PHILADELPHIA -- The only reprieve for the Mets on Wednesday came well before first pitch. In the visitors' clubhouse at Citizens Bank Park, a television was tuned to a matinee in San Francisco, where the Giants lost to the Diamondbacks . That result ensured that no matter what happened later in the evening, the Mets would retain at least a two-game lead in the National League Wild Card standings .

What followed was another dismal loss to the Phillies, this one a 11-3 defeat . Since sweeping the same Phillies team in New York last month, the Mets have gone 4-9. Since reaching their high-water mark of 21 games over .500 on June 21, they have gone 31-46 -- the fourth-worst record in Major League Baseball, ahead of only the Nationals, Twins and Rockies.

Along the way, the Mets have mad

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