Can the Mets actually make a late season run?
New York opens a three-game set with the Nationals in D.C. tonight
What’s up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets were off on Monday and will open a three-game series with the Nationals in D.C. tonight
SS Francisco Lindor was named the National League Player of the Week for the fifth time in his career
The Mets placed their top prospect, Triple-A CF Carson Benge, on the 7-day IL with an undisclosed injury
Injury Updates 🏥
Francisco Álvarez (thumb contusion) got an MRI on his thumb in New York on Monday but the Mets have not yet given an update
Roster Moves 📰
The Mets requested waivers for the purpose of granting RHP Paul Blackburn's unconditional release.
The Just Mets Podcast 🎙️
Listen to this week’s JM Podcast as Rich MacLeod answers fan questions ahead of the final five weeks of the season:
Playoff Race 🏁
The Phillies crushed the Mariners while the Mets were off on Monday, so not an ideal night for the Mets in terms of the NL East race - they moved 5.5 games ahead of the Mets:
The Reds beat the Angels to close within one game of the Mets for the third Wild Card:
Per FanGraphs, the 2025 Mets now have an 83.9% chance to make the playoffs.
Down on the Farm 🌾
All Mets minor league affiliates were off on Monday.
Today’s Game 🗓️
Match-up: Mets (66-58) @ Nationals (50-74)
Where: Nationals Park - Washington D.C.
Starters: LHP David Peterson (7-5, 3.30 ERA) vs. RHP Jake Irvin (8-7, 5.14 ERA)
When: 6:45 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
Do these Mets have a signature run in them? ✍️
It was just about this time last year when the OMG Mets really hit their stride and went on a ferocious run that culminated with a playoff spot and a run to the NLCS.
Can history repeat itself a year later?
After struggling through a miserable first few weeks of August that watched them tumble in both the NL East and NL Wild Card standings, the Mets’ fortunes perhaps started to turn this past weekend.
Spurred by Nolan McLean’s stellar MLB debut on Saturday, the Mets won their final two games of their series with the Mariners.
To paraphrase the movie Major League, heading into tonight’s contest with the Nationals, the Mets have an opportunity to win three in a row, which would constitute a winning streak—it has happened before!
As usual, Francisco Lindor has been right in the middle of the Mets’ improved play. As Mike wrote yesterday, this team goes as their de facto captain goes, and when Lindor is playing at an NL Player of the Week level, the Mets are going to win.
Even though all four of them have been streaky this year, New York’s fab-four of Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Juan Soto, and Pete Alonso, that quartet has essentially carried the team all year long. The Mets have been desperate for some of their younger hitters to step up and join that group, and Mark Vientos’ big night on Sunday was obviously encouraging.
That said, for this team to really go on an extended run, it’s going to have to be due to an extreme turnaround from the pitching staff.
The Mets have not gotten length from literally anybody other than David Peterson, who toes the rubber tonight, and guys like Sean Manaea and Kodai Senga simply have to start pitching like the back of their baseball cards.
All of the innings the starters have left on the table have put far too much pressure and strain on the club’s bullpen, which has gone through an astronomical amount of arms.
But that doesn’t mean it has to stay that way.
Peterson, Senga, and Manaea—the club’s top three pitchers— are lined up to face an inferior division rival this week.
No excuses, this team simply needs all three to come up with money and fire three straight good starts and get on the plane Thursday night with a sweep.
If the Mets still plan to be a factor in the NL East race—which is far from over with seven games left with Philadelphia— it has to start tonight.
Now or never.
Around the League 🚩
Nolan Gorman and Alec Burleson each drove in a pair of runs in the Cardinals 8-3 road victory in Miami
Trea Turner delivered four hits and drove in five runs in the Phillies’ 12-5 drubbing of the Mariners
Freddy Peralta fired six scoreless innings and earned his 15th win as the Brew Crew blanked the Cubs 7-0
Paul Skenes struck out eight in six solid innings in the Pirates 5-2 home win over Toronto
Can the Mets actually make a late season run? Confucius says, YES, but only if the stars align and the pitching and hitting do not suck simultaneously ... for 38 games, he added. #LGM
We're 66-58 as of Aug 17. On the same date last year, we were 64-59.
HELL YEAH WE CAN MAKE A RUN.