NEW YORK -- There are two weeks to go in the regular season. The D-backs have to start putting runs on the board. If they don’t, they will find themselves out of the Wild Card race.

If Thursday was any indication, the D-backs are in trouble. They were pounded by the Mets for the second day in a row at Citi Field, this time, by the score of 11-1.

“We got our butts kicked,” said D-Backs shortstop Nick Ahmed. “A lot of stuff we can learn from, but we are going to regroup and come at it tomorrow.”

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Arizona has lost five consecutive games and the loss puts the team 3 1/2 games behind the Brewers and Cubs for the final National League Wild Card spot. Milwaukee edged the Marlins, 3-2, in an afternoon affair on Thursday, while the Cubs beat the Padres 4-1.

“Our energy is fine. We are not fatigued. If anything, we are hungry. That’s what I’m sensing. We are a hungry baseball team,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “At times, when you get a little too hungry, you get a little too aggressive. We have to get back to that comfort zone and execute.”

Arizona was held scoreless for 16 consecutive innings before getting on the board in the seventh inning when pinch-hitter Ildemaro Vargas doubled down the left-field line against Mets right-hander Marcus Stroman, scoring Alex Avila.

Before that inning, Stroman was untouchable. The D-backs had a runner in scoring position only once, and that came in the third inning, when Josh Rojas was on first base and went to second on a passed ball by catcher Tomas Nido.

Arizona’s pitching, meanwhile, struggled to contain New York hitters. The team used eight pitchers to get through the game. For the second game in a row, a D-backs starter didn’t get past the fifth inning.

This time, it was left-hander Alex Young, who pitched 2 2/3 innings and allowed six runs, but only one of those runs was earned. The defense didn't help, as shortstop Nick Ahmed made a throwing error in the third inning that helped the Mets score five runs in the frame. Juan Lagares highlighted the scoring with a grand slam.

“We didn’t get the job done the way we know how,” Lovullo said. “We didn’t play our type of baseball. I’m not going to make excuses for anything. We just didn’t do the things that we are very good at.”

After watching his team get swept in New York, Lovullo came to the conclusion that his team was trying to do too much during the five-game losing streak. As he saw it, for example, instead of drawing a walk, his hitters were swinging out of the strike zone.

“We were trying to take too big of a piece of the pie,” Lovullo said. “Do what you can to be the best version of yourself. Do what you need to do to help us win a baseball game. Those are the things we need to get back to. It’s very basic, fundamental thoughts.

The D-backs return to Arizona starting Friday to play a three-game series against the Reds. In their last series, Arizona took two out of three games in Cincinnati.

As Lovullo put it, the D-backs have to find a way to turn the page. He said his team is resilient, tough minded and know what the circumstances are.

Maybe Ahmed has the best advice for his team.

“You can’t dwell on it. You can’t change it. We have to move forward the best we can. … We have a lot more games left to play. We are going to come of it and beat the Reds tomorrow.”