Three takeaways as Mets drop ugly series loss to last-place Nationals

At the most critical juncture of the 2025 season, the Mets have been unable to sustain any positive momentum.

On the heels of a three-game win streak, the Mets fell flat against the last-place Nationals, dropping an ugly 9-3 defeat and punctuating a series loss in the finale on Thursday afternoon at Nationals Park.

After opening a three-run lead through the opening four innings, the Mets' pitching caved and the offense went ice cold down the stretch as the Nationals rattled off nine unanswered runs.

As the Mets continue their six-game road trip on Friday in Atlanta, their handle on one of the National League wild card spots is slipping painstakingly away. The Mets (67-60) are now a half-game up on the Reds (67-61) for the final playoff spot while the Phillies are now seven games ahead in the NL East.

"We got to get going," Carlos Mendoza told reporters. "We got to see results. We've seen it from this group. It starts right here. We don't have much time left. We got to play better."

Here is what stood out for the Mets in Thursday's disconcerting defeat:

Sean Manaea victim to another short start

Sean Manaea came out of the gate strong against the Nationals.

In the opening three frames, the Mets veteran left-hander picked up seven strikeouts. The lone hit against Manaea was a one-out ground-rule double by Brady House, where the ball wedged into the top of the fence. He worked through by picking up back-to-back strikeouts.

But as has been the case for Manaea in August, he has been unable to avoid the big inning. After giving up one run in the fourth inning on a wild pitch, hit by pitch, single and a ground ball, Manaea's day came to an abrupt end in the fifth.

"Just lost my feel for my sweeper right there and then just lost control of my fastball at the end there too," Manaea told reporters.

With two runners on and one out, Manaea hit CJ Abrams with a fastball. Then, after a sacrifice fly got the Nationals back within 3-2, Manaea walked Andres Chaparro to load the bases. He threw 23 pitches in the frame and was pulled by Mendoza at 91 pitches.

"The biggest thing for me is the velo and using the fastball at the top," Mendoza said. "Last year, he got a lot of swings and misses with that pitch and it seems like once he gets that second time through he's having a hard time elevating the fastball."

That traffic came back to bite Manaea as Tyler Rogers gave up a two-run single to Riley Adams. It was the fourth straight start that Manaea has given up at least four earned runs as his ERA ballooned to 5.15. It was his third straight start of five innings or fewer.

Rogers gave up two singles, including an RBI hit to Jacob Young in the sixth. Then, the game got out of hand as Ryne Stanek gave up four earned runs, including a three-run home run to James Wood in the eighth.

Mets offense goes woefully cold

The Mets offense opened strong against Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore but could not keep the pressure on.

Francisco Lindor, who finished with three of the Mets' seven hits, belted a leadoff home run - his Mets record eighth of the season. Then, Starling Marte added his own solo home run in the top of the third inning to put the Mets up 2-0.

With the bases loaded in the top of the fourth, Hayden Senger collected his first career RBI on a sacrifice fly to center field.

But from there, the Mets went 5⅓ innings without collecting a hit against the Nationals bullpen before Lindor singled with two outs in the ninth inning.

"Back-to-back nights, we didn't have good at-bats against them," Mendoza said. "They kept us off balance. We chased. I think the biggest thing for us was chasing. At times, overly aggressive on first pitches and not doing damage. Then, we didn't give ourselves a chance to create opportunities."

Jeff McNeil joins list of injury concerns

In each day of the series for the Mets, the injuries mounted one after the next.

The latest, and perhaps less severe, came on Sunday afternoon as Jeff McNeil was noticeably absent from the Mets' lineup despite a recent run of success. Mendoza said that McNeil is dealing with right shoulder soreness which hampers him when he throws.

McNeil, who was a designated hitter twice over the weekend, made a pinch-hit appearance but struck out looking with two runners on base. In the month of August, McNeil is 20-for-68 (.294) with one home run, eight RBI, nine runs and six doubles.

"I'm trying to stay away from him, but understanding that I'm forcing them to make a move," Mendoza said. "He's been good left on left. I'm trying to limit him on the field, as well, but where we were, I just needed to shoot him there."

The Mets could have used a healthy McNeil with Brandon Nimmo out of the lineup on Thursday as he continues to deal with neck stiffness that led to an early exit one night earlier. Nimmo did not participate in workouts before Thursday's game.

After an awkward slide on Sunday night at the Little League Classic, Francisco Alvarez was diagnosed with a sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right thumb. He will be shut down for 10 to 14 days and while the Mets are hopeful that Alvarez can play through the injury, surgery is an option.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: 3 takeaways as NY Mets drop ugly series loss to last-place Nationals