Citi Area was rocking within the fourth inning Friday night time when Francisco Lindor and Juan Soto went back-to-back, however the fireworks didn’t final lengthy because the New York Mets as soon as once more collapsed late in an 11-9 loss to the Seattle Mariners.
The defeat was the Mets’ 14th of their final 16 video games, dropping them six video games behind the Phillies within the NL East and leaving them clinging to a half-game lead for the ultimate wild-card spot. The frustration was evident, with followers raining down boos after yet one more bullpen meltdown.
“It’s a part of the mountain,” Lindor mentioned after the sport. “You bought to climb the mountain, and proper now, we’re in a really steep a part of it.” Lindor wasted no time setting the tone. Going through Mariners ace Luis Castillo, he blasted a leadoff homer to the other subject — his seventh leadoff shot of the 12 months, tying Curtis Granderson’s Mets report. He adopted it up within the fourth inning with a two-run homer to left, his twenty third and twenty fourth of the season.
On the very subsequent pitch, Soto made it a celebration. The slugger crushed a solo shot to middle, giving the Mets back-to-back homers and a 6-4 lead. The stadium erupted, believing the Mets may lastly be snapping out of their funk.
Juan Soto DETROYS this ball for his thirtieth HR of the season 🔥
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 16, 2025
Mets collapse once more as bullpen troubles proceed
The Mets’ offense stored preventing. Francisco Álvarez added a three-run blast within the eighth to chop the deficit to 2, however the comeback stalled towards Seattle’s late-inning arms. Sean Manaea gave the Mets 5 serviceable innings, permitting 4 runs on six hits whereas hanging out seven. However the bullpen — supposedly fortified by commerce deadline additions — unraveled once more.
Tyler Rogers allowed a run within the sixth, and within the seventh, Ryan Helsley and Brooks Raley mixed to surrender 5 runs as Seattle stormed forward. Frankie Montas, who was lately shifted to aid after struggling within the rotation, surrendered one other run within the eighth.
“It’s exhausting to explain, particularly with how a lot expertise and elite arms we acquired again there,” supervisor Carlos Mendoza mentioned. “Backside line, we acquired to start out taking part in higher. Particularly once you get the lead, we acquired to have the ability to shut these video games down.”
Veteran reliever Raley didn’t conceal his frustration. “Rating 9 towards a crew like that, you in all probability ought to win the sport. I used to be a part of the issue and didn’t get it finished,” he admitted. Seattle’s offense was fueled by catcher Cal Raleigh, who smashed his MLB-leading forty sixth homer of the 12 months. The blast moved him previous Johnny Bench for the second-most homers in a season by a catcher, trailing solely Salvador Perez’s 48 in 2021. Raleigh additionally turned the primary participant within the AL this season to notch 100 RBIs.
“It’s fairly loopy, truthfully. I don’t have any phrases,” Raleigh mentioned. “It’s form of a surreal second.” The Mariners now sit only a half-game again of the Astros within the AL West. In the meantime, the Mets proceed to spiral, looking for solutions earlier than time runs out on their season.