The Mets' playoff hopes took a major hit when the team lost to the Marlins and the Reds beat the Brewers Friday.

The Miami Marlins handed the New York Mets a major setback on Friday after winning 6-2, hours after an MLB columnist brutally questioned their 80 percent playoff odds

The Reds played a later start in Milwaukee and were in position to reclaim the lead — based on holding a tiebreaker against the Mets — for the National League’s third and final wild-card spot. The Reds entered the night one game behind the Mets — with Arizona, which trailed by two, playing even later in San Diego.

BOTTOM LINE: The Miami Marlins take a 1-0 advantage into the next game of the series against the New York Mets. Miami is 37-42 at home and 78-82 overall. The Marlins have a 65-12 record in games when they have more hits than their opponents.

Gary Cohen: "The Mets' lack of attention to detail ... has cropped up repeatedly during this slow-motion, backwards march over the last 3 1/2 months."

Josh Valdez covers the NBA, MLB, and WNBA for Athlon Sports’ breaking and trending news team. A graduate of Rutgers University with a BA in journalism, he has been reporting on sports since 2017, bringing nearly a decade of experience to his coverage.

With their starting rotation in shambles heading into the final weekend of the regular season, the New York Mets have decided who will start for them on Saturda