Latest epic Mets failure includes one baffling decision

Could one decision Sunday night have reversed the course of the Mets’ humiliating 14-4 loss to the Dodgers at Citi Field?

Maybe. We’ll never know. But among all the terrible baseball put on display during this lopsided series finale — another Carlos Carrasco implosion, more futility with men on base — it’s hard to get over Luis Rojas choosing to let Carrasco bat in the second inning with the game still (relatively) in reach.

Already down 6-0 to Max Scherzer, the Mets had runners at first and second with one out, yet Rojas sent up Carrasco to hit knowing full well he was done for the night (after 57 pitches). Carrasco did get the bunt down, but Brandon Nimmo grounded out to end the rally, and Jake Reed took over for the third inning.

Asked why he was sent up to hit in that situation, Carrasco still was baffled.

"I don’t know, man," he said. "I really don’t."

Oh, and here’s the kicker. Rojas had to use not one but two position players to pitch the ninth. Brandon Drury started the inning — to raucous applause and "M-V-P!" chants — allowed a two-run homer by Matt Beaty and was relieved by Kevin Pillar with the bases loaded.

Just to recap: Rojas chose not to use his bench players early to hit and instead wound up deploying them to pitch in a blowout.

"We weren’t going to use a pinch hitter at the moment because we only had four guys on the bench," he said. "We were probably going to run into a situation where we’d run out of players."

Good thing Rojas held tight to the Bench Mob early. Because who would’ve pitched the ninth?

Sheesh. It’s indicative of what’s ailing the Mets.

At the most crucial part of this season — the division slipping away amid a 13-game stretch against the Dodgers and Giants — the Mets are performing at their worst in almost every capacity. They’re 59-58 and trail NL East-leading Atlanta by 2 1⁄2 games (with the Phillies between them).

After two nights of coming within one swing of victory, only to lose in 10 innings, the Mets actually had their chances early in the series finale after Carrasco was non-competitive for the second straight start. But the absence of a clutch gene in this team’s DNA remains its biggest flaw.

The Mets went 0-for-12 with runners in scoring position, stranding 10, and finished 2-for-29 (.069) in the series. It’s difficult to say which was more embarrassing: the usual lack of potency at the plate or having to use two position players to get three outs in the ninth inning.

It was total surrender, and now the Mets have to convince everyone the season isn’t next. In the midst of this make-or-break stretch, they are trending toward irreparably broken.

What made it even worse for the Mets was being dismantled by Max Scherzer, who in the days leading up to the trade deadline had it relayed to the Mets that he would not approve any deal to Flushing. And in four days, the Mets get to face the defending champs again after a three-game series against the NL West-leading Giants.

To think Noah Syndergaard was angry about the team’s harsh travel schedule to the opposite coast. The Mets have so much more to worry about — their shrinking playoff chances, the sputtering offense and the ineffective Carrasco, to name a few.

Carrasco was supposed to be a midseason savior for this rotation, but recently he’s been a saboteur, allowing 12 earned runs in 7 1⁄3 innings in his last three starts.

Just an epic failure across the board, and now the season hangs in the balance with this West Coast swing.

When I asked Rojas if he is concerned about this trip potentially ending their playoff hopes, he responded as you might expect.

"That’s not a mindset that we’ll ever have here," he said.

But if this keeps up much longer, it could become reality.

By David Lennon

dave.lennon@newsday.comDPLennon

David Lennon is an award-winning columnist, a voter for baseball's Hall of Fame and has covered six no-hitters, including two perfect games.