For the Mets, the hunt for Dead October, Part 7, is complete.
It officially became seven years and counting without a playoff appearance for the Mets, who were eliminated from wild-card contention with Wednesday night’s 3-0 loss to the Nationals at Citi Field.
The Mets (64-80) lost their third straight and will try to avoid getting swept four games by the Nationals when veteran right-hander Aaron Harang makes his debut for the team in Thursday’s series finale.
If Zack Wheeler wants to be just like Matt Harvey, he’s to be congratulated for reaching his goal.
Just like Harvey, the rookie Wheeler has come to realize that allowing a run can doom your chances of winning a particular game for the Mets. On Wednesday, good wasn’t good enough for Wheeler, who allowed a run on Ryan Zimmerman’s homer in the sixth and got handed the loss.
“I just made that one mistake to Zimmerman,” Wheeler said. “As soon as I let it go I knew it was going to be a spinner right down the middle and he capitalized on it.”
Wheeler (7-5) allowed one run on eight hits and one walk over six innings. It was a fourth straight start for the right-hander in which he allowed two earned runs or fewer, but over that stretch he has received three losses.
Anthony Rendon’s two-run double in the eighth against Vic Black extended the Nationals’ lead to 3-0.
Dan Haren (9-13) allowed one hit over six innings, two days after Gio Gonzalez pitched a one-hit shutout against the Mets.
David Wright [hamstring] ran the bases and showed “good progress,” according to manager Terry Collins. The third baseman is expected to run again Thursday and then be evaluated over the weekend for a possible return to the team.
Justin Turner, who strained his right hamstring on Tuesday, went for an MRI exam and is expected to be unavailable for the next several games.
The Mets donated more than 400 tickets for Wednesday’s game to “Tuesday’s Children” — a non-profit family service organization that has made a commitment to individuals affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Earlier in the day, Dillon Gee and Tim Byrdak represented the team at the 9/11 Tribute Center and John Franco raised funds for Tuesday’s Children as part of Cantor Fitzgerald’s annual Charity Day.