Just when it looked like things might turn around, the New York Mets found a new way to break hearts on Tuesday night.
The Mets fell 7–4 to the Atlanta Braves, marking their 10th loss in the last 11 games after a promising six-game win streak earlier this month, from June 6-12.
Frankie Montas, making his long-awaited first start of the season, was the lone bright spot with five dazzling shutout innings.
Coming off the injured list, Montas delivered more than the Mets could’ve reasonably expected—electric fastball, crisp command, total composure.
But once he handed the ball to the bullpen, everything fell apart with alarming speed—like a high wire act losing its balance mid-step.
A Meltdown in Four Acts
Huascar Brazoban, Jose Castillo, Reed Garrett, and Richard Lovelady each played their part in the unraveling.
The four relievers combined to give up all seven Braves runs over four innings, issuing six walks and striking out just three.
It wasn’t just ineffective—it was chaotic, a bullpen in disarray at the worst possible moment, with no answer for Atlanta’s hitters.
Dedniel Nunez was the only one offering a clean bullpen appearance on Tuesday, but it was already too late.
This wasn’t a one-off either. Since June 13, the Mets’ bullpen ERA has been 6.60, the third-worst in baseball over that span.
Compare that to their 2.89 ERA from Opening Day through June 12—second-best in baseball—and the contrast is painful.
It’s as if the Mets’ relief corps collectively lost its rhythm and timing overnight, and it’s costing them games in bunches.
Harper Blasts Bullpen Collapse
SNY analyst John Harper didn’t hold back in his postgame thoughts on X, calling the loss “a stunning failure.”
He highlighted how Brazoban and Kranick once offered hope but have lost consistency, and Garrett’s splitter command is gone.
Without A.J. Minter, the bullpen has lacked a reliable lefty presence, and that void is becoming more obvious by the day.
These aren’t subtle breakdowns. They’re loud, jarring, late-inning implosions that waste quality starts and crush momentum.
Montas’ performance should’ve been a celebratory story, not buried beneath another blown lead and bullpen disaster.
Front Office Must Act Fast
With the trade deadline looming, the Mets are under pressure to upgrade—and fast—before this stretch defines their season.
They’ve already shuffled arms between Triple-A and the majors, hoping someone sticks, but the internal options aren’t cutting it.
They need at least one high-leverage lefty and probably a couple of reliable right-handers to stabilize this unraveling bullpen.
Pitching coach Jeremy Hefner and assistant Desi Druschel have their work cut out for them—this is triage now, not fine-tuning.
The front office can’t wait until late July. Every blown lead chips away at playoff hopes and clubhouse confidence.
A Silver Lining—or False Hope?
Frankie Montas gave the Mets what they needed: hope, poise, and five clean innings against a division rival.
But with the bullpen’s recent history, every good start feels like a setup for heartbreak—an emotional bait-and-switch for fans.
It’s like watching a suspense movie where you already know the ending, and somehow it still hurts every single time.
Montas looked like the pitcher the Mets envisioned when they brought him in. Now they just need a bullpen to match his energy.
Until then, every game feels like a time bomb, and the Mets are running out of time to defuse it.
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