The New York Mets have their sights on making it back to the World Series, but first, they have to dig themselves out of the hole they are in. The Mets have struggled all season but have made a resurgence of sorts and now find themselves less than three games back for a Wild Card spot in the National League.
How does a team that has struggled at the plate, on the mound and dealt with a rash of injuries find themselves in such a great position? The Mets are not the Phillies; they have veteran leadership to go along with their young guys, but they’ve been here before and knew what it takes to win. Look at the standings, as the Mets continue to make their climb the other teams above them are either reeling or treading water which works in their favor.
The question is, do they have enough in the tank to catch the Cardinals or Giants?
Yes, they do and here is why. Both the Cards and Giants are struggling now and with the Mets heading into the last leg of their schedule they will have mostly NL East teams. They have six more against the Marlins who are trying their best to hold on to what slim of a lead they have over the Mets. If the Mets can clear the hurdle that’s the Marlins over the next few days the Wild Card spot is as good as theirs.
But it’s not as easy as it looks. The Mets have struggled against their division with a 7-6 record against Atlanta, 7-5 against the Phillies, 7-5 against Miami and 4-9 against the Nationals. But, what the Mets have over those teams is experienced. The Nats are historical chokers, while the Marlins and Phillies are too young to handle the pressure, and the Braves are playing for next season.
If the Mets bats can get the timely hitting they got last season with Yoenis Cespedes, Curtis Granderson and newcomer Jay Bruce the Mets will make their move towards another postseason appearance.