The New York Mets suffered a 4-3 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Citi Field on Thursday, extending their slump in dramatic fashion. Once the hottest team in the National League, the Mets have now dropped nine of their last 10 games—a skid that has erased their once-comfortable advantage in the standings.

The Mets have lost 13 of their last 15 games and their lead over the idle Cincinnati Reds in the race for the final wild-card spot shrunk to a half-game. Francisco Lindor hit a third-inning solo homer and Brandon Nimmo (sacrifice fly) and Pete Alonso (single) had back-to-back RBIs to give the Mets a 3-2 lead in the sixth.

It's almost certainly too late for the Atlanta Braves to save their playoff hopes. For the New York Mets, the clock on their postseason aspirations is ticking louder than they could have imagined a few months ago.