In May, it looked for all the world like the Mets were headed for a disaster.
They went 9-19. They lost 11 of 15 at one point that month. The Phillies and banged-up Braves were outpacing them significantly in the NL East, and New York was looking like a seller at the trade deadline.
Following consecutive sweeps of the woeful Chicago White Sox and the surprisingly decent Boston Red Sox, the Mets have won seven straight, are 52-31 since June 1, and tied with Atlanta for the final wild card spot in the National League. They have a 45.5% chance of reaching the postseason, according to Fangraphs, behind Atlanta’s 68.1%.
They are still 8 games behind the Phillies in the NL East with 22 games left, and the odds say the Phils have a 98.2% chance of winning the division. The Mets’ chances stand at less than 1%.
It would take a collapse worse than New York’s utter faceplant in 2007 that saw them lose a 7-game lead with 17 to play. Certainly Mets fans, at the time, thought it ludicrous that they would lose the division at that point.
The reason the Mets are a bigger threat than Atlanta is the Braves are clearly a team struggling to make it through the season healthy. With so many injuries, they’ve had to grit their way to virtually every victory. The offense never really got going this year and while the pitching has been outstanding in the second half, it’s difficult to be that perfect for weeks on end.
Also, the Phils are done playing the Braves. However, they do play the Mets seven times over the next two weeks, beginning with a three-game set in Citizens Bank Park next weekend and a trip to the Big Apple for a four-game series the following weekend.
If the Mets are within 5-6 games of the Phillies by the time that series rolls around, you’ll likely feel the same sense of panic you felt when the Braves rolled into town last weekend trailing by five games in the standings with four head-to-head match-ups waiting.
About The Author
