Mets Battle Brewers to Stay Alive in Tight NL Wild-Card Race

(TJV) The New York Mets are set to hand the ball to veteran right-hander Jose Quintana as they aim to stay competitive in the tight National League wild-card race against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday.

The Brewers, who have already clinched the third seed and will host a wild-card series, showcased their offensive power in an 8-4 victory over the Mets on Friday. Rhys Hoskins delivered a grand slam, while Milwaukee swiped a season-high six bases, including three from Brice Turang, bringing his total to 50 for the season.

“We fell behind early, but we didn’t quit,” Mets manager Carlos Mendoza remarked after being ejected in the fourth inning. “Now, we need to turn the page and get ready for tomorrow.”

The Mets (87-71) returned to action for the first time since Tuesday after two weather-related postponements in Atlanta. They’ve now fallen into a tie for the second wild-card spot with the Braves (87-71), who secured a 3-0 win over the Kansas City Royals on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Arizona Diamondbacks (88-72) lost 5-3 to the San Diego Padres on Friday, creating a virtual three-way tie with the Mets and Braves in the chase for the remaining three wild-card spots.

The Mets will face a make-up doubleheader on Monday in Atlanta, leading to a quick turnaround for the teams advancing, as the Padres and Brewers are scheduled to host the opening game of the wild-card series starting Tuesday.

“Look at the talent they have over there,” Brewers manager Pat Murphy said regarding the Mets. “We’ve got a tough challenge the next two days, but we need to keep pushing forward.”

Quintana (10-9, 3.74 ERA) has been in stellar form, boasting a scoreless streak of 20 2/3 innings and improving to 3-0 in September. He hasn’t suffered a loss since August 20. In his latest start, he threw seven scoreless innings, allowing just two hits with four strikeouts in a dominant 10-0 win over the Washington Nationals on September 18.

Historically, Quintana holds a 9-6 record with a 2.94 ERA across 22 appearances (21 starts) against Milwaukee but hasn’t earned a victory against the Brewers since 2019.

Milwaukee (92-68) will counter with left-hander Jared Koenig (9-4, 2.51 ERA), who struggled in his only prior outing against the Mets, surrendering six runs on eight hits over three innings.

The Mets suffered another setback as catcher Francisco Alvarez exited Friday’s game with back spasms in the seventh inning.

“When he first came out, he didn’t look too good,” said Mendoza. “But over the last 30 minutes, he’s been walking around feeling much better. We’ll check on him tomorrow.”

The Brewers have dominated their recent matchups with the Mets, winning 24 of the last 32 games, including 11 of the past 12 and six straight meetings.

Brewers outfielder Sal Frelick also exited Friday’s game after colliding with the wall in foul territory, injuring his left hip.

“We’re not sure about the severity of the injury,” Murphy said. “He’ll have an MRI tomorrow. The X-rays here were inconclusive, so we’ll wait and see.”