Severino's gem wasted as Mets' 9-game win streak ends

NEW YORK -- Ahead of Sunday’s series finale, manager Carlos Mendoza spoke frankly about how the Mets have willed themselves into a position of true contention in the National League Wild Card race. Yes, talent is undoubtedly a large part of the equation -- but the first-year skipper recognizes an invaluable intangible in his 28-man roster.

“I think that the feeling’s been there for quite a bit now, where we come into the ballpark with the mindset that there’s a good chance to win a baseball game today,” Mendoza said. “That’s what it’s all about, especially at this point, you’ve got to find a way to get the job done. There’s going to be days where you’re not feeling your best, days where it could be a struggle -- you still have to find a way.”

Though, all good things must come to an end. And in Sunday’s 3-1 series-finale loss to the Reds, the Mets’ nine-game winning streak -- the club’s longest since April 3-13, 2018 -- came to a close. But even as New York’s torrid stretch experienced a blip, players and coaches alike feel flushed with positives from the 10-game span.

“I’m just really proud of the guys,” outfielder Brandon Nimmo said. “They’ve come every day fighting, the pitching has been unbelievable and we’ve been able to have some really clutch hits. Unfortunately, it’s not going to happen all the time -- streaks have to come to an end. But we’ve been playing really good baseball.”

The Mets lost a step in the NL Wild Card standings, dropping into a tie with the Braves for the final NL Wild Card spot. New York also dropped to a full game behind the D-backs for the second Wild Card spot. Arizona plays on Sunday night against the Astros.

As the Mets' offense struggled to figure out Reds starter Julian Aguiar -- breaking through only on Starling Marte’s RBI single off reliever Tony Santillan in the sixth inning -- Luis Severino was the main highlight on a quiet afternoon. He tossed 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball, notching eight strikeouts while allowing just five hits and two walks. Severino maintained the rotation’s brilliance, lowering the staff’s ERA to 2.05 over the past 10 games.

“For me, we go out there, watch the whole game and we want to see what our other pitchers are doing,” Severino said. “How they control the game, how they mix pitches -- even though the [other starters] are lefties. Even just the mindset they have in the game, I think that helps a lot.”

The most indicative moment of Severino’s sustained prowess came in the top of the fifth, after Jake Fraley and Santiago Espinal reached on a bloop double and single, respectively, to put runners on the corners to lead off the frame. Unsullied, Severino picked off Espinal at first base, then struck out Noelvi Marte and Will Benson consecutively to end the threat.

The final salvo to Benson was a sight to behold -- a 98.3 mph fastball blown by the left-handed-hitting center fielder -- punctuated with a visceral shout towards the outfield from Severino.

“The best-case scenario, in that situation, you get one run and you’re good,” Severino said. “After that pick, I just looked for the strikeout and then to get the other guy out. That was huge. Pete [Alonso] did a great tag there.”

“When he needed to reach velo, it was there,” Mendoza added. “ … He gets the strikeout, that’s when you see the velocity. Those are some of the things that, right now -- especially where he’s at innings-wise -- for him to still go out there and execute pitches … that’s a good sign.”

Severino’s showing -- he produced 14 swings and misses, tied for his fourth-best tally this year -- buoyed the Mets on a tough offensive day where they went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position and left seven men on base. Mustering only four hits on the afternoon, the lineup was kept off balance after struggling out of the gate against Aguiar. The Mets’ average exit velocity against the right-hander was just 83.7 mph.

“We couldn’t square him up frequently. We got a couple guys on, but didn’t get the big hit,” Mendoza said. “Got the two-out rally with [Jose] Iglesias putting the ball in play with two strikes [and] Marte [delivering the RBI single]. But yeah, we didn’t create much today.”