The Mets aren’t going to beat the Braves in the playoff race playing like this

The Mets have one of their best opportunities in years to finally take down the Braves, their forever nemesis. But I certainly can’t do that.

It was a mild, beautiful night in Flushing, and the Mets celebrated the entire county of Queens beautifully. The mood of the fans turned, however, as they began to realize that the Mets’ frightening slide was about to continue.

The boos began when Mets starter Paul Blackburn, pitching in his home debut against his former team, gave up a three-run home run. Half-hearted boos were sprinkled throughout the wonderful evening. They were deserved.

The soon-to-be Sacramento A’s eventually beat the Mets 9-4 to snap four straight losses for the team from Queens and raise more doubts about a team that erased a huge hole to move into playoff position before falling back recently. days.

Unlike the Mets’ wasted weekend in Seattle, there were no excuses.

The Mets are no longer playing a contender in the final leg of an arduous, grueling, four-city, three-time-zone road trip. No, they followed a full day of rest with a date at Citi Field against an also-run.

He still doesn’t struggle in the shadows of Seattle, where the grass is too thick and the air even thicker. And he’s no longer facing the Mariners’ dynamic pitching staff. Tuesday night’s starter for the Oakland A’s was minor league call-up Joe Boyle, who entered the night with a 7.16 ERA.

There was enough reason to give the Mets a pass for their terrible three-game stay in Seattle, as it came at the end of the season’s longest trip to the city farthest from their home base. Sure, the Mets played their worst streak in Seattle, getting outscored 28-1. But they get half a pass here given the opponent, the conditions and, frankly, the exhaustion.

This one is much more worrying. The Mets had no alibi for this.

And if they can’t ultimately beat the pesky Braves for the sixth and final playoff spot, similarly, there will be no excuse for that. In short, the Braves—winners of the NL East six years in a row—are now a physical mess. For a change, they should be very vulnerable. If the Mets are ever going to get past these guys, this should be that season.

The Mets bravely dug themselves out of an 11-game under-.500 hole to move into playoff position, but fell 1 ½ games behind the Braves after this latest upset. Meanwhile, the Braves are limping along.

Braves ace Spencer Strider is out for the year. Ronald Acuna Jr., he of the 40-70 miracle, is also gone for 2024. Moreover, most of Atlanta’s other elite players are either under the weather or under performing. Even if they haven’t looked that hot lately, the healthier Mets should be able to take them down.

“Since I’ve been here … they’ve been a thorn in our side,” Brandon Nimmo said of the Braves. “We were eliminated by them many times. They’re definitely a team we’d like to have back. It would be nice to have Atlanta on the outside looking in.”

I understand. This was supposed to be a year of transition at 41 Seaver Way. But a lot has happened since the two rivals took the court in late March, and most of it for the Braves involves pain.

Injuries brought them down, but no. “Given, but survive,” is how one Braves person summed up his situation.

“It definitely seems like this would be our time to step up and get our hands on it here,” Nimmo said.

The Mets health is better than most and much better than the Braves. They lost their own ace, Kodai Senga, who had shoulder, schedule and ultimately calf issues. They still hold out hope that he can come back if they make the playoffs. But I’d say they have a much better chance than Senga of making it to October.

Despite past disappointments and the presence of the Braves in the race, they keep the faith.

“I’m very confident in this group,” Pete Alonso said before the game. “The talent, the chemistry and the way we’ve been trending — all the signs point to us succeeding.”

It looks like the Diamondbacks and Padres will split and take the top two Wild Card spots. That leaves the Braves, Mets and then a trio of teams behind them. The Cardinals, Giants and Cubs all have one more shot, which should please commissioner Rob Manfred and the powers that be that extended the playoffs.

But in the end, the Cardinals look like a classic .500 team, the strong-pitching Giants look like half an excellent team, and the Cubs seem more about the future than the present. From here, the Braves still look like the team the Mets have to beat for that coveted final spot. It’s always the Braves, isn’t it?