The Mets have not won back-to-back games in over a month now and since May 1 they are three games under .500. In three weeks, they have gone from three back in the division and leading the race for the second Wild Card, to nine games behind the Nationals and two games out of a playoff berth.
The Mets have also lost Asdrubal Cabrera, Yoenis Cespedes, and Jose Reyes to the disabled list. Matt Harvey and David Wright each had season ending surgery, and Lucas Duda is out for the season with a back injury. But despite all of that, they are still very much alive in the Wild Card race.
The Mets are well-aware of what they need to do as Michael Conforto pointed out after Sunday’s win. “We’ve got to start winning some games. I think we’re going to get hot sometime soon. So I would say there is that urgency. I wouldn’t say there’s any panic. I think we feel the urgency, but that doesn’t change the way we show up everyday.” (MLB.com)
Neil Walker, who is swinging an incredibly hot bat lately, says the Mets need to start winning games in bunches. “That’s the most important thing this time of the year is to just get on a roll, try to get hot. That’s what we’re looking for. So hopefully, we’ll hit our stride here soon.”
Fate, with a little help from the schedule makers, may be handing the Mets a golden opportunity to make up some solid ground in their push for the postseason. After a much needed day off, the Mets begin a six game homestand against two of the worst teams in baseball in the Arizona Diamondbacks and the San Diego Padres.
After that the Mets begin a West Coast trip starting with another three against the Diamondbacks. These are nine extremely winnable games for the Mets and present a huge opportunity to impact their playoff hopes.
But nothing has come easy for the Amazins this season, so they’ll need to start upping their performance if they truly are committed to securing one of those Wild Card spots.
So far this season, the Mets have not taken full advantage of the weaker teams they’ve played and that has to change. They’ve only gone 7-6 against a terrible Braves team, and they split a four-game set with the Padres at Petco Park.
Even with so many key players on the DL, the Mets are significantly better than the Diamondbacks and Padres as presently constituted. Outfielder Curtis Granderson believes his team is in great shape saying, “The fact that we’re missing so many pieces and still in the thick of things is a positive because we’re going to get some of those guys back.”
Granderson makes a good point. Jim Henderson, Zack Wheeler and Jose Reyes are already on rehab assignments in St. Lucie, and Yoenis Cespedes believes he just needed some extended rest and can return from the disabled list as soon as he’s eligible.
Still, while the Mets wait for those players to return, the current roster can get things rolling by knocking off these sub .500 teams. With the Diamondbacks and Padres coming into town, there is no time like the present to get hot, put together a solid winning streak, and finally begin that strong playoff push.
