Ryan Helsley blew his second save with the Mets, who dropped a 4-3 result and the series to the Braves on Thursday at Citi Field.
NEW YORK — The Mets had the blueprint in front of them to score a series win over their bitter rivals and erase some of the sting of one of their worst losses of the 2025 season.
After one full turn through the starting rotation without a pitcher completing five innings, Kodai Senga flirted with six full innings. The top of the lineup punched back after the Braves took the lead. Then, a rested stable of high-leverage relievers in Tyler Rogers, Ryan Helsley and Edwin Diaz sat in line for Carlos Mendoza to deploy.
As has been the case all to often for the Mets during their worst stretch of the season, they manufactured a way to lose. This time, it was on the bullpen.
Helsley entered the eighth inning with the Mets leading by one run and issued a one-out walk followed by back-to-back RBI doubles to Michael Harris II and Ozzie Albies, and the Mets dropped a 4-3 loss to the Braves in front of 41,782 fans on Thursday night at Citi Field.
"For everybody else to do the job and not to do yours, it sucks," Helsley said. "You never want to be that guy and be the reason the team loses. All the guys did a great job. The offense did a good job. Just wasn't able to pull through.”
It was the fifth straight series the Mets have dropped and the sixth consecutive game the Mets gave up an advantage, including leads of six, five and four, during their last two series losses.
"On a daily basis, a lot of guys are doing good things and then there's a couple of guys that are dealing with the ups and downs and maneuvering." Francisco Lindor said, "and just sticking together is the most important things. You gotta be put in a situation where no matter what happens, we stay together. We fight for each other. We play for each other. It's definitely a test."
Ryan Helsley's adjustment continues
It was the latest bump for Helsley, who has had his share of struggles since joining the Mets from the Cardinals at the trade deadline in a deal that sent away infield prospect Jesus Baez and two pitching prospects.
In five innings across six appearances, Helsley has given up seven total runs (three earned) on seven hits and three walks with six strikeouts. Tuesday was the right-hander's second loss and second blown save with the Mets as he slid to 3-3.
"The fastball's been getting hit and it's a plus-plus fastball, but I think he's leaving that slider in the middle of the strike zone," Carlos Mendoza said.
After recording an out in the first at-bat, Helsley walked Marcell Ozuna on six pitches before leaving a slider over the heart of the plate that Harris tagged into the left-center field gap to tie the score at 3-3.
Then, Albies, who finished a triple of the cycle with three hits in four at-bats and three RBI, raked a fastball off his shins to the wall in right field to plate the decisive run.
"The pitch to Albies was actually a couple of balls below the zone and he put a kind of weird swing on it, but ended up a good result," Helsley said. "Just gotta try to keep working and try to figure it out."
Kodai Senga flashes return to form
The Mets' bullpen could not reinforce Senga's strongest outing since he returned from the injured listan injured hamstring on July 11.
As he built back up from a month away, Senga danced around the strike zone, issuing 16 walks in five starts entering Thursday. Against the Braves, Senga was back to the form that had enabled him to lead the National League with a 1.47 ERA before being sidelined.
Through the opening four innings, Senga only gave up one run on a solo home run to Albies. He was back getting swings and misses, producing 15 whiffs and seven strikeouts — his most since May 31 against the Rockies.
"The way he used all of his pitches in the strike zone. He competed with pretty much everything," Mendoza said. "The cutter was good, the forkball, he used it to get strikes, to get chases. The fastball at the top, 95 (mph), when he needed to. I thought every pitch, but it was in the strike zone."
Senga worked around singles in each of the first three innings but did not issue a walk until the opening at-bat of the sixth inning. He exited after allowing a single to Harris II to put runners on the corners in the frame.
He was charged with his second earned run after Rogers gave up a bloop RBI single to Albies to move the Braves ahead 2-1 and finished with five hits allowed. It was a step in the right direction for Senga, who recorded at least 17 outs for the first time since June 12, but not enough to get a result.
"I think the biggest part was I was able to use all of my pitches and I was able to land them in the strike zone," Senga said through an interpreter. "Although I was to go for the sixth inning, but I still wasn't able to finish out the sixth, so I still have a little ways to go."
Mets top of lineup produces as bottom goes cold
One night after putting up six runs in the opening two innings and then coming away empty, the Mets were able to mount a response after falling behind 2-1.
In the bottom of the sixth inning against Braves starter Bryce Elder, Lindor laced a single and then moved to third on a stolen base and an error. After Juan Soto walked, Lindor scored on a line-drive sacrifice fly from Brandon Nimmo. Pete Alonso put the Mets ahead with his 99th RBI of the season on a single up the middle to boost the Mets ahead 3-2.
It was a strong night for Lindor finished 3-for-4 with a solo home run in the bottom of the third.
Elder managed to toss seven innings, allowing three earned runs on five hits and two walks. The Mets could only collect one hit after the seventh inning.
"The hitting coaches continue to emphasize to keep the foot on the gas pedal as long as you can," Lindor said. "We have to play 27 outs and sometimes we have to play more. At the end of the day, from the first pitch to the last pitch, we got to go all out. It's that time of the year where every little thing matters. We're gonna be better."
The bottom five slots in the Mets' lineup finished 0-for-16 with one walk and five strikeouts.
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Ryan Helsley blows save as NY Mets bullpen struggles in loss to Braves
Category: Baseball
