http://www.nytimes.com/2016/09/22/sports/baseball/new-york-mets-atlanta-braves.html 2016-09-22 05:34:29 Ender Inciarte Seals Braves’ Sweep of Mets With a Game-Ending Catch Amid a tight wild-card race, the Mets squandered a three-run lead and lost their third straight to the lowly Atlanta Braves. === Should the The potential zaniness could result in a lot of games and flights jammed into a short amount of time. Although the madness would make for dramatic baseball, the Mets would most likely prefer a clear path into the playoffs. “We’re excited about these last 11 games and what’s going to take place,” Manager On Wednesday morning, the three teams were tied at the top of the N.L. wild-card standings. By the time the Mets took the field that night against the Looking to rebound from two straight losses to the Braves, who have one of the worst records in baseball, the Mets instead again stumbled in a 4-3 loss. If the Mets miss the playoffs or are forced into a tiebreaker, this three-game sweep by the Braves may haunt them. The game’s final play encapsulated the game and the entire series. Yoenis Cespedes smashed what appeared to be a three-run home run off Braves closer Jim Johnson, but Ender Inciarte jumped and caught the ball at the top of the wall, a highlight-reel play that left the Mets’ jaws on the ground. The Mets squandered a three-run lead forged by Asdrubal Cabrera and Rene Rivera. A defensive miscue and bullpen maneuvering backfired in the eighth inning, and they could not score even after putting runners on base in the final two innings. With the All-Star reliever Jeurys Familia on the mound, the Mets allowed a tying run in the eighth inning and go-ahead runs in the ninth.