The final week of the MLB regular season is upon us, as their are only seven games left for the New York Mets. The Mets are coming off what would usually be considered a very good road trip, which saw them win both series against the Colorado Rockies and the Cincinnati Reds.

Unfortunately the Mets are trying to make up ground fast in the Wild Card standings and really needed to pick up sweeps to match the red-hot Milwaukee Brewers.

Jacob deGrom was excellent is his start this week, shutting out the Reds in a great pitcher’s duel against Reds’ ace Luis Castillo. Meanwhile Brandon Nimmo continues to be a spark plug at the top of the lineup, showing what the Mets have been missing all year while he was stuck on the IL.

Hitter of the Week – Brandon Nimmo

Brandon Nimmo missed over three months this season due to a bulging disc in his neck that kept him on IL. Prior to the injury, Nimmo was clearly playing through pain and was not the same player that we saw lead all Mets hitters in WAR back in 2018.

Nimmo hit .200/.343/.323 across his first 43 games, before finally being placed in the injured list. Since his return on September 1st, Nimmo has been a huge addition to the lineup, finally regaining his leadoff role this past week.

In 19 games this month, Nimmo is hitting .271/.446/.646, with five home runs, 12 RBIs and 11 runs scored. Nimmo’s ability to get on-base at a high clip, while still driving the ball with power, brings a great weapon to the top of the lineup. His speed has been a welcome addition as well. Nimmo’s on-base percentage leads the team in September, as does his 1.092 OPS.

This week, Nimmo scored runs in five of the Mets six games and homered in three of them. On Tuesday, Nimmo was one of the three Mets to homer in the sixth inning. That game was scoreless going into that inning, but the Mets tallied four runs and ultimately won 6-1.

In the Mets great comeback victory the following day, Nimmo’s basehit tied the game in the ninth inning, before they rallied to score three more runs to win the game. Finally on Sunday, Nimmo capped off a great week by hitting a homer in the ninth inning to give the Mets an insurance run in their eventual 6-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.

Nimmo’s stats this past week: .318/.400/.682, 7 H, 4 R, 2 HR, 3B, 6 RBI, 1.082 OPS

The Mets will need Nimmo to continue scoring runs at the top the lineup if they are going to run the table this week and give themselves a shot at the playoffs.

Pitcher of the Week

Jacob deGrom looks well on his way to winning his second-consecutive Cy Young Award with the way he is finishing off this season.

Since July 1st, deGrom has pitched to a sparkling 1.63 ERA, which has been reminiscent of the incredible 1.70 clip he posted in 2018. deGrom is currently pacing the National League in strikeouts (248) and WHIP (0.99). He also ranks in the top five in batting average against, ERA (2.51, 2nd) and innings pitched (197, 3rd). With all of those numbers already in place, a strong start against the Marlins on Wednesday could clinch the Cy Young for deGrom.

What has been really impressive about deGrom’s most recent success, is the opposing pitcher’s he has gone up against. Last Saturday, deGrom beat fellow Cy Young candidate and NL ERA leader Hyun-Jin Ryu, throwing seven scoreless innings. This week, deGrom once again pitched seven scoreless innings, this time beating Reds ace Luis Castillo.

DeGrom’s line this past week: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 9 K

If the Mets were to still be in playoff contention come the last game of the season, deGrom would surely be asked to pitch on three days rest to bring his team into October. We will see if the stars can align to give the Mets ace that opportunity.