The Mets open up a 6-game inter-league homestand against AL West foes the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, followed by the Oakland A’s, who are both making their inaugural trips to CITI Field.
The Mets come into tonight’s play at a mediocre 34-35, coming off a heartbreaking loss in Atlanta, which saw the Mets fight back from a 6-2 deficit, to take an 8-6 lead heading into the bottom of the 9th.
Seeking a 3-game series sweep at Turner Field for the first time in 5-seasons, closer Francisco Rodriguez blew his first save since the second game of the season, and in the bottom of the 10th reliever D.J Carrasco balked in the game winning run as the Mets dropped a brutal one to the Braves.
With the Mets just 4-back in the loss column for the wild-card and with two teams limping into CITI Field it is imperative the Mets jump on both the Angels and A’s and take no prisoners, before they set out for Texas and Detroit for more inter-league action.
The team from Queens cannot let last nights hard swallowing defeat keep them down for to long, as the Phillies continue to win and separate themselves from the rest of the NL East the Mets only shot may be the wild-card.
Over the past month the Angels have lost 17-of their last 28-games. With veterans Bobby Abreu and Tori Hunter finally showing to start their age, combined with injuries to slugger Kendry Morales, and the inconsistent play of off-season acquisition Vernon Wells, the Mets must beat the Angels while they are still down.
The Amazin’s have struggled all season long at the pitcher friendly CITI Field as they are 2-games under .500 15-17, while they have faired much better on the road, at a surprising 19-18 clip, a team that over the past few years has struggled as much as any team in the Majors to win games on the road.
On the flip side, the Angels have faired similarly to the Mets, as the Los Angeles second team has been fairly successful away from Hollywood posting an 18-17 record, compared to a 15-20 home record.
Meanwhile, when this 3-game series wraps up, the Mets will welcome the beleaguered and depleted Oakland A’s to the city that never sleeps.
The team that hails from the bay area has struggled as much as anyone of late leading to Bob Geren’s firing with the replacement of former Mariners and Diamondbacks manager, Bob Melvin.
The A’s are a much better home team (16-16), than road team (14-24), and have already lost 3/5th’s of their starting rotation, a team that relies heavily on pitching while trying to squeak out runs anyway they can.
So, if the Mets are in fact serious contenders as they eye to make a serious run at this wild-card, than these next 6-games may tell the story.
With two depleted and weakened teams making the trip to the east coast for inter-league play, this is the Mets golden chance to perhaps run off 5 of 6 and get themselves back over that elusive .500 mark. More importantly this is an opportunity for the Mets to get back into the NL Wild-card race as a serious threat, rather than just a meager flirt or tease.
