Don’t worry Mets fans, things are still looking up!

The New York Mets lost to the Atlanta Braves last night by the score of 6-3. They dropped the series and it was their first losing homestand of the season. With the loss, the Mets have dropped five of their last six series at Citi Field and are just 6-12 in their last 18 games there. Luckily, with the Nationals also losing, the Mets magic number was able to drop to five with just ten games left in the season. They head to Cincinnati tonight to begin a four game set with the Reds, with Steven Matz on the hill.

Before shifting our focus to the Reds, I want to highlight some of the positives and negatives from our three-game series against the Braves. The Mets displayed some discouraging things of course, but to be fair we also saw some good things. It was a frustrating series to say the least, but with the magic number down to five we are so much closer to solidifying a spot for the postseason. Here are a few observations, with the good news first.

Three Up!

Yoenis Cespedes – Looks like he is starting to hit again. Prior to the start of the series with the Braves, Cespedes had just two hits in his last 22 at bats. He finished the series with Atlanta going 4-for-11 with two doubles and a triple. If there is one guy the Mets would like to get going before the start of the playoffs it’s Cespedes.
Bartolo Colon – He continues to impress. Although he didn’t get the win last night, Colon is making a bit of a case as to why maybe the Mets should not overlook him as a possible starter in the postseason. It’s unlikely to happen, but he hasn’t given up more than three runs in his last seven outings dating back almost a month ago to his start in Philadelphia on August 26^th. In his last 11 games Bartolo is 5-2 with a 2.74 ERA.
David Wright – The Captain is red hot. Over his last nine games dating back to September 12^th, Wright is batting .353 with five doubles, one home run, and six RBI. He got the night off in the first game of the series, but in the two games he played in Wright went 3-8 with two RBI, including a vintage opposite field home run on Tuesday night.

Three Down!

The bullpen was shaky. Particularly the Mets 8^th and 9^th inning guys Tyler Clippard and Jeurys Familia. Tuesday night, after the Mets had climbed back to within two, Clippard came in and gave up two runs on two hits in one inning of work. Last night it was Familia who came into a tie ball game in the 9th inning and gave up three runs on two hits, including a mammoth sized home run from Freddie Freeman. If the Mets want to go deep into the playoffs, their bullpen absolutely has to be sharp. Should they have a lead going into the 8th inning, the door needs to be shut.
Lucas Duda is still struggling to hit consistently. Coming into the series against the Braves, Duda was hitting just .174 (6-for-34) with just one HR and two RBI since returning from the DL. This past series Duda had just one hit in seven at bats. He did however force two walks and did not strikeout. The Mets would love to get his bat hot again and for him to start hitting for some power.
Freddie Freeman continues to hurt the Mets. Since 2012, Freeman has hit 15 HR against them, tied with Giancarlo Stanton of the Marlins for the most against the Mets in that time frame. He may have only had two hits in 10 at bats this series, but one of them happened to be a huge three run home run against Jeurys Familia in the 9^th inning of a tie ballgame, which ultimately buried the Mets.