The Mets' quest for a wild-card spot continues with a nine-game homestand that starts Tuesday against the Cleveland Indians.
New York currently sits two games back of the Chicago Cubs for the second National League wild card.
The Mets are starting at a golden opportunity to gain ground in the standings. They've been a much better team at home than on the road, and 26 of their final 38 games will be played at Citi Field.
So what would be an acceptable record over these next nine games, which come against the Indians, Braves and Cubs -- all teams that would be in the playoffs if the season ended today? On Tuesday's "Boomer and Gio" show, Jerry Recco said simply finishing over .500 on the homestand would be key.
"This might sound very average -- because it is -- but I think if they went 5-4, I think they would be in very good shape because these are three very good teams they're playing.
"If they go 5-4, I think they've done a really good job. Six and three would be tremendous, and anything beyond that would be stupid, in my opinion, with who they're playing. You just can't have one of these 2-7, 3-6 type of deals. But I think if they were around 5-4, 6-3, they would be in really good shape going forward."
Gregg Giannotti, who like Recco is a Mets fans, said he'd be content with 5-4 but wants more.
"I think you would take that because you know that you're going to be right there in the mix with the cannibalization that we've talked about with all these teams in the wild card," he said. "But you also would love to see them, because they've got these games at home and what Citi Field has been since they've gotten themselves back in the race, to maybe use this time in this homestand to create a little bit of separation."
Regardless, the Mets, who were 11 games out of .500 just after the All-Star break, have now positioned themselves nicely to be in playoff contention well into September, Gio said.
"They should be there," he said. "Now this team we've seen earlier on the year (is) capable of going on a long losing streak, losing a bunch of series in a row. But this has been a different team. The pitching has been better. The bullpen has been better. The offense has been better. So they should be in it all the way to the end. And you can make a case that they're right up there as one of the favorites to grab one of the wild cards because of 26 at home and 12 on the road."
To listen to the open from Tuesday's "Boomer and Gio" show, click on the audio player above.
