The 2022 Subway Series phase one begins tonight with the first of two at Citi Field, and the Mets enter with a two-game lead over the Braves in the NL East and the second best record in the National League.
However, they also come in 25-20 since June 1, and in their last 45 games, the Mets have a run differential of +10 – a far cry from the +33 and +39 they put up in April and May, respectively.
Just a blip in the road, though, if you ask manager Buck Showalter, as Carton & Roberts did when the skipper appeared on their show Monday.
"There's ebbs and flows to a season, and you're never quite as good or as bad as they make you think you are. People don't want to hear about the caliber of pitchers you're facing or whatever – but it's also a combo that we haven't been putting our best foot forward offensively," Buck said. "Hopefully (Sunday's) game gets us pointed in the right direction. I think our track record will puts its head back forward again. This game is played by humans, and things happen sometimes that shouldn't. You have to trust your players and the work they're doing, and that at some point, it will right itself."
The Mets ended a three-game losing streak around the break – one in which they scored just four runs – with an 8-5 win over San Diego on Sunday night, the biggest blow Pete Alonso's three-run homer to open a five-run sixth after the Mets trailed 1-0 through 5 ½.
Sometimes, Buck says, a big hit like that, or a big play like Brandon Nimmo's leaping catch at the wall to end the sixth with the Padres threatening, can change momentum.
"Maybe, but (the home run thought) depends on who's pitching, because they always say momentum is based on who is pitching next," Buck said. "I think there was a change when Nimmo made that catch at the wall.
There's a certain finality about how many outs are left, and sometimes, when your back is against the wall, your best foot comes forward."
At worst, those kinds of plays can loosen players up, in case they may be pressing too much.
Sometimes you can want something too much, and there's two parts to that equation. That's why people chase home runs so much, because it's a short chain," he said. "I've seen teams play all kinds of small ball and score one run, then the other team comes in and has a walk and a two-run homer. You call it pressing, I call it wanting to, and sometimes that van get in the way of the flow of it."
With the trade deadline next Tuesday, this series against the Yankees and this weekend's set with the Marlins will be the last chance the Mets have to evaluate what they may need at the trade deadline to keep the line moving – but even if they get nothing else, Buck thinks the Mets have what it takes to win.
"Guys have a sense of urgency every day, and I haven't forgotten all the great things these guys have done to get us here, so that "what have you done for me lately" atmosphere doesn't permeate the clubhouse," Showalter said. "And, I don't know if anybody has better support from ownership and the front office than we do, so to say we have to have this or need this is foolish. I'm thankful for everything we've already done to make ourselves more competitive, and right now is a reflection of what's here."
And if Billy Eppler and company do decide to make more moves? They'll keep Buck in the loop, but he's going to continue to work with whatever he has, whenever he has it, to the best of his ability.
"Every job I've had is a little different, and one of the things attractive to me is that Billy and his front office have all that wired, and all I have to do is stay on top of these 26 players and let their skills come out," Showalter said. "So, my job is to take our players and put them into a position to be very good, and try to solve issues from within. If Billy walks in the door and says we're thinking about doing something and asks us about it, we talk, but I feel comfy and confident we'll put our best foot forward."
But will that come with Dom Smith, who is currently on the injured list but is once again in danger of losing at-bats down the stretch now that the Mets have acquired Daniel Vogelbach? On that front, at least, Buck wasn't ready to cross that bridge until he gets there.
"I talk to these guys all the time; the thing that gets players is the unknown, so if you may know of something, it's better for them to hear it," Showalter said, "but you have to be careful about something that doesn't come to pass. The first thing is we want to get Dom healthy, then see the lay of the land when we get there."
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