Mendoza Faces Tough Questions After Mets Swept by Phillies

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00:00Mendoza faces tough questions after Mets swept by Phillies.

00:04The New York Mets are reeling, and their margin for error is vanishing.

00:09A 6-4 loss to the Phillies on Thursday capped a brutal four-game sweep in Philadelphia,

00:14turning what was once a comfortable division race into a fight for postseason survival.

00:19The Mets blew a 4-0 lead in the finale, and now find themselves clinging to just a 1.5-game edge

00:25over both the Giants and Reds for the third National League wildcard.

00:28It's a stunning collapse for a team that, on June 12th, had the best record in baseball

00:33and a 5.5-game cushion atop the NL East.

00:38After the game, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza tried to strike a balance between urgency and reassurance,

00:44though his words revealed the tension.

00:47I'm not going to say that I'm worried, but we don't have too much time, Mendoza told reporters.

00:52Teams are right behind us.

00:54The way you look at it is we're still in control of the situation.

00:57We're still in control of achieving the ultimate goal, but we've got to go out and do it.

01:03Since mid-June, the Mets have played to the third-worst record in baseball.

01:06The biggest culprit?

01:08Pitching.

01:09Despite bolstering their bullpen at the deadline, the staff has imploded with a combined 5.08 ERA

01:16during the slide.

01:17The collapse has left fans restless, and the clubhouse visibly frustrated.

01:22Mendoza acknowledged that responsibility ultimately falls on him.

01:26I'm responsible.

01:28I'm the manager, he said.

01:30It's my job to get these guys going, and I will.

01:34I have a lot of confidence in myself, my coaches, and the players.

01:38It's not easy right now, and we are all frustrated.

01:41But like I said, we still have an opportunity here to achieve our goal.

01:45According to Fangraphs, the Mets still have a 77.9% chance of making the postseason.

01:51But with the Rangers and Padres, both playoff-caliber opponents up next, the window to reset momentum

01:58is closing fast.

02:00For a team that once looked like a juggernaut, the math is suddenly simple.

02:05Win or risk watching October from home.

02:07And after being humbled in Philadelphia, the Mets don't have much time left to prove they're

02:12still contenders.