Alvarez's late exit marks forgettable night amid crucial stretch

MILWAUKEE -- Toward the end of his night of misfortune, Francisco Alvarez walked gingerly off the field with a trainer’s hand wrapped around his waist. Alvarez had already endured a lamentable evening at American Family Field, allowing five stolen bases and getting called out on strikes in an at-bat that led to his manager’s ejection. A bout of back spasms topped off his misery in the Mets’ 8-4 loss to the Brewers.

This was hardly how the Mets envisioned their night going. Rather than gain ground in the National League Wild Card race, they lost both a game and their starting catcher to injury, while playing a second consecutive sloppy contest. The Mets made multiple defensive mistakes, walked five batters, allowed six steals, gave up a run in a sequence that included a passed ball and a wild pitch, and endured Sean Manaea’s worst start in three and a half months -- a six-run clunker that included a Rhys Hoskins grand slam.

The result allowed the Braves to move back into a tie with the Mets, ensuring neither team can be eliminated from postseason contention before Monday. The Diamondbacks could finish the night in a three-way tie with them, pending the result of their game against the Padres.