MILWAUKEE -- The good news, for the Mets, is this: despite everything, they still have a chance to clinch a playoff berth as soon as Sunday.

They have the Diamondbacks to thank for that. Not long after the Mets lost a dispiriting 6-0 game to the Brewers on Saturday, mustering just two hits against a team that has nothing tangible left to play for, Arizona lost to the Padres under similar circumstances. The Braves did win, but that¡¯s rapidly becoming irrelevant for the Mets. All they need to do is win two of their final three games and they¡¯ll clinch a National League Wild Card berth.

• All the potential scenarios in the NL Wild Card race

If the Mets win on Sunday and the Diamondbacks lose, New York will clinch at American Family Field.

¡°You want to get into the playoffs, it¡¯s a tough thing to do,¡± Mets outfielder Brandon Nimmo said. ¡°You have to overcome the best.¡±

At this point though, the Mets might not actually have to. Their body of work from late March through late September -- or more specifically, from May 30 through Sept. 22, a stretch that saw them produce the best record in the Major Leagues -- could be enough.

New York entered this weekend needing any combination of four wins or Diamondbacks losses to clinch the playoffs. While they haven¡¯t held up their end of the bargain, losing two consecutive games to a Brewers team that¡¯s in full-scale postseason prep mode, the D-backs have made life easy on them. Two straight losses to the Padres, who also have nothing left to play for (and who, unlike the Brewers, rested many of their starters Saturday), have put Arizona on the brink of elimination.

That¡¯s good news for the Mets, who would love nothing more than to avoid needing to win one or both of their scheduled doubleheader games in Atlanta on Monday. In addition to the stress of playing multiple must-win games on short sleep in a single day, the Mets could benefit significantly by not having to pitch their best arms in those contests -- if Commissioner Rob Manfred deems them necessary at all.

But that¡¯s a conversation for later this weekend. The reality is if the Mets don¡¯t start playing better, they won¡¯t last long in the postseason regardless of how they make it.

After Jose Iglesias singled with one out in the first inning Saturday, the Mets didn¡¯t record another hit until Starling Marte led off the fifth with a double. Six Brewers pitchers shut down the Mets in total, allowing four baserunners. As Pete Alonso, who¡¯s in a 2-for-22 slump with nine strikeouts, put it: ¡°Offense, we didn¡¯t do our part.¡±

¡°We¡¯re in the big leagues,¡± Alonso added. ¡°We¡¯re going to face good pitching every single day. Tomorrow, we¡¯re just going to have to figure out a way to do it.¡±

Sunday, though, has the potential to be a big day for the Mets. Monday does, too.

• The Mets can clinch on Sunday with a win and a Diamondbacks loss.
• If both the Mets and Diamondbacks win or lose on Sunday, the Mets could clinch with a single win in their doubleheader Monday.
• Even if the Mets lose and the Diamondbacks win on Sunday, the Mets could still make the playoffs by sweeping the Braves in the doubleheader.

It may not be an ideal situation, but the math says that under these conditions, the Mets should head to the playoffs far more often than not. Pressure aside, it¡¯s not a bad place to be.

¡°You try and just focus on today, but you know there¡¯s an end,¡± Nimmo said. ¡°You don¡¯t have the luxury of time that you do in June or July, but I think there¡¯s enough mature guys in here who just come to the park and try and win today. There¡¯s enough worries and problems for today that ¡­ you just leave tomorrow for tomorrow. Otherwise, you kind of go crazy.¡±

Neither Alonso nor manager Carlos Mendoza believes the Mets are getting tight at a crucial time of year. The next two days will give them a chance to prove it.

¡°Not winning the past couple of days has put us in a difficult situation here, but we¡¯ve got to come back tomorrow and we have to win a game tomorrow,¡± Mendoza said. ¡°That¡¯s the bottom line.¡±