New York Media Eviscerates Mets on Back Pages After Bullpen Melts Down in Loss to Nationals

This should help their morale heading into Wednesday's 1:05 p.m. series finale against the Washington Nationals, right?

The New York Mets allowed seven runs in the final frame to allow the Nationals to walk it off and grab the 11-10 victory on Tuesday night, and that's been the topic of conversation for the last 12 hours. Just ask the New York media.

The price of playing in the Big Apple. Whether in the Daily News or the Post or Newsday, you're either a hero or a villain. There's no in-between.

Even on a night where manager Mickey Callaway presses all the right buttons, the Mets somehow end up the butt end of the joke. Three relievers couldn't hold the Nationals to 5 runs or fewer (!) in the ninth inning in order to preserve the win. A morale-crushing loss like that just doesn't instill any confidence for a team's playoff hopes, especially when they were already hanging on by a thread already.

The Mets were once on the cusp of claiming one of the two NL wild card spots, but now they're five games out with the Nationals, Cubs, Phillies Diamondbacks and Brewers ahead of them.

That probably deserves a little bit of criticism.