The ball exploded off Victor Caratini’s bat in the seventh inning, the same way it had about 90 minutes earlier, and there went the ballgame — and quite possibly the Mets’ season — sailing into Citi Field’s right-field porch.
Jacob deGrom, following in the footsteps of Marcus Stroman and Noah Syndergaard, couldn’t apply a tourniquet to the gash that had opened Sunday when the Braves completed a three-game sweep here. The Cubs came into town, swept another three games, and left the Mets for dead Thursday night, five behind in the race for the NL’s second wild card.