The New York Mets are doing their absolute best to keep the Cardinals hanging around the National League wild card playoff chase.

The big-spending Mets have lost seven straight games and 11 of their last 12.

Over the weekend the Mets ran into the Milwaukee Brewers buzzsaw and suffered a weekend sweep, thanks significantly to the agonizing failure of their fortified bullpen.

The Mets still cling to the final NL wild card slot, but they are just 1 ½ games ahead of the Cincinnati Reds and 3 ½ games up on the persistent Cardinals -– who won two of three games from the Chicago Cubs at Busch Stadium after winning two of three from the Dodgers in Los Angeles.

“We haven't played well for quite a bit now, and that's what happens,” beleaguered manager Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told reporters.

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