Brewers closer Devin Williams: “I didn’t get the job done”
Brewers closer Devin Williams: “I didn’t get the job done.” Williams was interviewed after the Brewers lost the Wild card series to the New York Mets.
The New York Mets will head into Milwaukee for the start of a three-game series Aug. 8, with the Brewers riding a six-game winning streak and owning the best record in baseball.
New York also is situated firmly in a National League playoff spot, though the club has lost eight of nine, fresh off a seven-game winning streak, no less.
Brewers fans haven’t forgotten the heartbreak of 2024, when the Mets came into Milwaukee for the National League wild-card series and delivered a gut-punching series loss, with Pete Alonso’s three-run homer in the ninth flipping the script in Game 3.
Both teams have naturally changed quite a bit, notably pitcher José Quintana swapping sides.
Quintana pitched in Game 3 of the wild-card series for the Mets, allowing no runs in six innings of work. Now, he’s with the Brewers and rocking a 3.57 ERA and a 9-4 record, though he pitched Aug. 6 against the Atlanta Braves and won’t be facing his old team in the series.
Here’s what to know about the series ahead:
How have the New York Mets fared this year?
The Mets (63-52) have been solid this season and are one of the six National League teams that have separated themselves from the pack in the playoff picture (along with the Brewers, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies).
The Mets find themselves in a battle on two fronts, however. New York’s recent skid — losing eight of nine — has the team 2½ games behind the Phillies for the National League East lead, a title the Mets would need to secure a first-round playoff bye. The Mets are also in a fight with the Padres for the No. 2 wild-card spot, a full game behind San Diego and just three games ahead of the Reds for the final NL playoff spot.
Realistically, there’s little difference between the final two wild-card spots, but staying ahead of the Reds is obviously a bigger concern.
The Mets have a full plate in September, with four games against the Phillies, three against the Reds, three against the Padres and three against the Cubs in the final month of 2025. They also have three games at home against the Phillies still on the August slate.
What has Jesse Winker been up to this year?
We thought you might ask.
Winker, the former Brewers player who became one of the arch villains of the 2024 postseason, has only played in 26 games this year, and he just got moved to the 60-day injured list. He’s battling back inflammation that originally put him back on the injured list in mid-July. He suffered a strained oblique in May that cost him a chunk of the season, and his return July 8 lasted all of two games.
He’s out until at least the second week of September as a result of the designation.
What has Pete Alonso been up to this year?
The man who broke Milwaukee’s heart made his fourth straight All-Star team in 2025 and has been playing every day, with an .859 OPS and .352 on-base percentage that actually well outpaces how he performed last season. He has 25 homers and 91 RBIs, ranking behind only Kyle Schwarber of Philadelphia in the latter category.
Alonso, 30, has a player option for the 2026 season but could elect to become a free agent after the year.
Seven other New York Mets players who are interestingFrancisco Lindor. He’s not the MVP candidate he was last year, but the shortstop is still an elite player. He’s been struggling over the past 30 days, though, with a .206 batting average and a .630 OPS in that span. He still has 21 homers this year.Juan Soto. The massive offseason signing has a strong .864 OPS, though he’s perhaps not quite the force of nature Mets fans were hoping for when the team signed him to a wild 15-year, $765 million deal. Still, he’s clearly one of the best players in baseball. His home run Aug. 6 in the ninth prevented the Mets from getting no-hit by the Cleveland Guardians, coming with one out in the ninth.Tyrone Taylor. The longtime Brewer has been playing center field for the Mets this season and has struggled mightily at the plate, with a .546 OPS and just a .255 on-base percentage over 300 at-bats. The Brewers traded Adrian Houser and Taylor to the Mets before the 2024 season for minor-league pitcher Coleman Crow, who was excellent for Class AA Biloxi this year before getting promoted to Triple-A.Tylor Megill. The younger brother of Brewers closer Trevor Megill has a 3.95 ERA this year despite an elevated 1.361 WHIP, with 89 strikeouts in 68⅓ innings. Tylor, however, is on the 60-day injured list with a right elbow sprain and was actually moved there to free up a roster spot for Winker in July. Tylor can’t come back until later this month.Tyler Rogers. Speaking of Trevor/Tyle(o)r Brewers connections, the twin brother of former Brewers reliever Taylor Rogers was added to the Mets at the trade deadline. The submarine-style right-hander has allowed one run on five hits in three innings.Ryan Helsley. The Mets also added former St. Lous Cardinals closer Ryan Helsley, significantly supplementing their bullpen at the trade deadline ahead of closer Edwin Díaz. Helsley has allowed two unearned runs in his first three innings of work, with five strikeouts. The Mets also added left-hander Gregory Soto to the bullpen.Frankie Montas. We already mentioned that Quintana switched sides in this rivalry from last year, and so did Montas. He signed a one-year deal worth $17 million in the offseason after spending the final two months of the 2024 season with the Brewers and pitching in Game 2 of the wild-card series. Montas has struggled in seven starts this year for the Mets (6.68 ERA, 1.545 WHIP). Montas last pitched Aug. 3 and would be a candidate to pitch the Saturday, Aug. 9 game, but the Mets have yet to announce that starter.Could the Mets face the Brewers in the playoffs again in 2025?
Certainly. If the season ended today, the Mets would be the No. 3 wild-card team and square off with the Dodgers, then wind up facing the Phillies in the next round. But there will be a ton of team movement between now and the end of the road. If the Mets snuck back ahead of the Padres, they’d be the No. 5 seed, scheduled to face the Cubs in the wild-card series, with the winner getting the Brewers in the division series. Cubs or Mets in the NLDS? Pick your poison.
In any event, with six teams having separated themselves in the NL, there’s a decent likelihood that the Brewers and Mets will tangle again.