Somehow, the Mets have survived this free fall, for now...
The Mets still control their own destiny in the wild card race, but need some help as they continue to struggle on this road trip
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What’s Up with the Mets? ⚾️
The Mets were shutout 6-0 by the Brewers on Saturday night (box)
An essential bullpen game by the Brewers allowed just three baserunners over nine shutout innings against the Mets
Jose Quintana started for the Mets and allowed two runs over 4.1 IP
Reed Garrett put the nail in the coffin for the Mets, allowing four runs in the eighth inning to put the game out of reach
The Mets were shutout for the 13th time this season on Saturday
Playoff Race 🏁
The Mets lost and the Braves won and pulled ahead of the Mets for the second wild card. But the Diamondbacks also lost, giving the Mets another chance in this race.
There are just three games remaining.
The Mets magic number vs the Dbacks is now 2.
If the Mets win and the Diamondbacks lose today, the Mets will clinch the third wild card, the likely result of which would be the cancellation of Monday’s doubleheader between the Mets and Braves in Atlanta.
If the Mets lose today, the Mets will have to play at least one game in their scheduled doubleheader tomorrow no matter what. If the Mets lose and the Diamondbacks win, the Mets will need to play both legs of their doubleheader tomorrow in Atlanta.
Per FanGraphs, the Mets have a 60.8% chance of making the postseason.
Tiebreakers:
vs. ATL: 5-6
vs. ARI: 4-3 (finished)
vs. SD: 5-2 (finished)
Oh, the agony! 😭
The Mets are hitting .161/.216/.250 with 20 hits, seven walks, and 38 strikeouts in their last four games
The Mets are hitting .172 (5-for-29) with one extra-base hit with runners in scoring position over their last five games
Mets offense, since September 21 (4 games):
Today’s Game 🗓
Match-up: Mets (87-72) at Brewers (93-68)
Where: American Family Field — Milwaukee, WI
Starters: LHP David Peterson (9-3, 3.08 ERA) vs. RHP Colin Rea (12-5, 4.17 ERA)
When: 3:10 PM EDT
Where to Watch: SNY
How much do the Mets want this thing? ✍️
Leave it to this franchise to bring us to this point.
I am not one to be normally pessimistic or cynical, as many of you know. I am often criticized for being too optimistic about the Mets, seeing a forest through the trees which doesn’t exist but is merely a mirage, and defending this franchise when perhaps the last thing they need or deserve is such a defense.
Perhaps I am guilty of all of that.
For good reason though.
After all, the Mets have been in my blood since 1985. I remember 1986 like it was yesterday. I have been at either Shea Stadium or Citi Field for some of its finest and richest moments since that time, seen careers come and go and have pledged an undying loyalty to this franchise through thick and thin.
But what has happened in the last three games to this team is indefensible. I can’t help but wonder if this isn’t going to be another 2007 or 2008. Or even 2022.
I don’t see the same team that left Citi Field a week ago today. That team was loose. That team was electric. That team believed they were invincible. That team could beat anybody.
I mean, they came off of four games against the Phillies in which they won three and mostly outplayed them at everything they do well in the process.
But in a span of a week, and three games played on the schedule, the Mets have barfed up their lead to the Braves, who now lead the Mets by a game.
Only the Mets. And only this time of year.
The funny thing is, despite this embarrassing bellyflop, the Mets somehow still control their fate. In fact, they still may not have to go to Atlanta after today’s game and play this ridiculous doubleheader.
Who wants it less? The Mets or the Diamondbacks?
It’s Arizona who has given the Mets a chance to walk away from this crash and burn without a scratch on them. Of course, that can only happen if the Mets show up in Milwaukee this afternoon and they get help from the Padres, who would have to finish off a sweep of a reeling Diamondbacks club who can only not get out of their own way a little bit more than the Mets right now.
That’s the amazing thing.
Arizona has fallen on themselves harder than the Mets.
Let’s just say the Mets survive this falling off a cliff moment again in their history. For a moment anyway. If they do - and right now, that’s a big IF - they’re not leaving town. They’re going to have to face the Brewers in the National League Wild Card Series on Tuesday, in Milwaukee.
The Mets can’t hold a candle to the wind against the Brewers at this point. Hell, they haven’t even won a game against them this season, and quite frankly haven’t been close, either. That team runs all over them, out pitches them, outplays them in every facet of the game.
They are head over heals better than the Mets - they’re doing nothing to prove me otherwise.
This is mostly why I am very pessimistic about what lies ahead. This is a rarity for me. I am usually one of those “law of averages” people who believes that despite a small sample, the Mets will eventually come around as will their offense and their pulse.
But unfortunately, we are living in a world of small samples this week, and right now that small sample is as typically meager for the Mets when it matters the most as it could possibly get.
What the Mets need to understand is, as we learned in 2007 and 2008 and probably 2022, having a bad week in week 26 of a baseball season can change everything for a franchise. It’s the difference between reinforcing a culture of winning or losing. It’s the difference between some players staying and some players going.
Its not just the difference between playing on Tuesday or not - it’s about writing the right chapter in a franchise’s history versus the wrong one, the wrong one being the chapter we have talked about for years with the Mets.
The Mets have a chance at writing that good chapter today. They may still have to play in Atlanta tomorrow - they did that to themselves. But a win today buys then time at a minimum, and a potential wild card win if they get more help from the Padres.
You know, you get what you deserve in this world. That’s not to say the Mets deserved to lose Francisco Lindor for two weeks and get a rusty version of him back when they need his MVP-caliber play more than ever. That’s also not to say they deserved the bad umpiring on Friday, or any other bad break they’ve gotten which has made this harder than one might think it should be.
But that’s all an illusion in an effort to make one feel better about a very bad situation.
In the end, the Mets have only to blame but themselves for not showing up this week. Their at-bats are non-competitive, they’ve gotten almost nothing from their starting pitchers on this road trip (although I am not going to get on Jose Quintana for his start last night despite the short outing). They’ve played as tight as a team which appears terrified of losing (no matter what they say in public) and is waiting for something to happen.
There’s no pulse. There’s no spirit. There’s nothing but a team hoping to survive and get to the playoffs.
Again, they only have themselves to blame for that. This is not the team that was the best team in baseball for nearly four months.
Maybe they’ll be in Milwaukee today.
It’s up to them. How much do they want this thing?
I guess we will find out in a few hours.
Around the League 🚩
The Padres helped the Mets out in a 5-0 shutout win over the Diamondbacks in Phoenix
Travis d'Arnaud hit a walk-off home run to help the Braves edge the Royals 2-1 and solidify their spot in the playoff race
The Dodgers clinched the top seed in the National League with a 13-2 drubbing of the Rockies
Paul Skenes - the likely NL rookie of the year and potential Cy Young candidate - finished his season with a 1.96 ERA after starting and giving the Pirates two innings in their 9-4 win over the Yankees
SM had a bad day but (I know it's an excuse, but it also is reasonably true) probably could have gutted it out without horrible umpiring. The Mets were down 2-0 until Reid "don't trust him at all now" Garrett and company finished them. And the Mets did get some runs in Game One.
That's the positive. Anyway, my stance has been that if they got in that the playoffs were gravy. I'll dream but it won't be crushing if they lost.
I knew most of the options would be tough to beat. The best would be the Diamondbacks. So, losing in the first round - at least if they gave a fight - would be acceptable.
They still have to get there & these games are depressing. It also shows why -- even if it seems greedy -- they had to win at least a couple more games. We can point out some examples.
I guess this happens to every team but it seems like the bats just disappear for games at a time with this Mets team. Thank god for OMG. Guys need to step up.