Mets bullpen completely implodes in six run meltdown vs. D-Backs

When it comes to meltdowns, no one’s better than the New York Mets. There’s no team better at keeping things close just long enough to give their fans hope before ripping out and stomping on their hearts.

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So it should come as no surprise that New York celebrated “Meltdown Monday” in the most Mets way possible during a game against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

As usual, things looked pretty promising early. Over six inning, Zack Wheeler allowed just one run on seven hits. After giving up a single to open the seventh, Wheeler was replaced by Jerry Blevins. While Blevins allowed a hit, Curtis Granderson was able to throw out Jeff Mathis at third for the second out of the inning. With a man on first, Hansel Robles struck out Chris Owings to end the frame.

That was as good as it would get for Robles. The 26-year-old righty stayed on to start the eighth inning, and was greeted by a harbinger of what was to come. On the second pitch of the inning Paul Goldschmidt hammered a ball to deep center that appeared to be a home run. The play was reviewed for quite some time and it was determined the ball just stayed in the park. Goldschmidt was awarded a ground-rule double.

The umpires were just delaying the inevitable, though. Robles intentionally walked Jake Lamb, putting two men on base. That brought Yasmany Tomas to the plate. On the 3-2 pitch, Tomas smacked a no-doubt shot to straight-away center. Robles initially pointed to the sky, indicating he thought Tomas has popped the ball up. He realized his mistake almost instantly. The ball bounced off the D-Backs’ scoreboard in center. It gave Arizona a 4-1 lead.

It didn’t get much better from there. Brandon Drury doubled to start another Arizona rally. Nick Ahmed then grounded out for the first out. That brought No. 8 hitter Jeff Mathis to the plate. Coming into the game, Mathis was hitting .154. He promptly belted a two-run shot to left center to extend Arizona’s lead. That brought an end to Robles’ day. He allowed five runs on four hits over just 2/3 of an inning.

Robles may have left the game, but the Mets bullpen wasn’t done yet. Josh Edgin was called upon to clean things up. Arizona countered with Daniel Descalso, a .240 career hitter with 25 home runs over eight years in the majors. Sure enough, Descalso drove a 92 mph fastball out to right center for a solo shot, giving the D-Backs back-to-back home runs from the most unlikely sources.

Edgin was able to get the final two outs of the inning, but the damage was done. The Mets entered the eighth tied 1-1. When they left, the team trailed 7-1. A late two-run homer from Wilmer Flores couldn’t save them, as they fell 7-3 to the Diamondbacks.

It was the team’s worst late-inning meltdown since … uh … their last game. Mets relievers combined to allow seven runs against the Milwaukee Brewers during Sunday’s 11-9 loss. At one point, the Mets led 7-1.

It’s tough to find any positives here. It’s always crushing to lose a game in this fashion. Things look so close for most of it, only for the team to completely choke away any chance at a victory. But if you’re desperate for a bright side, consider the following depressing fact: Mets fans are used to this by now.

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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at christophercwik@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik