Disgusting is all that needs to be uttered. No other words are necessary to describe the performance of the Mets this past weekend against the Philadelphia Phillies. With a six and a half game lead in the division entering play on Friday, the series presented a chance to slam the door on the Phillies playoff aspirations. Come Monday morning, the lead has been trimmed to a mere 3 and a half game cushion and the door to the playoffs was left wide open.
MVP Candidate and newly crowned 30/30 man David Wright could not have said it any clearer when he told the New York Times following Sunday’s loss “They came in and embarrassed us. We were in a position to bury these guys and we failed miserably”
Following this weekend’s utterly shameful debacle, all Mets fans should be afraid. Fear not of making the playoffs; that is almost a certainty with only fourteen games remaining. What should terrify the Mets however is the notion that Philadelphia may indeed make the playoffs as the wildcard. Until they are able to prove otherwise, the Amazins are anything but against Philly, and I would certainly be concerned to face them in a playoff series.
If the nauseating fact that the Mets have dropped eight straight contests to their biggest threat isn’t difficult enough to grasp, the fashion in which they have been defeated is all the more revolting. In a sense, the Phillies have become the “new” Braves; the Mets just cannot find a way to beat them. Every single break seems to fall Philadelphia’s way. Walks issued to the number eight hitter, walking the pitcher on four straight pitches, free passes with the bases loaded, butchering double play balls, all areas in which the Mets seem to excel at, but only when Philadelphia is gracing the opposing dugout.
Since when did Jimmy Rollins become Chipper Jones? No Mets pitcher seems to be able to retire him. He has beat the Mets so many times in so many ways in 2007, that whenever he comes up in a key spot, it can be expected that something bad is going to happen “We’re the team to beat.” Is what Rollins said over the winter, regarding his teams chances in the National League East. Though his team may not have backed the statement to the best of their capabilities, Rollins has certainly gone out and done everything in his power to propel the Phillies to the playoffs. He is hated, and for good reason, he has been nothing but a thorn in the side of the Mets, but quite frankly all Mets fans have to admit, he’s damn good
Caught up in all the dread of disappointment, it cannot be overlooked that the Mets face absolutely nobody to close out the season. Taking care of business is what it is all about. I don’t foresee any problems in the final 14 games, what is going to intrigue me more in the final fourteen games is watching the scoreboard at what they boys down the Turnpike are doing. After squandering comfortable division leads twice to the Phillies, if the NL East title comes down to beating the Nationals or Marlins in the finals days, then perhaps they’re not worthy of wearing the crown at all.
