Mullins misplay ruins comeback and caps a sloppy loss to Nats

Nationals 5 Mets 3 in 11 innings (Citi Field, Flushing, NY)

Mets record: 80-75

Mets streak: Lost 1

WP - Sauryn Lao (1-0)

LP - Tyler Rogers (4-6)

SV - P.J. Poulin (1)

Seat on the Korner:

We select the star of the game and virtually invite him to a Seat on the Korner, just as Ralph Kiner used to do for his studio postgame show on WOR-channel 9 broadcasts in the early decades of the Mets.

Daylen Lile is the most electrifying, the most dangerous, and probably the best player the Nationals have right now. His 11th inning inside the park home run was the difference for the Nats in their 5-3 win over the Mets, who made a valiant comeback in the 8th and 9th but couldn't finish the job.

Need to Know

• With the Mets loss combined with the Reds' 6-3 win over the Cubs means the Mets lead for the last wild card spot is down to one game.

• Despite the Mets 9th inning comeback, they fall to 0-66 this season when trailing after eight innings.

• Juan Soto's game tying hit in the 9th put him at 15 for his last 32 with runners in scoring position. (He would fall to 15-for-33 with his game ending strikeout.)

• Daylen Lile's inside the park HR was the first one at Citi Field since 2017 (Charlie Blackmon).

• Mark Vientos' pinch hit two run double was his first pinch hit of the season.

• Pete Alonso suffered his 100th hit by pitch in the 8th inning.

• Nolan McLean gave up three runs (one earned) in five innings, giving up four hits and two walks while striking out six. The earned run was the first run he gave up at Citi Field in his career. He has an 0.37 ERA at home this season.

• Huascar Brazoban, Richard Lovelady, and Ryan Heleley all had scoreless outing fro the Mets. For Helsley, it's his 4th scoreless outing in a row.

Turning Point

Let's take the easy one. It's Daylen Lile's game winning inside the park dinger in the 11th.

Mullins will get a lot of the focus on this play, and rightly so. But it was the hat trick of horror in one play. First, Tyler Rogers gave him a meatball to hit. It was middle-middle. Second, Mullins has to know that he's got no chance at that baseball. And third, a good relay throw gets the second runner at the plate. The relay throw was not good. Put it all together and you have a 5-3 loss.

Three Keys

More Insanity Of Numbers

A couple of notes from Sarah Langs about Lile's inside the parker:

So the Mets were helped by the wind and still gave up a home run. That's just cruel.

This was the first extra inning inside the park home run since Patrick Bailey's walk off grand slam earlier this season. The last extra inning inside the park home run in Nationals franchise history was hit by Marquis Grissom in 1994, a walkoff against the Cardinals.

Speaking of Numbers ...

The Mets left 13 runners on base tonight. Among those lowlights:

• Brett Baty hit into a double play in the 2nd with runners on first and second.

• In the third with runners on first and second with one out, Pete Alonso popped out and Brandon Nimmo grounded out.

• Alonso flew out to right with two outs and runners on first and third in the 5th.

The Mets then rallied for two in the 8th and one in the 9th, threatening to steal their first victory this season when trailing after 8 innings.

But with all the momentum in the direction of the Mets with the bases loaded in the 9th and one out, Jose Ferrer struck out Nimmo on an absolute slop pitch, and then struck out Starling Marte on a pitch on the outer half to end the inning. That turned out to be crushing.

For good measure, Francisco Alvarez hit into a double play with runners on first and second with nobody out. It was no less crushing.

Sloppy Second

Had it not been for the late inning comeback and the subsequent heartbreak, the second inning would get a lot of play, and it still should.

After a single by Dylan Crews, Riley Adams singled to right on a ball that eluded Soto to bring home Crews to make it 2-0.

Then, in what could have been the turning point if the game ended at 3-0, Pete Alonso absolutely chunked an easy toss to first for the out.

Then with the Mets one strike away from getting out of the inning at 2-0, McLean threw a wild pitch that eluded Alvarez on the carom. Then with a shot at the runner coming home, Alonso threw one way too high and the run scored.

Errors happen. Clusters of errors can't happen in September when you're battling for a playoff spot and going up against a team that has zero to play for except beating you.