Mets keep sinking lower in embarrassing season with brutal loss to Braves

ATLANTA — Two-fifty: America’s age or the Mets’ winning percentage over the last 2 ½ weeks? Join Post Sports+ for exciting subscriber-only features, including real-time texting with Mike Puma about the inside buzz on the Mets.Both answers can be correct.An awful stretch of baseball has turned into a downright race to the bottom of the National League, and the Mets appear well-equipped to win that half-marathon.Saturday night’s scheduled fireworks at Truist Park were preceded by the stink bombs the Mets lobbed onto the field for three hours in a 14-3 loss to the Braves.The Mets lost for the 12th time in 16 games (there’s your .250 winning percentage), but more condensed they are 2-12 since June 20.

Just how low can they go?Only Colorado stood behind them (a half-game worse) in the National League when the day started.This one was marred by a “run prevention” fiasco: Usually reliable defensively Tyrone Taylor misplayed a pop up in the third inning, allowing three gift runs to Atlanta, from which the Mets never recovered.All the runs were earned, turning Sean Manaea’s final line into something of an eyesore: five innings, six runs, six hits one walk and four strikeouts.It was Manaea’s first time allowing more than three earned runs in an appearance since April 29.If the Mets are going to win a game in this four-game series their best chance might be Sunday, when Nolan McLean is scheduled to start.

The road trip won’t conclude until Monday, with Freddy Peralta on the mound.Eli White’s homer in the second produced the game’s first run.Manaea recorded two quick outs in the inning before White homered on the eighth pitch of his at-bat, blasting a sweeper over the left-field fence.Manaea’s night unraveled in the third, after he plunked Austin Riley to load the bases with two outs.Michael Harris II delivered an RBI single before White hit a pop up that should have been the third out.Francisco Lindor initially called for the ball as he backpe...