Mets beat Brewers, head to Atlanta for doubleheader Monday needing one win to reach playoffs
Mets' Francisco Lindor hits an RBI single during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2024, in Milwaukee. Credit: AP/Aaron Gash
MILWAUKEE — All weekend, as the Mets loitered on the brink of a long-awaited celebration, sheets of plastic hung from the ceiling of their clubhouse, rolled up but ready to be unfurled, prepped in case lockers needed protecting during a raucous, champagne-spraying burst of joy.
But the bottles stayed corked. Goggles remained boxed. The room was left dry. The Mets did just enough to not have reason to party — not yet, at least.
Their 5-0 win over the Brewers on Sunday — combined with Atlanta’s loss and the Diamondbacks’ win — locked in a win-or-go-home, last-day makeup doubleheader Monday against Atlanta in Atlanta.
For the Mets, the terms are simple: Win at least one game and advance to the postseason. Lose both and the season is over. The same is true for Atlanta.
“We’re ready. We’re excited. This is what we want,” said David Peterson, who went seven innings against Milwaukee. “We want to be able to control our destiny.”
Francisco Lindor, who was 2-for-4 with a home run, added: “It should be fun. It’s going to be an uphill fight, just like it has been the whole year.”
And Francisco Alvarez: “We feel very together. We feel very good.”
The Mets (88-72), Atlanta (88-72) and Arizona (89-73) are in a virtual tie in the National League wild-card standings. It’s three teams for two spots.
If the Mets and Atlanta split the doubleheader, both will get into the postseason. If a team gets swept, that team goes home and the Diamondbacks — relegated to mere observers Monday — will snag the last berth.
Of 28 completed doubleheaders in the major leagues this season, 13 were sweeps and 15 were split, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
The pitching matchup in the opener will be Mets righthander Tylor Megill against Atlanta righthander Spencer Schwellenbach, who shut the Mets down last week. That leaves the Mets’ Luis Severino and Atlanta’s Chris Sale available for the second game if each pitcher’s team still needs to win that game.
“Everybody knows what’s at stake,” J.D. Martinez said. “The best teams know how to control emotions in those situations. That’s something that I think we gotta do — we’re gonna have to learn to do, especially if we want to get in and go deep into this thing.”
The Mets had let the pressure get to them in recent days, Martinez said. They dropped three straight: one in Atlanta (followed by consecutive rainouts) plus two in Milwaukee. That made Sunday feel like a must-win situation, even if that wasn’t quite the case mathematically.
Martinez said that before snapping that skid, the Mets spoke to each other about trying to relax.
“I’ve been saying that since we sucked and everybody was laughing: We don’t have any pressure. We weren’t supposed to be here,” he said. “This team just plays better that way. We’re having fun, messing with everybody in here, listening to [Jose Iglesias] ‘OMG’ song and making fun of him and stuff like that, having a good time. It takes the pressure off everybody. Especially in these games coming up, that’s going to be the biggest thing for us.”
Lindor helped take the edge off by sparking the Mets’ offense with two RBIs, two runs scored and two steals. He manufactured a run in the top of the first by working a leadoff walk, swiping second on the next pitch and scoring on Brandon Nimmo’s single to centerfield.
“Putting the pressure right away, that’s the type of game [the Brewers] play,” Mendoza said.
Lindor added an RBI single for the second of two runs in the fourth and slugged a solo homer in the sixth. That was the last of the Mets’ five runs in 5 2⁄3 innings off Milwaukee righthander Colin Rea.
Peterson struck out eight and held the Brewers (93-69) to one hit and three walks. After wobbling early, including when two of the first three batters reached base (on an infield single and walk), Peterson settled in quickly. He retired 16 of his final 17 batters beginning in the second inning.
“He was in complete control of that game. We needed that,” Mendoza said. “He was calm, he was under control and he kept making pitches. So it’s a good sign, because he’s one of the guys. The reason we’re here in this position is because of our starters.''
Six months into a six-month season, the Mets have one more day to determine their playoff fate. “We have a chance,” Mendoza said. “We’re right there. We get to play. We need one more.”
Doubleheader Scenarios
The winner of Game 1 is in the playoffs.
If the loser of Game 1 wins Game 2, it is in as well.
If a team is swept, it is out and the Diamondbacks are in.
If the Mets win both games, they get the No. 5 seed and go to San Diego for the Wild Card Series that begins Tuesday.
If the Mets win one game, they get the No. 6 seed and return to Milwaukee for the WCS.
Tim Healey is the Mets beat writer for Newsday. Born on Long Island and raised in Connecticut, Tim has previously worked for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Boston Globe and MLB.com. He is also the author of “Hometown Hardball,” a book about minor league baseball in the northeast.
