3 UP

1. Buffalo Charging

Historically, August has been one of the better months of Wilson Ramos‘ career. This year, Ramos took his play in August to an even higher level than he ever has.

Ramos finished the month with an active 24 game hitting streak putting him just six games behind Moises Alou for the Mets team record. Overall, he registered a hit in 25 of the 26 games he played in August hitting .434/.462/.576 with five doubles, three homers and 20 RBI.

One other note is he’s been catching everyone with the concerns about his defense quieting down. Perhaps, this is a case of his defense being acceptable when he hits. It’s also possible he and the pitching staff have gotten more comfortable with one another.

Whatever the case, this is the Ramos everyone had hoped to get when he was signed. With him playing this way, the Mets suddenly look like contenders.

2. Postseason Awards Race Heating Up

With Fernando Tatis, Jr. going down with an injury, it made the National League Rookie of the Year award Pete Alonso‘s to lose. Alonso isn’t losing it.

During the Month of August, Alonso hit .283/.372/.566 with six doubles, eight homers and 24 RBI. With a month remaining in the season, he already surpassed Cody Bellinger for the National League rookie record, and he’s surpassed Todd Hundley and Carlos Beltran for the Mets single season record.

By August, he’s wrapped up the award, and he may not be the only Mets player to win a postseason award.

In August, Jacob deGrom was 2-1 with a 2.18 ERA, 0.788 WHIP, and a 10.9 K/9. Because this is deGrom, it should come as no surprise it’s not even his best month this year. Because it’s deGrom, it should come as no surprise he’s in the thick of the Cy Young race.

Currently, deGrom is in the top five in bWAR, fWAR, ERA, K/9, innings, strikeouts, K/BB, FIP, and other important categories. Right now, this Cy Young race is wide open, and he’s put himself in position to win it.

3. Less Bull

By ERA, the Mets had the fourth best bullpen in the National League in August. That’s a huge step forward from where they were for much of the season.

This is the result of more than just Seth Lugo, who continues to be great. Justin Wilson has a 0.93 ERA since coming off the IL. Luis Avilan has allowed just two hits to left-handed hitters all season.

Recently, we’ve seen Jeurys Familia and Edwin Diaz rejuvenate themselves to once again become reliable late inning options. Throw in surprising contributions from Paul Sewald and Brad Brach, and suddenly, this is a deep, versatile, and dependable bullpen.

3 DOWN

1. Mets Blew Golden Opportunity

The Mets had six games against the Braves, and they’d lose five of those six games. As a result, they are 13.5 games out of the division leaving the Wild Card as their only shot to make the postseason.

To close out the month, the Mets had three games against the Cubs at home. Of note, the Mets entered that series 13 games over .500 at home, and the Cubs entered the series 14 games under .500 on the road.

The Mets were swept by the Cubs moving them from two out to five out. If the Mets swept the series, they’d have the second Wild Card. If they took two of three, they’d be one out.

In total, the Mets stepped up in competition towards the end of the month, and they lost six straight. That stretch took winning the division out of the equation, and it made winning the Wild Card all the more difficult.

2. Stroman Has Not Reached Full Potential Yet

The Mets shocked many when they acquired Marcus Stroman from the Blue Jays. With Stroman having a career year, being a local kid, and having big game experience, it looked like this could be a move to push the Mets over the top.

Instead, Stroman has largely struggled not registering a quality start in his five starts for the Mets. So far, he’s 1-1 with a 4.91 ERA, 1.675 WHIP, and a 2.08 K/BB with the team.

While he’s struggled, it should be noted he’s kept the Mets in games, and the team has won four of the five games he’s pitched. Hopefully, in September, Stroman will begin to look much more like the player he was with the Blue Jays.

3. Depth Exposed

One of the things which has continued to hurt the Mets all season is their depth. We see them cycle through Chris Mazza, Drew Gagnon, Walker Lockett, and others for that last spot in the bullpen with no one sticking.

On the bench, it’s been a series of players like Carlos Gomez, Aaron Altherr, Adeiny Hechavarria, and others. Making this cycle all the more maddening is the apparent driving force behind these moves is more salary than performance based.

This has led to the Mets taking Hail Marys on guys like Joe Panik and Brad Brach to varying degrees of success. It’s also led to them rushing back Jeff McNeil and potentially doing the same with Brandon Nimmo and Robinson Cano. The hope is these decisions will not have long lasting ramifications.