ATLANTA — In one fundamentally flawed inning, the Mets offered another reminder that last place certainly isn’t out of the question.
Jeurys Familia only had to make a throw to second base in Monday’s eighth inning to in all likelihood preserve the Mets’ lead against the Braves. But Familia’s feet never got set, his throw bounced wild and the Mets were on their way to a disgraceful three-error inning that sent them to a 5-3 loss at Turner Field.
And manager Terry Collins didn’t dispute the notion this might have been the most gut-wrenching loss this year for the Mets, who matched a season’s worst by falling nine games below .500.
“Given the fact we’re playing the Braves, where we could have picked up a game on them, that’s probably as tough as anything,” Collins said after the Mets’ third straight loss.
Eric Campbell misplayed Andrelton Simmons’ high chopper to third base — the Mets’ third error of the inning — allowing Chris Johnson to score the go-ahead run. Juan Lagares also misplayed a single in the inning, but no miscue resonated louder than Familia’s.
With nobody out and runners on first and second, Johnson hit a comebacker that Familia unloaded toward Ruben Tejada without setting his feet. The almost certain double play turned into a throwing error to load the bases. Tommy La Stella’s ensuing RBI single brought the Braves within 3-2, and when Lagares booted the ball, a second run scored to tie the game.
“Before I got to the ball I tried to throw,” Familia said. “It was my fault. I wasn’t in good position to throw the ball.”
It wasn’t the first miscue for Familia on a throw to second base this year. On May 21 against the Dodgers, he hesitated on a throw as Wilmer Flores and Daniel Murphy converged on the bag, and ultimately got only one out instead of the double play, leading to a run scoring in the 4-3 loss.
After the Braves tied the game Monday, Familia got two outs. Simmons then hit the high chopper that Campbell misplayed, allowing the go-ahead run to score.
“I misjudged it,” Campbell said. “It seems like these things happen when teams are struggling, and that’s what we’re doing right now.”
Zack Wheeler allowed one run on four hits over 6 ¹/₃ innings, but his five walks put the Braves on the verge of seizing control on several occasions in the early innings.
“I fell into a little groove the more I went into the game,” Wheeler said.
This was a huge improvement over Wheeler’s clunker at Citi Field last Wednesday, when he lasted only two innings against Oakland — his shortest major league start — and surrendered six earned runs.
If he needed an adrenaline rush, the Smyrna, Ga., native had the benefit of pitching practically at home, on the same field he made his major league debut last June 18.
Wheeler got Justin Upton to hit into a double play, ending the fifth after the Braves had pulled within 3-1 on Freeman’s sacrifice fly. Consecutive singles by B.J. Upton and Simmons had started the rally.
Wheeler still hadn’t allowed a hit after three innings, but with four walks increased his pitch count to 64. After walking B.J. Upton leading off the third, Wheeler caught a break when Upton’s steal of second base was overturned by replay. On the play, Upton came off the bag and was tagged by Murphy.
Chris Young’s sacrifice fly against Alex Wood in the third gave the Mets a 3-0 lead, but they could have done better after loading the bases with one out.
Travis d’Arnaud’s RBI double an inning earlier put the Mets ahead 2-0. Curtis Granderson had homered leading off the game.
“We’ve got to catch the baseball better,” Collins said. “We didn’t catch the baseball tonight. We had some opportunities to get out of [the eighth] inning and we didn’t do it.”