Francisco Lindor hit a home run and drove in two runs, while David Peterson threw seven outstanding innings. The New York Mets moved within one win of making the playoffs on Sunday with a 5-0 victory against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Francisco Alvarez also had two RBIs for the Mets, who are heading to Atlanta. They need to at least split a doubleheader against their rivals, the Braves, on Monday to secure a National League wild card spot.
“We have a chance. We get to play and we need one more (win). We feel good,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “Nobody expected us to be in this position and here we are with a chance to do something special.”
The Mets could have clinched a playoff spot on Sunday if they won and Arizona lost, but the Diamondbacks defeated San Diego 11-2 at home, completing their regular season.
The doubleheader in Atlanta was planned to make up for two Mets-Braves games that were postponed on Wednesday and Thursday due to heavy rain from Hurricane Helene.
New York has a possible tiebreaker over the Diamondbacks because they won the season series 4-3, meaning the Mets can reach the playoffs by either sweeping or splitting the doubleheader.
Arizona (89-73) needs one of the Braves (88-72) or the Mets (88-72) to sweep in order to advance.
If the Mets and Braves split, New York would secure the No. 6 seed in the NL playoff bracket and head back to Milwaukee for a best-of-three Wild Card Series against the NL Central champion Brewers.
A sweep in the doubleheader would give the Mets the No. 5 seed and send them to San Diego, while Arizona would take the No. 6 seed and play in Milwaukee.
If the Braves sweep, New York would be eliminated, but if the Mets sweep, it would knock out Atlanta. The Braves get the No. 5 seed if they split or sweep.
All the first-round series start on Tuesday, and designated hitter J.D. Martinez believes that Monday’s makeup doubleheader puts the Mets at a disadvantage since there won’t be a day off afterward.
“I wish MLB would push the playoffs back a little bit. I think it’s an unfair advantage to the team we’re going to play,” Martinez said.
“We know what’s on the line and are going to scratch to win those games and then have to turn around and get on a flight after. It’s going to be a tough task. We’ve just got to suck it up and find a way to get through it.”
New York won for only the second time in its last 14 games against Milwaukee and finished the season with a 1-5 record against the Brewers.
Peterson (10-3) allowed just a single infield hit in the first inning. He struck out eight batters and walked three.
“He threw the ball really well and stayed on the attack,” Mendoza said. “He was calm and under control and he kept making good pitches.”
Edwin Díaz needed 26 pitches in the ninth inning to secure New York’s ninth shutout of the year, all since July 11.
The Mets took an early lead in the first inning against Colin Rea (12-6) when Lindor walked, stole second base, and scored on a single by Brandon Nimmo. Lindor played in the field after being the designated hitter on Saturday. He returned to the lineup on Friday after missing nearly two weeks due to lower back pain.
When asked if he could play 18 innings at shortstop on Monday, Lindor said: “I would love to. We’ll see where I’m at.”
Jose Iglesias started the third inning with a single, extending his hitting streak to 20 games, the longest for a Mets player this season.
Martinez ended a career-worst 0-for-36 slump with a double to lead off the fourth inning and scored on Alvarez’s single. Lindor’s single later in the inning made it 3-0, leading to chants of “MVP! MVP!” from excited fans behind the New York dugout, including Mets owner Steve Cohen. Lindor then stole his second base of the game.
Alvarez’s sacrifice fly in the fifth made the score 4-0, and the Mets added another run when Lindor hit his 32nd home run to start the sixth inning.
Peterson threw 95 pitches and bounced back well from a short outing in his previous start on September 20.
“We’ve been playing important games for a long time now and we understand the magnitude of what these games hold for us,” Peterson said.
Milwaukee ended the regular season with a record of 93-69, marking the 11th time in franchise history that they won 90 or more games, following a 92-70 record last year.
“We can’t worry too much about who we’re going to play,” manager Pat Murphy said. “We’re going to face one of the best teams in baseball, whoever it is.”
In what could be his last regular-season home game with the Brewers, shortstop Willy Adames was replaced in the seventh inning and received a standing ovation as he left the field.
