If you would have told me one month ago that the Mets would play meaningful games in September, I would have laughed it off and then said: “sure, next September.” Now, with 16 games to go, the Mets find themselves just 5 1/2 games out of the second wildcard spot. They trail the Pirates who haven’t exactly shined in the month of September.
Despite a recent 5-game winning streak, the Pirates are 6-5 since the last day of August. While they have the ability to secure the 2nd Wildcard with a solid September, nothing about the Pirates screams playoffs.
The Mets on the other hand have been red hot. They’ve won 8 of their last 10 games and have gotten solid pitching and surprising offense during that stretch. Despite very small odds, the Mets are still alive and are playing meaningful games in September.
“We’ve got to make September mean something” Terry Collins told Mike Puma of The Daily News. “September can be a real long month if we’re not playing for something and we brought it up to the guys that they are not out of the hunt yet, just because they are 10 or 12 or 13 games back in the division, doesn’t mean we’re out of the hunt.”
10 or 12 games might be too much to overcome, but with 16 games to go, 5 1/2 isn’t unheard of. The 2007 Mets had a 7 game lead and wound up losing the division in one of the worst collapses in baseball history. The odds are long but not impossible.
Lucas Duda added that “We have a chance. Everybody in that room thinks we have a chance. If we keep playing well, anything can happen, so be optimistic. Go out there and play hard and see what happens.”
Wednesday night Rafael Montero did his best to keep the Mets playoff hopes alive. He delivered a solid 5 1/3 inning outing, striking out 7. He didn’t allow a hit until the 5th inning.
Montero should get another start at some point this month but for now the Mets turn their attention to the division leading Washington Nationals. They will face stiff pitching with Jordan Zimmerman and Gio Gonzalez making two of the starts in the series. Spirits seem high and it will be interesting to see how this team fights through the remaining three weeks of September.
