Overview

• The Mets are 67-60 after dropping 16 of 21, seven games back of the Phillies and just a half-game ahead of the Reds for the final NL wild-card spot.
• Outside of David Peterson, starters have struggled to reach the middle innings, with Kodai Senga posting a 6.00 ERA over his last six starts and Sean Manaea unraveling again in Washington.
• Rookie Nolan McLean impressed in his debut with 5.1 shutout innings and eight strikeouts and is slated to face the Braves in Friday’s series opener.
• Triple-A righty Brandon Sproat has dominated in recent outings, and multiple outlets are urging a promotion that would require a corresponding move, such as optioning Reed Garrett or potentially DFA’ing a struggling reliever like Ryne Stanek, with September roster expansion nearing.
• Injuries and late-inning failures have compounded the slide, including Francisco Álvarez’s thumb ligament injury that will require surgery, Brandon Nimmo’s neck issue, Jeff McNeil’s sore shoulder, and a bullpen collapse against the Nationals capped by a Stanek three-run homer during a 16-games-in-16-days grind.