Brewers catapulted by home runs as Mets bullpen squanders late lead

The New York Mets were six outs away from advancing to the National League Division Series, but nothing ever comes easy for the Mets, it seems.

Phil Maton allowed both the game-tying and game-winning home runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to give the Milwaukee Brewers a 5-3 win and send their wild card series into a decisive Game 3.

The Mets held a 3-2 lead going into the eighth inning, but lead-off hitter Jackson Chourio, who likely could be the National League Rookie of the Year, blasted the first pitch of the frame over the right field wall to tie the game for his second homer of the night.

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With a lack of bullpen options, Maton remained in the game, but four batters later, Garrett Mitchell, who had pinch-run for Gary Sanchez prior, belted a two-run shot of his own to give Milwaukee the lead.

New York scored one in the first and two in the second, but were blanked in the final seven innings. With the bases loaded in the sixth inning, Jose Iglesias struck out, proving to be costly later on. The first six batters in the Mets' lineup combined to go 4-for-21.

The Milwaukee relievers, though, combined to toss 5.1 innings of scoreless ball after Frankie Montas went just 3.2 frames, facing the Mets lineup just twice.

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New York will have Jose Quintana (10-10, 3.75 ERA) starting in Game 3 while Milwaukee will go with Tobias Myers (9-6, 3.00 ERA). 

A win for New York would put them in the NLDS for the first time since they won the pennant in 2015 — Milwaukee last made it in 2021.

The winner of Thursday’s game, which figures to be in primetime as all the other wild card series ended in two games on Wednesday, will face the NL East champ Philadelphia Phillies, who are the No. 2 seed in the National League.

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