3 UP
1. Mets Single Season Home Run Mark
Move aside Todd Hundley and Carlos Beltran, the Mets single season home run mark now belongs to Pete Alonso.
His homer off Yu Darvish was a huge blow not only because it set the record, but also because it made given the Mets a 1-0 in the first game of what was a pivotal series.
With Alonso, that’s been the key. These aren’t garbage time homers. He’s hit them when they’ve really counted. It makes the record all the more meaningful. It also pushes him further ahead in consideration for the Rookie of the Year.
2. Ramos Hitting Streak
After going 2-for-4 on Thursday, Wilson Ramos now has a 22 game hitting streak. The 22 game hitting streak is the longest not just of his career but also in the Majors this year.
As the Mets hit the stretch run, the Mets needed players to step up, and Ramos was absolutely one of them. He has a hit in 22 straight, and he has a multi-hit game in five of his last six.
Fortunately for Joe DiMaggio there are only 30 games remaining in the season, so his 56 game streak won’t fall this year.
3. Amazin’ Miracle Still on the Table
The 1969 Mets entered September down 5.0 games to the Cubs, and they’d begin that month losing a series to the Dodgers.
The 1973 Mets entered September in fifth place 5.5 games behind Cardinals. They began September splitting their first four games.
The 2016 Mets entered September three out in the loss column to the Cardinals for the second Wild Card spot.
Is losing to the Cubs horrible? Yes. Can we be pessimist about their chances? Certainly. That said, five games out is by no means a death sentence. This team is still alive, but they have to realize there’s absolutely no margin of error remaining.
3 DOWN
1. Mets Not Good Enough
The Mets have lost five of their last six to the Braves. Coming off the sweep of the Indians, the Mets lost six straight against the Braves and Cubs. Over this six game stretch, there was plenty of blame to go around that Mets clubhouse.
Looking at these past six games, we can take this opportunity to point fingers at different players and the manager. However, when you lose like this, you’re really just getting exposed.
No, the Mets season isn’t over at five games back of the Cubs. That said, one thing which became abundantly clear is the Mets can’t compete with teams the caliber of the Braves and Cubs. As a result, even if the Mets do sneak in, it’s nearly impossible to believe there’s a chance of even winning the NLDS let alone a World Series.
2. Starting Pitching Let Team Down
Marcus Stroman had a 1-0 lead against the Cubs heading into the fifth after an Alonso homer. He gave the lead up right away on an Addison Russell two run homer. In total, he’d allow four earned.
Noah Syndergaard was terrible allowing six runs (five earned) in the first. He’d allow 10 runs over three innings putting that game out of reach.
Victor Caratini abused Jacob deGrom hitting two homers off of him. The first was a second inning shot tying the game. The second was a three run blast in that seventh.
This Mets team lost because of much more than these pitchers. Still, the backbone of this team if they falter, the team does as well.
3. Frazier’s Whimper
No matter how you cut it, Todd Frazier hasn’t been good. Over his last seven, he’s hitting .130/.200/.174. Over his last 15, he’s hitting .179/.220/.286. Over the past month, he’s a .182/.224/.291.
Despite these numbers, he started two out of three games in a pivotal series. It’s hard to imagine why the Mets keep sending him out there seeing him continuously fail to produce.
