MILWAUKEE — So much for rising up and forcibly claiming a National League wild-card berth.
The opportunity for October baseball is still there for the Mets, but what could have been a statement weekend and relatively easy path to the playoffs has turned into a stressful slog.
Saturday night the Mets went meekly in a third straight game, losing 6-0 to the Brewers at American Family Field, and moved closer to needing a return to Atlanta for a Monday makeup doubleheader.
The Mets managed just two hits against six pitchers and bear little resemblance to the team that beat the Phillies in three of four games to close the last homestand.
In their three games since then, the Mets have scored one, four and zero runs.
Atlanta, Arizona and the Mets all began the night tied for the two remaining NL wild-card spots.
Atlanta moved one game ahead with a walk-off victory against Kansas City, but Arizona lost to San Diego.
It means the Mets can still clinch a wild-card berth Sunday, but that is provided they can beat the Brewers and the Diamondbacks lose.
The Mets own a tiebreaker with Arizona based on winning the season series.
“Three games is not going to dictate the way we have been playing, but we have got to win,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “We have got to play better. We have got to get it done and we have to find a way [Sunday].”
Are the Mets getting tight at the wrong time?
“I’m not necessarily worried about it,” Pete Alonso said. “I just think we have played two good teams and haven’t played our best baseball. You can’t win a game with two hits. They pitched really well today and the offense, we didn’t do our part.”
Jose Quintana lasted just 4 ¹/₃ innings in which he allowed two earned runs on five hits with two walks and nine strikeouts.
The left-hander ran his scoreless streak to 25 ²/₃ innings before the Brewers scored twice in the fourth.
“Everybody in this room knows nothing is going to be easy,” Quintana said. “We need to win a ballgame.”
Alonso reached second on Willy Adames’ throwing error leading off the second, but Tobias Myers retired Starling Marte, Luis Torrens and Harrison Bader in succession.
The Mets didn’t get another base runner until Marte’s leadoff double in the fifth. It was the Mets’ last hit of the night.
The Brewers are locked into the No. 3 seed for the postseason but have shown no signs of letting up in the first two games of this series.
The Mets fell to 0-5 this season against the Brewers — a potential opponent if they reach the postseason.
“The Brewers are the best bullpen in the NL and basically it was a bullpen game today,” Brandon Nimmo said. “It’s tough. If you want to get into the playoffs, it’s a tough thing to do and you have to overcome the best … They are a good team. There is a reason they have won the NL Central.”
Quintana’s scoreless streak was snapped on Joey Ortiz’s two-run single in the fourth that gave the Brewers a 2-0 lead.
Quintana walked Rhys Hoskins and Isaac Collins to load the bases before Ortiz delivered on a full-count curveball.
Marte got to third base with one out in the fifth after opening the inning with a double, but Harrison Bader and Luisangel Acuña were retired without the run scoring.
Acuña returned to the starting lineup after a one-day absence with Francisco Lindor inserted as the DH.
Lindor, in his second game back after missing eight straight with lower back discomfort, finished 0-for-3.
Jackson Chourio stroked a leadoff double in the fifth and moved to third on Garrett Mitchell’s sacrifice bunt, ending Quintana’s night.
Phil Maton entered and retired William Contreras without the run scoring before striking out Adames.
Adames delivered an RBI single in the eighth against Reed Garrett after Garrett Mitchell singled leading off the inning and stole second.
Garrett walked Contreras before Adames delivered.
Garrett walked Ortiz with the bases loaded to widen the Mets’ deficit to 4-0.
Andruw Monasterio brought in two additional runs with a single against Danny Young.
