SAN DIEGO — The Mets needed five outs Sunday to cap off a strong few days in perfect weather and pull ahead of two of the top three teams in the wild-card standings.
All was going well until Jose Bhutto walked Matt McCoy, then a few minutes later Bhutto watched Jurickson Profar round the bases for a two-run homer that erased the Mets’ lead.
The misery ended with Edwin Diaz bowing and walking off the mound after Jackson Merrill’s top-of-the-ninth homer flew into the right-field stands and the Mets suffered a 3-2 walk-off loss to the Padres at Petco Park.
As a result, the Mets had to settle for a draw in a four-game series against the top wild-card contenders, missing out on a chance to tie their best season record by moving seven games over .500.
The Mets were 2 1/2 games behind Atlanta for the National League’s third wild card spot. Diaz struck out Jake Cronenworth in the top of the ninth, but rookie sensation Merrill pounced on a 98 mph fastball to end the game.
The Mets will bounce back on Monday before opening a three-game series the next day in Arizona.
The Mets had been in control of the afternoon game until the eighth inning when Profar hit a two-run homer against Butt to tie the game at 2–2. Butt came to the mound in the second inning and after walking McCoy, Profar hit a 95 mph sinker over the right field fence to tie the game.
Jose Quintana was in top form and the Mets needed that.
The left-hander allowed four hits and two walks while pitching 6 1/3 scoreless innings.
Butt got Luis Arraez out with two outs in the seventh inning with a runner on second base, then Luis Torrence struck out Merrill as he attempted to steal second base to end the inning.
It was a much-needed strong performance for Quintana, who has struggled with an 8.27 ERA through four starts in August, including a loss to the Orioles last Tuesday, when he gave up seven runs in five innings.
Quintana allowed a double to leadoff hitter Manny Machado in the second inning, but did not allow another hit until McCoy singled in the sixth inning. Profar led off with an infield single against Quintana, but was out on a double play on a grounder by Xander Bogaerts to end the inning.
The first run of the game was a home run by JD Martinez off Martin Perez with two outs in the fourth inning.
Martinez smashed a cutter into the outside right-center field corner, clearing the 396-foot mark for his 15th home run of the season and his third in his last seven games.
After Martinez’s home run, Jose Iglesias, Torrens and Harrison Bader were walked to load the bases, and with Francisco Lindor approaching home plate, Pérez’s time on the mound came to an end.
Brian Hoying took the mound and struck out Lindor, who had hit two home runs, including a grand slam, the night before.
Pete Alonso and Brandon Nimmo each singled in the fifth inning, before Hoying got out of the jam by striking out Starling Marte and Martinez in succession.
Mark Vientos homered in the seventh inning to extend the Mets lead to 2–0, his 21st of the season and fifth in August.
After Profar’s home run tied the game in the eighth inning, Butts struck out Donovan Solano and allowed a single to Bogaerts.
Phil Matthon was called to face Machado with the tying runner on first base and got the Padres third baseman out.
