The New York Mets ’ season, once brimming with promise, now hangs by a thread. On Sunday afternoon in Washington, the Mets dropped a gut-wrenching 3-2 finale to the Nationals, sealing a series loss to one of the National League’s bottom-dwellers at the worst possible time. For a team that spent most of the summer eyeing October, the timing could not have been more disastrous.

A squandered opportunity at the worst time

The defeat was compounded almost immediately. While the Mets were trudging off the field, the Cincinnati Reds were celebrating a win that pulled them even in the standings at 80-76. By virtue of holding the head-to-head tiebreaker, Cincinnati now has the inside track to the postseason, leaving New York on the outside looking in with just one week left to play.

It’s a sober

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