On July 12th, the Mets were 11 games under .500 at 40-51 and seven games back of the second National League wild-card spot. On August 5th, the Mets are one game under .500 at 55-56 and are just three games back.
What a wild turnaround it has been.
Combine some great starting pitching with an improved bullpen, timely hitting, along with an incredibly easy schedule and the Mets have found themselves playing meaningful playoff-race baseball in the month of August. On this date last season, the Mets were an abysmal 45-64 and were 16.5 games back … of a wild-card spot! We have seen the Mets completely irrelevant in August many times before, but now, every game counts. It's must-watch baseball.
It's nice to write something positive for once about this team. There's been so much negativity that we have had to deal with that I am going to keep this one on a positive note. This team has been fun to watch on this stretch that has seen them win nine of their last 10 games after winning seven in a row. While they are still under .500 and have a tough road ahead, they are competing and playing with some heart. They are getting contributions every night from someone different, whether it's Jeff McNeil or J.D. Davis or Wilson Ramos or Michael Conforto or Todd Frazier or their pitching staff. They have done it with their slugger Pete Alonso in his worst stretch of hitting in his rookie season. If Alonso can get back in a groove, this offense instantly becomes much better. They will need it with the recently hot Robinson Cano headed to the IL.
Maybe having "The Vulture" take over as pitching coach has made a difference? The Mets are getting strong starts almost every night from a rotation that is now featuring a pretty damn good pitcher every night. When Steven Matz is essentially your worst starter, you're in good shape. Noah Syndergaard has returned to his old form. Zack Wheeler has been solid since coming off the IL. Jacob DeGrom has been Jacob DeGrom. Marcus Stroman struggled a bit in his first start, but had 10 days away from the mound. They expect him to be a major contributor down the stretch after posting a sub-3 ERA with an atrocious Blue Jays team.
What it may come down to for this team is their bullpen. Edwin Diaz has now become a liability. He can't have clean innings. They can not feel safe with him in the game with a one or two-run lead and that's a big issue. They can not afford Diaz blowing games as he has done this summer. Jeurys Familia has been a nightmare as well. They are at a point of the season where they need to have the bullpen seal the deal the final two to three innings of games, and the starters can only do so much. Seth Lugo has been a savior and Justin Wilson has come back off the IL and been terrific. Wilson has allowed just one run in the month he's been back. Brodie Van Wagenen needs to add an arm like Cody Allen to their middle relief. They can not be in a pennant race throwing the likes of Chris Flexen and Tyler Bashlor out there. The guys that bridge the gap need to be major leaguers if they want to be a contender.
The Mets badly need to take three of four or sweep the Marlins as they return home this week. They need to enter their three-game set at Citi Field this weekend against the Nationals over .500. They have the chance to put themselves in a position to really make things interesting if they can beat the Marlins and win a series against the Nats, who they are chasing for the second wild-card spot. In 2015, the Mets swept the Nats in a key late series in July that propelled them in the final months to go on a run to win the division. They have a shot to truly be taken seriously if they can do the same thing this week.
It's officially "go time" now. We've got a pennant race in Queens, but the Mets' toughest test is ahead. With 51 games to go, the Mets only have 14 more games against teams below .500, and four of them are this week. That means 10 of their 47 final games are against teams that are not really sniffing the playoffs. The good thing for them is that 33 of their 51 games are at home, where they are 28-20 this season.
Taking care of business at home could give the Mets a chance at a miracle run to the playoffs that would have laughable a few weeks ago. Nobody ahead of them is exactly running away with it. If they win games, they can pull this off. There's a lot of things that need to happen for the Mets to do this, but it's in their hands. They have officially reeled me and most of the fan base in. We know this probably ends in heartbreak, but why not believe? Three games is not a deep hole. They have chances to gain ground in head-to-head matchups with teams ahead of them like the Nationals, Phillies, Cubs and Diamondbacks. We were all hopeless a few weeks ago, but it's go time. It's pennant race baseball in Queens. Let's enjoy the ride.
Ya gotta believe. LFGM.
Follow Jake on Twitter @JakeBrownRadio.
