PHOENIX — With a playoff spot on the line, the Mets decided it was time to take the reins off of closer Edwin Diaz. If the game calls for it, they’ll use him for 4-5 outs.
The Mets felt the game called for it Wednesday night at Chase Field, but it was the wrong call.
With Mets leading the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-4 in the bottom of the eighth with one on and two out, they brought in Diaz for a four-out save. He walked two to load the bases, then threw a slider to Corbin Carroll that he drove over the fence in right-center field for a grand slam.
Carroll’s second home run of the night dropped the dagger on the Mets. They lost 8-4 to even the series at 1-1.
“After the two walks, he throws a fastball by Caroll, and then he hung a slider to a pretty good hitter that battled,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “I think it comes down to fastball command and throwing strikes. We didn’t do that today.”
Carroll’s bomb spoiled a comeback effort that saw the Mets overcome a 4-0 deficit to go up 5-4. It was the second straight loss for Diaz (5-3), who gave up a walk-off homer to the San Diego’s Jackson Merrill on Sunday.
“My slider is like floating in the zone,” Diaz said. “I’m driving to third base instead of straight to home plate, so that’s why I think I’m missing my slider right in the middle.”
Now six games into a 10-game road trip, the Mets have won every other game, but the problem is they’ve faced two NL wild card opponents in the D-backs (76-57) and the Padres, and the Atlanta Braves, who currently sit in third place in the wild card standings, have won their last three.
Now 4.0 games out of the third wild card spot, the Mets (69-64) are slowly drifting away from the postseason.
“I think we’ve got an uphill battle for sure,” said outfielder Brandon Nimmo. “It seems to me like San Diego and Arizona and Atlanta are really playing good baseball at the right time. In order for us to make our way in, one of those teams is going to have to falter a little bit, and we’re going to have to take advantage of it.
“None of them are really doing that right now, and we can’t control that.”
The Mets didn’t want to point fingers or place blame on Diaz or any one player. The comeback required nearly the entire lineup and holding a one-run lead required an effort by the bullpen. But Carroll’s grand slam could have been avoided if not for the three walks, the first of which was issued by right-hander Phil Maton.
So, if you’re looking for something to blame, blame the Mets’ season-long struggle with free passes.
“It’s been an issue with us,” Mendoza said. “Teams like that, they’re going to make you pay. And you know, that cost us a game today.”
It might be too late for the Mets to fix the issue, so they have to hope that they can out-hit their mistakes the rest of the way through. They nearly did Wednesday night, tying the game at 4-4 in the top of the fifth.
Facing left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez, Nimmo led off with a walk of his own. He was moved over to second on a ground ball by Pete Alonso and came home on a ground-rule double by J.D. Martinez. Martinez took third on a fly ball, putting him in position to score on a single to left by Francisco Alvarez.
Harrison Bader then hit his 10th homer of the season, a two-run shot that quieted the Diamondbacks and energized the visitor’s dugout. Advantageous baserunning by Starling Marte and a few sacrifice hits allowed them to chase Rodriguez from the game and go ahead in the sixth.
“I’m really proud of the guys for fighting back,” Nimmo said.
Luis Severino gave up four earned runs over 4 2/3 innings. He was hit on top of his right foot with a comebacker by Carroll in the third inning, but stayed in despite pain every time he pushed off.
“It was going to hurt anyway, so for me, if it’s going to hurt, I had to go out there and compete and give a couple more innings to the guys,” Severino said.
X-rays were negative for any fractures or breaks and the right-hander hopes he will make his next start, which the Mets need. Right-hander Paul Blackburn is on the injured list after getting hit with a comeback line drive and reliever Dedniel Nuñez is day-to-day with forearm tightness. The eighth inning likely would have gone to him in this game, but he may be headed back to the IL again.
The Mets declined to make Nuñez available after the game.
The season is teetering on the brink. If they can’t make a run, they’ll soon be done.
“We still put ourselves in position to win as a team,” Nimmo said. “So yes, there are going to be certain things that happen. You need individuals to win certain battles in order to win ball games. That’s the way baseball works.”