The Mets were hearing all kinds of questions around them heading into this week's series against the Braves, with many wondering how long New York could hold its shrinking lead in the NL East as Atlanta continued to surge.
There were questions about the team's needs ahead of the trade deadline, what it would take to keep them atop the division throughout the season, and why or why not they were a true contender.
After taking two of three from Atlanta, some may say that the Mets have answered some of those questions, or silenced some of those concerns that the team was coming back down to earth. But the Mets themselves will not be among them.
"Nothing I didn't already feel confident about," Buck Showalter said when asked what the series win says about his group. "Our guys are a very competitive group. They don't have to tell anybody about it. they try to show you."
New York showed it in this three-game set, taking two of three from the surging Braves despite being without half of their All-Stars in Starling Marte and Jeff McNeil for the entire series. The Mets leave with a 2.5 game lead, and with four games against the lowly Cubs on deck, it is very likely New York will go into the break still in first.
But the Mets didn't need that benchmark to validate where they stand among the league's best. They'll start putting more weight on their wins when the season changes to autumn.
"It doesn't mean a ton in the long run," Wednesday's winning pitcher Chris Bassitt said. "The most important games are at the very end of the year. It helps us in the standings, but Chicago is just as important as today's game…A good win now, and that's basically it."
Follow Ryan Chichester on Twitter: @ryanchichester1
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