The Mets acknowledged their defense needs to be cleaned up after another error in Wednesday's loss to the Cubs while trying to stay focused on their own team during the wild-card chase.

Wednesday night was a missed opportunity for the Mets to create some separation in the chase for a wild-card spot.

The Cubs did a lot well on Wednesday. The offense provided an early lead in the third inning. The Cubs scored five times with three singles, two doubles, a walk and a sacrifice fly. They continued to tack on, with efforts including homers from Matt Shaw, who had a three-hit night, and Michael Busch, who also recorded a double and a walk.

Just when it looked like the Mets might finally win a game in which they trailed after eight innings, the unthinkable happened.

Alvarez was the emotional charge for the Mets in a game New York absolutely had to win over the playoff-bound Chicago Cubs.

That’s right, friends and neighbors: Reds fans are actually scoreboard-watching! You may be surprised to hear it, but this is what other fan bases get to do in September. Not only do we get to pull for our club, but we have to keep an eye on the scores of other games because of how that result impacts Cincinnati’s playoff odds. Pretty fun, right?

As the baseball skipped away from Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, Pete Crow-Armstrong easily advanced from second to third base, slowing up as he approached the bag. The Cubs center fielder kept his e

The New York Mets on Sunday lost to the Washington Nationals ( box score) while the Cincinnati Reds completed a four-game sweep of the Chicago Cubs ( box score ). That means the final wild card in the National League is now a deadlock between the Reds and Mets, both of whom sit 80-76 with one week to play, but Cincinnati holds the tiebreaker.