Mets bullpen has unbelievable meltdown against Phillies

The New York Mets suffered another staggering defeat on Sunday afternoon when they blew a three-run, eighth-inning lead against the Philadelphia Phillies.

It is not just the fact they let that lead slip away into a 7-6 loss, it is how they lost the lead that is so incredible.

The Mets bullpen allowed the Phillies to score four runs in the eighth inning while allowing just a single hit. 

Philadelphia managed to cut the deficit to 6-4 when Alec Bohm grounded into a fielders choice to allow Bryce Harper to score. 

That was when the madness started. 

The Mets went on to allow three more runs in the frame, walking Brandon Marsh with the bases loaded before hitting Kyle Schwarber and Trea Turner with pitches in back-to-back at-bats to tie the game and give the Phillies the lead, respectively.

All of this happened while two of the Mets' best relief pitchers – Adam Ottavino and David Robertson – sat unused in the team's bullpen.

Manager Buck Showalter said after the game that Ottavino was not available and that he was keeping Robertson on hand for a potential save situation in the ninth inning. It was a situation that never presented itself. 

It is a terrible look for the Mets bullpen and a really bad look for Showalter, who opted not to use his best reliever when the game was on the line and instead saving him for a scenario that was never guaranteed to happen. The loss drops the Mets to a 35-42 as they continue to be one of this year's biggest disappointments in all of Major League Baseball

Losing All-Star closer Edwin Diaz before the season even began was always going to be a problem and it has definitely created a massive hole in their bullpen. But losing one player, no matter how great or dominant, should not be enough to completely sabotage the rest of the bullpen or the team's season.

Even though Mets owner Steve Cohen has already said that he is not looking to make sweeping changes despite the disappointing results thus far, one has to wonder if a game like Sunday's might warm Showalter's seat just a little bit.