3 UP

1. Young Power Hitters

With the Mets trailing 4-2 in the second game of the doubleheader against the Marlins, the Mets winning streak was in jeopardy, and with the hole the Mets have dug themselves in the first half, they cannot blow games like these. Due to the young hot hitting bats in the Mets lineup, they wouldn’t.

The first blast came off the bat of J.D. Davis. That homer from Davis should not have come as a surprise as he has been the Mets best hitter at Citi Field with a .394/.478/.688 batting line. He’s also been insanely hot lately for over a month now hitting .390/.461/.636 since June 30.

The next homer was a monster shot into the Coke Corner by Michael Conforto. In his career, Conforto has been a second half hitter, and this year has been no different. Since the All Star Break, Conforto has hit .315/.406/.641. Anecdotally, it should be noted Conforto was hitting .271/.406/.521 before sustaining a concussion. All told, this may be a sign Conforto has shaken off the effects of the concussion and is now back to being Conforto.

The last blast came from Pete Alonso. That homer snapped the longest homerless streak in his young career. One interesting pattern we have seen in his career is he has followed a great month with a poor month and vice versa. Following this pattern, July was clearly his worst month of the season, and he seems to have put that behind him hitting .296/.367/.704 so far in August.

This just a snapshot of the damage each of them have done this series and the second half as a whole. It has been one of the reasons why they have won 14 out of their last 16. It is a reason why they find themselves in the thick of the Wild Card race and nearing contention in the division.

2. The Real Wilson Ramos Showed Up

One of the biggest disappointments this season has been Wilson Ramos. He has not been the force in the lineup the Mets anticipated him to be, and he has struggled framing the low pitches hurting the Mets pitchers. The nadir of his season seemed to come in July when he hit .203/.282/.261 in 20 games.

In August, Ramos has been a completely different player. In five games this month, he is hitting .417/.440/.708 with a double, two homers, and 12 RBI. The two homers are already more than he hit last month.

In some ways, this sudden offensive outburst should have been expected. Over the course of his career, his second highest slugging percentage and OPS is in August. Last year, he exploded in the second half hitting .337/.396/.483 for the Rays and Phillies.

So far, we are seeing a similar outburst with Ramos. It is coming at the right time too because with Robinson Cano suffering what appears to be a season ending injury, the Mets need another bat. If that proves to Ramos, the lineup is suddenly much deeper and more formidable.

3. Flashing the Leather

In the four game series against the Marlins, the Mets infield turned seven double plays. With this series, the Mets have jumped into the top 10 in the majors in double plays turned. This is a indication as to how far the Mets infield defense has progressed this season.

In terms of the infield defense, you first look to Amed Rosario who has made leaps and bounds from the struggles he had last year and the beginning of this season. There is also Alonso who is a much better first baseman than the player who finished the season in Triple-A. It also helps to have players like Todd Frazier, Adeiny Hechavarria, and Luis Guillorme playing of late.

This is not just an important development as Zack Wheeler has relied more on a two-seamer which is producing a number of ground balls, but also because the Mets added Marcus Stroman at the trade deadline. More than them, the suddenly good infield defense will help the entire Mets pitching staff.

3 DOWN

1. Time To Panik

When Robinson Cano went down, the Mets were stuck in a lurch looking for ways to replace him in the lineup without the ability to make a trade. That meant the Mets had to figure out how best to configure their lineup in his absence.

At second base, the Mets had Adeiny Hechavarria and Luis Guillorme available. With Jeff McNeil‘s versatility the Mets have the option to put either Aaron Altherr or Juan Lagares in center. Partially due to the doubleheader on Monday, the Mets have tried playing each of these players as a replacement for Cano.

So far, that quartet has combined to go 2-for-26 with a run, three walks, a double, and 10 strikeouts. Seeing them collectively struggle at the plate, it is a reminder Joe Panik is available. Yes, Panik is struggling offensively, but it should be noted his 69 wRC+ is better than the Mets current options.

2. Wasting Roster Spots

You can understand the Mets not wanting to push Zack Wheeler past 102 pitches. After all, he just came off the Injured List with shoulder fatigue, and you want to save his bullets as the Mets push for the postseason. To a certain extent, you can understand the Mets pitching Robert Gsellman because you want to use an arm you trust in that spot.

But that’s the problem.

Neither Donnie Hart nor Chris Mazza pitched in Monday’s doubleheader. Since being claimed Hart only pitched in the eighth inning of the Mets 13-2 victory over the Pirates. With respect to Mazza, he has not pitched since being recalled on August 2 meaning the Mets have yet to find a spot they trust him to pitch. That includes a 13-2 blowout over the Pirates.

At the end of the day, the Mets had two opportunities to have Hart or Mazza to preserve a five run lead against the worst team in the National League, and the Mets chose a different reliever. If you can’t trust them to mop up games, they serve no purpose ont he roster. If that is the case, the Mets should be investigating signing Cody Allen, Brad Brach or Greg Holland or calling up a pitcher like Chris Flexen, Eric Hanhold, or Paul Sewald. At least with Sewald, you know he can hold a five run lead against the worst team in the National League. Apparently, the Mets don’t trust Hart or Mazza to do the same.

3. The Easy Part Is Over

After departing San Francisco having lost three out of four, the Mets had a stretch of 16 consecutive games against teams with a losing record. The Mets did their job over that stretch going 14-2. As a result, the Mets have gone from nine games under .500 to three games over .500. They have also gone from seven games to just one game back of the Wild Card.

Now, things get interesting and much more difficult.

Starting with this weekend series against the Nationals, the Mets have a stretch of six straight against the top two teams in the division. After a respite against the Royals, the Mets then play the Indians, Braves, Cubs, Phillies, Nationals, Diamondbacks, and Dodgers. That’s 31 out of 34 games against teams with winning records.

That’s a very difficult stretch of games where the Mets are going to have to prove themselves. Fortunately, they have put themselves in a position where those games now matter.