WASHINGTON -- Juan Soto believes the Mets are "100 percent" a playoff team, but a postseason run looks iffy at best for the most expensive roster in the major leagues.

Poor starting pitching and nagging injuries have sent New York into a tailspin, with the latest indignity coming Thursday, when the Mets blew an early 3-0 lead and lost 9-3 to drop a series against the last-place Washington Nationals .

"Since day one, we believe in each other and we believe we can make it to the playoffs," Soto said. "We've just got to play better. We've got to play better as a team and try to win more games."

Wins have been scarce since late July. Even with a three-game win streak that began on Saturday, the Mets have lost 16 of 21 to fall seven games behind first-place Philadelphia in the NL East.

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