Manager Terry Collins addressed with reporters what we posted about on Monday, and that is the grueling schedule that lies ahead for the Mets in July.
Collins says his plan is to tell the team not to worry about who they’re playing and focus on the here and now.
“We know what we’re facing,” Collins said. “It’s the big leagues, and that is what it’s supposed to be. You’ve got to play good teams.”
Seven of the Mets next nine opponents currently have a record over .500, starting with the this series against the Cubs in which their weakest starter held the Mets scoreless in a 1-0 loss.
The Mets will now face Cubs ace Jon Lester tonight and their other top arm Jake Arrieta in the series finale on Thursday. Then it’s off to Los Angeles where they will face Clayton Kershaw and Zack Greinke in the weekend series on the West Coast.
“We have not played very well on the road,” Collins added. “We’ve got 12 road games against teams that are in first place or second place, but we can’t look past tonight.”
The Mets have the worst road record in the majors and finished 1-7 on their last road trip. They were shutout four times in June, the most in the majors.
June 29
The Mets could be hitting a pivotal point in their season in the midway portion of the 2015 season. Manager Terry Collins is aware of that so he’s not taking anything for granted. “We’re at a critical point,” said the Mets manager.
Seven of the Mets next nine opponents currently have a record over .500, starting with the three game home series against the Cubs beginning tonight.
Following that will be a tough West Coast trip to California, against the NL West leading Dodgers and the defending World Series champion Giants. The Mets will then return to Citi Field for a three game set against the Diamondbacks just before the All Star Break.
After the break, the Mets will hit the road against the St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals, and then it’s home again with four games against the Dodgers, three with the Padres and finally three with the Nats. July will certainly be one tough and grueling month for the Mets.
“Just look at who we play in July,” said Collins. “It’s critical. We’re playing all division-leading teams in the month of July, so you better believe it’s critical. We better pick up the way we play.” (Joe Trezza, MLB.com)
The Mets have been streaky all year. they had an 11 game winning streak at the start of the season. On their most recent road trip, the Mets lost seven in a row, but bounced back to win four in a row including a three game sweep of the Reds.
The Mets seriously need to ramp up their game on offense. They currently rank 27th in the Majors and 14th in the NL in runs scored.
During the Mets seven game losing streak, they scored a total of only nine runs combined. And until Sunday’s seven run outburst led by Steven Matz, they won three games despite scoring just six runs.
Curtis Granderson has been red hot at the plate for the Mets, and has hit safely in each of his last eight games, batting .452 over that stretch. In June, he’s hitting .303 with a .950 OPS and seven home runs. The Mets right fielder understands the difficult road that lies ahead for the Mets.
“You control what you can control,” Granderson. “Who knows what will happen. Who knows how teams will be playing when you face them. You hope you’re at your best when you run up against teams, and they’re at their best so you can measure yourself against them.”
The Mets offense should get some help when Daniel Murphy is activated from the disabled list later today.
