was a gut punch. But with six games left, the season is still theirs to salvage.
This is certainly not a team lacking in heart or potential. All it takes is a spark.
And if there’s a franchise that knows a thing or two about being counted out before finding a way, it’s the New York Mets.
