After Wednesday night's loss, Sal confessed for the first time that his "gut" tells him the Mets will miss the playoffs. He attributes his grim new outlook not just to the loss itself, but to the team's overall struggle to win consistently since June. Sal pointed to a lack of trustworthy starting pitching, citing David Peterson's continued struggles and the team's reliance on a rookie like Jonah Tong in a crucial game. This combination of an untrustworthy rotation, a looming threat from the Arizona Diamondbacks, and a general feeling of desperation has led Sal to believe the Mets are playing with fire and are bound to get burned before they can clinch a wild card spot.