ATLANTA — 2-50: Is it America’s age or the Mets’ dismal record lately?

Both answers could very well be accurate.

The Mets are in a tough spot, with their performance slipping considerably as they head towards the bottom of the National League standings.

Before the anticipated fireworks at Twist Park on Saturday night, things took a turn for the worse during the Mets’ 14-3 defeat to the Braves. It felt like disaster was brewing for three hours.

This marked the 12th loss in their last 16 games, a winning percentage of .250. If you focus on the timeline, they’ve managed just 2 victories since June 20th. Pretty grim, right?

How low can they go?

Heading into the day, the only team below them was Colorado, trailing by a mere half game.

The game unraveled due to what you’d call a “goal prevention” disaster. Tyron Taylor, typically a reliable defender, misplayed a pop-up in the third inning, gifting Atlanta three unearned runs. The Mets never really found their footing after that.

Sean Manaea’s final line wasn’t pretty either: six runs over five innings, plus six hits, one walk, and four strikeouts. It’s worth noting that this was the first time since late April where he allowed more than three earned runs in a single outing.

If the Mets hope to win this four-game series, their best shot might be on Sunday when Nolan McLean is slated to start. They won’t be done until Monday when Freddy Peralta is on the mound.

Eli White kicked things off with a home run, marking the game’s first score.

After Manaea got two quick outs in the first inning, White connected on a home run, sending a pitch over the left field wall on what was his eighth pitch at bat.

Manaea’s struggles continued into the third inning when he allowed a double to Austin Riley with the bases loaded and two outs. Michael Harris II added an RBI, and White’s pop-up, which should have ended the inning, turned things around.

Despite Francisco Lindor’s effort to catch the pop-up, it ultimately fell into Taylor’s glove, resulting in a generous three-run double that pushed the Braves to a 5-0 lead.

Taylor had been inserted into center field against Chris Sale to provide an extra right-handed bat, sidelining AJ Ewing.

Mauricio Dubon followed up with a homer in the fourth inning, extending the Braves’ lead to 6-0. This was also the first instance this season where Manaea had given up multiple home runs in a game.

In the fifth inning, Taylor bounced back with his own home run, marking the first hit for Sale allowed in 46 innings—a pretty notable streak for any MLB pitcher.

Mark Vientos then hit a two-run homer in the sixth, which pulled the Mets closer at 6-3.

However, the Braves responded in the bottom of the same inning. Austin Warren surrendered an RBI double to Joey Bart, with Dubon grounding out to extend Atlanta’s lead to 8-3.

Mike Yastrzemski scored again for the Mets with a two-run homer in the seventh, pushing the score to 10-3 in favor of the Braves.

Despite the effort, the Mets have now been held to three or fewer runs in five straight games, struggling at just 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position during this matchup.

The eighth inning brought more problems as Joey Garber allowed a two-run home run to Austin Riley, highlighting the Braves’ relentless offense.

Luis Torrence stepped in to replace Garber and managed to record the final out after allowing a home run and a single to Harris II.