WASHINGTON (AP) — The high-spending New York Mets were assured their first last-place finish since 2003, losing to the Washington Nationals 7-6 Friday night as Josiah Gray earned his first major league save in his first home appearance in more than two years,
Dylan Crews homered for the Nationals (76-84), who have won nine of 10 and are guaranteed fourth in the NL East. They have been fourth or fifth for seven straight seasons since winning the 2019 World Series,
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Washington Nationals' Brady House, left, comes in to score on a wild pitch by New York Mets pitcher Jonathan Pintaro, right, during the third inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals' Andres Chaparro, bottom, slides home to score on a wild pitch by New York Mets pitcher Jonathan Pintaro, top, during the third inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
New York Mets' Juan Soto slides home to score on a sacrifice fly hit by Mark Vientos during the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals pitcher Andrew Alvarez throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
New York (73-87), which began the season with a major league record $358.4 million payroll, will finish last for the first time since it was 66-95 in 2002.
Bo Bichette and Carson Benge homered for the Mets. Benge became the first Mets rookie with 20 homers and 20 steals in a season.
Gray worked around Juan Soto’s two-out walk in the ninth, getting Bichette to hit a soft grounder to the mound to cap his first outing at Nationals Park since April 4, 2024. An All-Star in 2023, Gray underwent Tommy John surgery the following year and did not return to the major leagues until last week.
Gus Varland (2-2) pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Jonathan Pintaro (2-3) was the loser.
New York RHP Jonah Tong (2-2, 4.21 ERA) starts as the series continues Saturday in a game moved up to 12:35 p.m. because of rain forecast later in the day. LHP Connelly Early (7-5, 3.44), acquired from Boston for Curtis Mead on July 26, will come off the injured list to make his first start for the Nationals.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Washington Nationals' Brady House, left, comes in to score on a wild pitch by New York Mets pitcher Jonathan Pintaro, right, during the third inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals' Andres Chaparro, bottom, slides home to score on a wild pitch by New York Mets pitcher Jonathan Pintaro, top, during the third inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
New York Mets' Juan Soto slides home to score on a sacrifice fly hit by Mark Vientos during the third inning of a baseball game against the Washington Nationals, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Washington Nationals pitcher Andrew Alvarez throws during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Mets, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Trea Turner flailed at a four-seam fastball well out of the strike zone and slammed his bat in anger after another strikeout.
Remember that time Phillies fans rallied in 2023 to give Turner a standing ovation and he used that moment to spark his season?
That wasn't the case Friday night in Philadelphia.
Turner dropped his helmet in the third inning and was soundly booed by a restless crowd of 40,133 fans, as was Brandon Marsh after a similar ugly whiff in the fourth, and as were the Phillies after another punchless game at the plate cost them in a 2-0 loss to the AL East champion Tampa Bay Rays.
Freddy Peralta and four relievers combined to throw four-hit ball in the shutout that kept the magic number at two.
The plastic tarp that circles the top of the clubhouse lockers in anticipation of a champagne celebration remained rolled up as tight as the Phillies seem to be of late. A playoff berth that seemed a lock just days ago will come down to the final two games.
The Phillies entered the game leading Arizona by two games for the final NL wild-card spot with three to play. The Phillies would have clinched their fifth straight playoff berth with a win against the Rays and an Arizona loss to San Diego.
The Phillies instead dropped their third straight game and delayed a potential clincher at least until Saturday, when they will throw a bullpen game at the Rays. Should the race come down to Sunday, the Phillies will be forced to throw ace Zack Wheeler, which would burn him for potential Game 1 or 2 starts in the NL Wild Card Series.
If they get there. The Diamondbacks would pull within one game with a win late Friday night.
“I guess I'd rather be in our spot than theirs,” Phillies interim manager Don Mattingly said. “We can still control our own destiny.”
The Phillies high-priced sluggers usually wait until the playoffs start until their bats freeze up. They got a jump on it down the September stretch.
The gut punch came in the sixth when Turner and Bryce Harper led off with consecutive singles. Alec Bohm meekly grounded out but advanced the runners. Bryson Stott lined out to second base and pinch hitter Bryan De La Cruz lined out to shortstop against reliever Cam Booser.
Oh, and 35-year-old catcher J.T. Realmuto is in an 0 for 32 funk that's dipped his average to .206.
The Phillies were shut out for the 12th game this season, have scored two runs over the last 27 innings and have homered only once in their last 55 innings.
All that has helped the Phillies spiral to 13 losses in the last 21 games (nine of the last 14).
It gets worse. NL batting leader and starting second baseman Luis Arraez is out indefinitely with a severely sprained left ankle. All-Star lefty Jesús Luzardo has yet to throw a simulated game as he tries to come back from a three-week absence with shoulder inflammation.
Call it Dread October.
“We control our own future,” Phillies slugger Kyle Schwarber said. “That's what we want. I wouldn't want it any other way. It's on us to decide what happens.”
Mattingly said there was a pregame team meeting but offered little specifics. He insisted his team wasn’t wilting from the pressure.
“These guys have been through it,” Mattingly said. “I feel OK. If we’ve got to tell guys at this point that it’s urgent that we win games, then we’re in trouble. The urgency, everybody knows. It’s pretty much right in your face. We’ve just got to go out and play good baseball.”
The Phillies — who had the fourth-highest opening day payroll at $282 million — are drumming up talk around the city of joining the short list of the most egregious collapses in franchise history.
Take your pick.
More modern? The 2023 Phillies were up 2-0 and 3-2 headed home for Games 6 and 7 in the NL Championship Series only to blow the series to Arizona.
Prefer a classic story? Consider 1964, when the Phillies lost 10 straight games to blow a 6 1/2-game lead and the NL pennant with 12 games left. They wouldn’t make the playoffs again until 1976.
“I think there's a lot of confidence, still,” Schwarber said. “Sure, there's frustration. We want to win baseball games.”
Just win one more game this season, and the situation won’t be that dire.
Just watch the Phillies play this week and it’s getting harder to find when that next W might come.
See AP’s full MLB coverage here
Philadelphia Phillies' Alec Bohm dodges an inside pitch during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Cristopher Sánchez throws in the first inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
Philadelphia Phillies center fielder Justin Crawford catches a fly ball hit by Tampa Bay Rays' Junior Caminero in the third inning of a baseball game, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
Philadelphia Phillies' Bryce Harper gestures from first base after hitting a single during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Tampa Bay Rays, Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Laurence Kesterson)
