Playoff shot takes huge hit as Reds rally

Wheeler’s good start wasted in defeat

CINCINNATI — Inconsistency has plagued the Mets all year. So why would it take a break with just over a week of regular season games remaining?

Zack Wheeler dominated Cincinnati’s lineup over seven excellent innings, but his offense struggled to rally for more than a couple of runs. Ultimately, the Mets’ customary bullpen heroes showed their human flaws in the team’s regrettable 3-2 loss to the Reds on Saturday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.

“It’s tough,” Wheeler said. “Anytime you’re down, you just gotta put your head down and keep grinding. We put ourselves in this position and it’s up to us to get out of it. It’s coming down to crunch time so we have to win some games.”

Wheeler held the Reds to two runs (one earned) on seven hits with six strikeouts in his 30th start of the year. Justin Wilson took the ball from Wheeler to start the eighth and retired just one batter of the three he faced. Seth Lugo was called on for the final two outs of the inning with runners on first and second. Normally unhittable and reliable, Lugo struck out the first batter he faced before giving up a go-ahead single to Christian Colon that ended up being the difference in the game.

The Mets ( 8 0 -74 ) dropped four games behind the last wild card spot. Instead of keeping pace with the Brewers or having a chance to gain a game, the Mets choked and went 0for-6 with runners in scoring position.

Remarkably, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil, Pete Alonso, Michael Conforto, J.D. Davis, Robinson Cano and Wilson Ramos combined to go 0-for-22 in the loss. Reds right-hander Anthony DeSclafani quieted the Mets bats over six solid innings.

“I think the way we lost hurts,” Mickey Callaway said. “Couple of mistakes in the field and we had plenty of opportunities at the plate but we struck out almost every time.”

For the third straight outing, Wheeler was a polished escape artist. The right-hander stranded eight runners on base and continuously shut down Cincinnati’s threat. In the fifth inning of a 2-2 tied game, Wheeler gave up a leadoff double to Joey Votto and another single to slugger Eugenio Suarez. With runners on the corners, the Reds had the perfect opportunity to strike.

Instead, Wheeler retired the next three batters to escape the fifth inning unscathed. He managed to make the impressive Reds rookie Aristides Aquino look silly with a four-pitch strikeout for the first out. Getting into, and out of, a jam with runners in scoring position is a skill Wheeler has mastered in his final few starts of the 2019 season.