The Gee-W bridge remains closed, with the Mets stuck in the breakdown lane.
Dillon Gee’s winless streak over the last five weeks hasn’t been entirely his fault, but Thursday night was mostly on him.
The right-hander struggled with his control and allowed two home runs in sending the Mets to a 4-1 loss at Citi Field and three-game sweep by the Nationals.
“The whole difference is we can’t keep the ball in the park and we can’t hit them out,” manager Terry Collins said. “That was the story of this series for sure.”
The Mets — who were out-homered 7-1 in the series — have lost 11 consecutive games against the Nationals at Citi Field, setting a franchise record for futility at home against one club. Previously, the Mets lost 10 straight against the Braves at Shea Stadium in 1991-92.
The Mets (57-65) also fell eight games below .500 for the first time since July 10. In case the Mets’ fortunes in the NL East weren’t decided already, they fell 10 ½ games behind the Nationals. It isn’t much prettier in the wild-card race, where the Mets — who entered play seven games removed from the second spot — would have to leapfrog six teams.
Gee (4-5) went six innings and allowed four earned runs on four hits with four walks and three strikeouts. It marked the fourth time in six starts Gee allowed at least four earned runs. Gee’s last victory came on July 9, when he handled the Braves over seven innings. Since then, he is 0-4 with a 5.60 ERA in six starts.
“My command has been on and off and I just keep working on it, but there is nothing that I can pinpoint that is making it a problem,” Gee said.
The Mets went hitless in three at-bats with runners in scoring position and finished the three-game series 0-for-17 in such situations. They were outscored 14-4 by the Nationals, who still have four games remaining at Citi Field next month.
“We just got outplayed — out-pitched, out-hit,” David Wright said. “They played much better baseball than we did these last three days. That’s what happens. You get swept when every facet of the game is played by the other team.”
Eric Young Jr. gave the Mets hope with a pinch-hit double leading off the sixth against Stephen Strasburg, but after Curtis Granderson walked, Daniel Murphy hit into a double play and Wright struck out.
Strasburg (9-10) lasted seven innings and allowed an unearned run on three hits with eight strikeouts and two walks.
Lucas Duda’s monstrous sacrifice fly in the fourth pulled the Mets within 4-1. The shot to deep right-center died at the warning track, but Murphy easily scored from third.
Bryce Harper’s two-run homer in the fourth had staked the Nationals to a 4-0 lead. The blast was Harper’s third against the Mets in a week. In addition to going deep Tuesday, he homered the previous Thursday against Carlos Torres in the 13th inning to end the game. This time, Gee walked Desmond to open the inning before Harper unloaded deep into the visitors’ bullpen.
Adam LaRoche’s two-run homer in the first inning got the Nationals started. Asdrubal Cabrera walked, but Gee got the second out before LaRoche hammered an 0-2 pitch for his 17th homer of the season.
“The part that hurts Dillon more than the home runs are the bases on balls,” Collins said. “This guy does not walk people when he’s pitching well.”
Collins said the Mets need Gee and Jon Niese, both of whom have struggled since returning from the DL, to rebound.
“They were both pitching so well when the injuries came,” Collins said. “Not to have them bounce back to where they were before they got hurt has been a big problem for us. We have to get them back and we have to get them back now.”