The New York Mets couldn’t even finish a sweep against the Rangers yesterday afternoon, dropping the series finale 3-1. Who was on the mound for Texas? None other than Kumar Rocker, the Mets’ own first-round pick from 2021, a guy they chose not to sign. Talk about a gut punch from the past, right?
The Mets’ Odd “Lost Season” Ends with More Questions Than Answers
Zac Thornton just made his final start of the season in that Rangers loss, wrapping up what sounds like a promising year for another young Mets arm. But “promising” in what context? The team already made Derek Falvey’s hiring official as a special advisor in baseball operations, and Kris Gross got bumped up to assistant general manager. It feels like they are moving pieces around for next year, while Tim Britton is out here wondering how much a “strong finish” to a lost season even matters. I get it. Juan Soto, after two seasons without a playoff berth, is surely asking the same thing. Andy Green’s encouraging nature is apparently a “perfect fit for a young team,” which is nice, I guess, but it didn’t stop attendance from dropping a whopping 14.8 percent at Citi Field this year. They even picked up left-handed pitcher Philip Abner off waivers from the Giants, immediately optioning him to the minors, and designated Xzavion Curry for assignment. It’s a whole lot of internal shuffling for a team that’s definitely not where they want to be.
Playoff Spots Are Vanishing Fast Across the League
While the Mets are sorting things out, the rest of the league is going absolutely bonkers in the playoff race. Get this: the White Sox just clinched a postseason spot with a 9-1 win over the Royals. Let that sink in. A team that lost at least 100 games in each of the last three seasons is in! That’s just wild. The Cubs also locked up their spot, beating the Marlins 2-1 in a game where former Mets prospect Pete Crow-Armstrong stole his 40th base to pull off a mind-blowing 40/40 season. And the Guardians aren’t messing around either, clinching their spot by shutting out the Red Sox.
But the drama isn’t over. The Diamondbacks completed a sweep of the Rockies with a 12-8 win, keeping their playoff hopes burning bright. That D-backs win, combined with the Phillies dropping a 5-1 game to the Brewers, leaves Philadelphia just two games ahead of Arizona for the last National League playoff spot. And there are only three games left in the season! Luis Arraez even left that Phillies loss early with an ankle injury, man, talk about adding insult to injury! Over in the American League, the Astros somehow defeated the A’s and are still clinging to first place in the AL West with a sub-.500 record, thanks to a tiebreaker over Texas. The Padres are red-hot, beating the Dodgers 4-2. And the Yankees, after watching the Rays clinch the AL East against them, got a little revenge in the series finale, hoping they get to face Tampa Bay again in the playoffs. What a finish to the regular season, folks. Every single pitch from here on out is going to be absolutely critical.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Amazin’ Avenue.
Leave a Reply