As many foresaw back in early June, the Mets’ season is coming down to the wire. In what is proving to be a chaotic final week, New York regained control of their playoff destiny Tuesday night with a 9-7 win over the Cubs at Wrigley Field.
The Mets had fallen behind the Reds in the race for the final Wild Card spot on Sunday for the first time since April 5. While tied in the win-loss column with the Reds, Cincinnati held the tiebreaker.
Fast forward 48 hours, and the Mets finally showed the urgency fans have been clamoring for since the All-Star break. Down 6-1 in the fifth inning after another rough post-break outing from David Peterson, the Mets stormed back. Two singles, a walk, and an error set the stage for Brandon Nimmo’s game-tying three-run blast. Then Francisco Alvarez delivered a go-ahead two-run shot in the eighth, setting up Edwin Díaz to slam the door with a two-inning save.
“Realistically,” reliever Ryne Stanek said, “that feels like the moment we’ve been waiting for.”
The victory was important and showed the grit this team can muster, but there’s still a way to go, and Peterson’s outing did not help. Carlos Mendoza had to deploy the bullpen for 23 outs, raising questions about how fresh arms will be for the weekend in Miami. Additionally, it’s unclear if Peterson’s two-month swoon will force the Mets to get creative in a potential must-win final game of the regular season.
With five games to go and the Mets’ magic number at five, the question is whether Tuesday night’s fireworks were the spark or just a fleeting moment in the Mets’ playoff push.
New York Mets (81-76)
Remaining schedule and probable starters:
Mets at Cubs – Jonah Tong vs. Matthew Boyd
Mets at Cubs – Nolan McLean vs. Shota Imanaga
Mets at Marlins – TBA vs. Sandy Alcantara
Mets at Marlins – Sean Manaea vs. Eury Perez
Mets at Marlins – David Peterson vs. Edward Cabrera
Cincinnati Reds (80-77), 1.0 GB
The Reds’ five-game winning streak was snapped Tuesday night when they fell to the Pirates at home 4-2. They’ll hope to hold firm in the race Wednesday night, facing the Cy Young Award favorite, Paul Skenes.
Remaining schedule and probable starters:
Pirates at Reds – Paul Skenes vs. Hunter Greene
Pirates at Reds – Braxton Ashcraft vs. Nick Lodolo
Reds at Brewers – Zack Littell vs. Jacob Misiorowski
Reds at Brewers – Andrew Abbott vs. TBA
Reds at Brewers – Brady Singer vs. TBA
Arizona Diamondbacks (80-77), 1.0 GB
The Diamondbacks looked like they were going to lose a game in the race heading into the ninth inning Tuesday night against the Dodgers. However, they rattled off their own come-from-behind victory and tied the game before Geraldo Perdomo walked it off with a single.
Remaining schedule and probable starters:
Dodgers at Diamondbacks – Blake Snell vs. Ryne Nelson
Dodgers at Diamondbacks – Yoshinobu Yamamoto vs. Zac Gallen
Diamondbacks at Padres – TBA vs. Yu Darvish
Diamondbacks at Padres – Eduardo Rodriguez vs. Michael King
Diamondbacks at Padres – Brandon Pfaadt vs. Nick Pivetta
St. Louis Cardinals (78-80), 3.5 GB
The Cardinals, hoping for a miracle, will hope to complete a sweep of the Giants on Wednesday night to remain in the race.
Remaining schedule: at Giants (1); at Cubs (3)
Miami Marlins (77-80), 4.0 GB
The Marlins have been on a heater, winning eleven of their last twelve, and are riding a seven-game win streak. They hope to force the Mets’ hand in the finals series of the year.
Remaining schedule: at Phillies (2); home vs. Mets (3)
