Carlos Mendoza makes ‘costly’ admission after Mets’ collapse vs Marlins as playoff hopes fade

The New York Mets had control of Friday night’s game in Miami, but one disastrous inning unraveled their hopes and left their postseason destiny hanging by a thread. What began as a promising start against the Miami Marlins ended with another missed opportunity, a 6-2 defeat, and a growing sense of regret.

Brandon Sproat’s early command gave the Mets a two-run cushion, but in the fifth inning, a cascade of defensive lapses and mental errors turned the night into a nightmare. As the Mets’ playoff odds dwindle, frustration is mounting inside the clubhouse.

Manager Carlos Mendoza didn’t mince words after the collapse. “We continue to make those mistakes and it’s costing us games,” he admitted via SNY. “It’s on me, it’s on all of us. We continue to make the same mistakes and it’s costing us games.”

A fifth-inning collapse changes everything

The turning point came in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs and a runner aboard, Gregory Soto entered the game for Sproat. But the Marlins’ Agustin Ramirez stole both second and third base with shocking ease—third, in particular, went uncovered when Ronny Mauricio failed to cover the bag. Mendoza called it an “inning-changer.”

Instead of escaping down by one, the Mets unraveled. Ramirez scored on an Xavier Edwards single, and Connor Norby punctuated the inning with a crushing two-run homer. In total, Miami plated six runs, erasing New York’s early advantage.

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Pete Alonso, who earlier mishandled a sharp liner that allowed a run to score, took accountability afterward. “If I fielded it cleanly, I would have thrown it home,” Alonso said. “I wish I could have got the out at home.”

Wasted chances against Sandy Alcantara

The defensive meltdown was damaging, but the Mets’ offense wasted its own opportunities. After striking first with two runs in the opening frame, they went silent against Sandy Alcantara and the Marlins’ bullpen.

Mendoza lamented the missed chances. “When you’re facing elite pitching there, whenever you get chances, you have to be able to punch,” he said. Alonso echoed the sentiment, acknowledging Alcantara’s resilience. “Sandy’s an ace. And he did what aces do and bunker down and made adjustments,” he noted.

Mets’ playoff path narrows

With the loss, the Mets no longer control their playoff fate. The Cincinnati Reds, who defeated the Brewers on Friday, now hold the tiebreaker in the NL Wild Card race. For the Mets to secure a postseason berth, they must win one more game than the Reds across the final two contests of the regular season.

Mendoza summed it up bluntly: “We put ourselves in this position. Here we are, we got to come back tomorrow and the next day. We have to win the next two and see what happens. We did it to ourselves.”

Alonso, however, remains optimistic. “Good thing it’s not over yet,” he said. “Hopefully, we can win tomorrow and not face that reality. For now, we just got to do what we can to win tomorrow.”