Woeful Mets lose again to finish April with MLB-worst 10-21 record - ESPN

NEW YORK — What was a prime opportunity to rebound from an ugly start to the season, the New York Mets' nine-game homestand against three sub-.500 clubs only extended the nightmare for the second-most-expensive roster in the majors.

The Mets fell to the Washington Nationals 5-4 on Thursday at Citi Field to drop the three-game series and finish the homestand 3-6. They've lost 17 of their past 20 games and will begin May with the worst record in baseball at 10-21.

«Not good enough, obviously,» manager Carlos Mendoza said. «Not a secret. That's not going to do it. We got to start winning series. Period.»

New York was six outs away from winning the series Thursday when setup man Luke Weaver took the mound in the eighth inning tasked with protecting a one-run lead. Instead, he hung a changeup that CJ Abrams blasted for a go-ahead two-run home run. The swing proved to be the difference after Ronny Mauricio struck out to end the game with a runner at second base, prompting boos from the small crowd still on hand for the matinee.

«The freedom with which we play day-to-day is kind of being suffocated a little bit,» Weaver said.

The Mets found some oxygen in the third inning when, after starter Freddy Peralta dug himself a 3-0 hole with a throwing error, MJ Melendez, hitting third in the lineup behind Juan Soto, swatted a game-tying three-run homer. Three innings later, Melendez dropped a sacrifice bunt to move Soto to third base. Soto then scored on Vientos' double to give New York the lead.

The performance continued a torrid stretch for Melendez, who has been the Mets' second-best hitter since being called up to the majors on April 15 with a 1.061 OPS in 33 plate appearances. But Mendoza chose to pinch-hit Austin Slater, a