It seems like no lead feels safe for the Mets these days, not even with their high-powered, new-look bullpen. The pattern has become painfully familiar: a promising start, a hint of hope, and then a collapse that leaves fans shaking their heads. And the Mets-Braves series was no different. It ended the same way too many recent series have — with the Mets on the wrong side of the scoreboard.

Well, Thursday night seemed tailor-made for a turning point. A chance to secure the Mets’ first series win since sweeping the Giants from July 25–27. Instead, it turned into another chapter in a month-long slide. The result? A cool five consecutive series loss for the Mets! What once looked like a strong grip for the Mets on the wild-card spot is slipping farther from the team. Currently, it is standing at a 1/2 game difference with the Reds!

So now, the conversation is no more about toppling the table topper Phillies. But the question is whether they can even hang on for a postseason berth. And Thursday’s finale against Atlanta delivered another gut-punch. A meltdown that left manager Carlos Mendoza searching for answers to yet another late-inning disaster.

“We’re not playing well. But too much talent. We’re going through a very tough time right now. But there are a lot of good players there. We haven’t played well, but we’re still pretty much right in the thick of things. We gotta find a way.” Mendoza was honest about his team.

Well, the Mets faced a meltdown on Thursday. They finally got a solid outing from a starter, and the offense actually handed their supposedly shut-down bullpen a lead. Kodai Senga and Francisco Lindor did their part. But Ryan Helsley, one of the Mets’ big trade deadline additions, couldn’t seal the deal.

Notably, Helsley gave up two runs in the eighth, and the Mets fell 4-3 to the Braves. That incidentally, their 13th loss in the last 15 games, another gut punch for Carlos Mendoza’s battered squad. Senga, at least, was a bright spot, looking more like his old self with 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball, 7 SOs, and just one walk. It was somehow the longest start by a Mets pitcher in over a week.

Helsley came on in the eighth inning, and Atlanta jumped on him. Notably, he walked Marcell Ozuna with one out, then left a slider over the plate that Michael Harris II ripped for a game-tying double to center. And just two pitches later, Ozzie Albies lined another double, putting the Braves ahead 4-3.

For the unversed, it was Helsley’s second straight blown save. The last one came on Aug. 10 against the Brewers, when he gave up a run in the eighth in what turned into a 7-6 loss.

“This guy’s elite, we’ve just got to get him back on track,” Mendoza seems to be still confident with Helsley. But we are almost certain that he might be running out of time to turn things around, and the road seems to be getting trickier! And after this game, Mendoza pointed out that Helsley’s slider has been giving him trouble, and the team’s working to get it right so he can be the bullpen weapon they hoped for.

The Mets are yet to find all their departments working fine

If you remember, back on June 12, the Mets were in control of the NL East, sitting 5 1/2 games ahead of the Phillies. Now, fast forward to Sunday, and the picture couldn’t look more different — now they’re far behind Philadelphia, a complete 11-game swing in just over two months! Surprising, isn’t it?

Well, the drop-off has been hard to watch. The Mets lost 11 of their last 12 games. And since June 13, the start of their other seven-game losing streak, they’ve stumbled to an 18-31 record. The reason?

It’s been a mix of issues, but the rotation stands out as a major culprit. Yes, it’s tough to win when your starters can’t consistently make it through five innings, let alone give you six strong. And that constant strain on the bullpen has only made the slide worse. Remember the accusation of overusing the bullpen against the Mets?

Now, for the Mets, the lineup has had its cold stretches and contributed to the collapse, but every trip through the rotation seems to bring more bad news. But what is the way forward for the team?

Visibly, since the trade deadline, the Mets front office is running out of easy answers, which is why one solution being floated is to promote one of their top pitching prospects before the end of the week. That move could provide a spark — or at least a fresh arm — but it’s not guaranteed to happen. Just a few changes, like sending Frankie Montas to the bullpen and calling up Paul Blackburn, are visible as of now.

Time is ticking for the Mets. Let’s see if they can even secure a wild-card entry. Otherwise, it would be a historical slump for the most expensive team this year!