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Over the weekend, the Mets offense was exposed by a better team. The Mets have been relying on a few of their big bats such as Pete Alonso and J.D. Davis while hoping the backups who are filling in can be serviceable enough for them to get by. Well, those guys just aren’t going to cut it in crunch time against teams they are looking up at in the standings.
The Mets' upcoming 12-game stretch is what will make or break their season. They're facing teams ahead of them in the National League wild-card chase. Three at home against the Cubs, three on the road against the Phillies, three on the road against the Nationals and then three at home against the Phillies again. They could either still be in the thick of the race or be buried by the time Sept. 9 rolls around.
This team badly needs its reinforcements back in the lineup sooner rather than later. Jeff McNeil returned over the weekend, but now it’s time to get a few more guys back.
USA Today Sports Images Juan Lagares has stepped up of late, but he cannot be in the lineup every day like he has been. It took a hot streak just to get him up to .218 and a .288 OBP. Nimmo, who has been out since May with a neck issue, is a huge upgrade offensively from Lagares. If Nimmo is his old self, that’s a drastic change in the lineup, and there’s a good chance he’ll be back this weekend against the Phillies.
Getting a healthy Jed Lowrie in the lineup is also essential. While we had all forgotten about Lowrie, this was a guy who blasted 23 homers and drove in 99 runs with a .353 OBP with Oakland last season. He is no slouch, can play around the infield and come off the bench. If and when he’s back, it may only be a few times a week, but just having him as a potential pinch-hitter and double-switch option on the other days would make a big difference.
We should never have to see Luis Guillorme and his .222 average again in this playoff push. Lowrie could also help push Todd Frazier to the bench. You can’t have Frazier in the lineup every day in these final four weeks. His .228 average and .300 OBP aren’t cutting it. He is mired in a slump (6-for-42 in his last 11 games) and is too streaky. He’s not a bad option to have off the bench, but the return of Nimmo and potentially Lowrie would make the decision to sit Frazier pretty easy.
It’s still too early to tell, but the final piece of the puzzle could be Robinson Cano. Many expected the veteran second baseman to be done for the season when he tore his hamstring earlier this month, but he already has been taking batting practice, fielding grounders and running. It sure looks like he could return in the coming weeks if all goes well. Having Cano in the lineup just makes the Mets more dynamic and strengthens their bench as well. If they can play well with Nimmo returning in this difficult 12-game stretch and be in the thick of things, they may have Lowrie and Cano when these two weeks are over. These guys could be the boost that lifts the Mets into October.
The Mets should gladly welcome the possibility of having too many guys in the final month. The less Lagares, Frazier and Guillorme we see, the better chance this team can score enough runs to win games.
Oh yeah, on a side note, can Mickey Callaway not use reliever Paul Sewald in any game that is remotely close? He’s been way too inconsistent in his time in the big leagues to insert him into game when the Mets have a lead or deficit of three of fewer runs. There’s not much of a reason he should even be on the roster over Donnie Hart.
September is right around the corner, and reinforcements are on the way. But can the Mets beat the teams ahead of them to make it a meaningful September? Callaway and the gang sure hope that Nimmo’s run-to-first-on-a-walk kind of spark gets it all started and helps propel the Mets to October baseball. Lowrie and Cano will hopefully not be far behind.
The Mets could finally end up trotting out the Opening Day lineup general manager Brodie Van Wagenen envisioned when he proclaimed in January "come get us."