Neil Miller/TheNYExtra.com
David Peterson pitched a strong game along with a trio of bullpen arms as the Mets rolled to a 10-4 win over the Miami Marlins. The offense got kick started in the first inning with a 2 run homer by Harrison Bader and Starling Marte and Francisco Lindor also went yard to round out the scoring while Mets pitchers held off the Marlins with strong hurling taking advantage of the free-swinging Miami hitters.
Many experts have been debating whether the Mets should be sellers at the trading deadline but the team has shown some better play in the past few weeks going 7-4 in their last 11 games. But more importantly the slumbering offense has awakened. I firmly believe the division is gone but that NL Wild Card is a plethora of teams much like the Mets showing wildly inconsistent play.
It is important to note that the NL wild card teams that took those final 2 playoff spots last year—the Marlins and Diamondbacks–each only won 84 games with the Cubs at 83 wins and the Padres at 82 wins just missing out on the party. And the Diamondbacks rode that to a National League pennant.
What the Mets must do is get to 500 by The All Star break which means 19-10 in the next 29 games leading to the break. Yes a winning streak can do that but a much more realistic approach is take series after series and step 1 of that is to take the rubber game here at Citi on Thursday night as Luis Severino starts for the Mets. And quite frankly, I am seeing some signs that the season is turning around.
The offense has been percolating but the bullpen has started to find its way and Edwin Diaz returns to the roster today. If he can reclaim his stuff that seemed to be in hiding during May, that could be a big blessing for this team. And Kodai Senga returning after the break as well as the bat of Francisco Alvarez can help as well.
I honestly felt the Mets punted too early last year. I know that they obtained some solid prospects but they won 79 games last year–5 games behind the Wild Card teams. And I have to think the players they peddled away could have put them in the wild card race. They absolutely have players in the walk years that can be rentals for playoff teams but if this team gets to 500 by the All Star break they must resist the temptation especially if Diaz returns to form.
I will admit that it will be a tough decision for the Met brass but the last 2 years in this sport have proven that a wild cad spot can allow a team to make a long and successful run in the month of October. The last 2 NL champions were wild card teams and the Texas Rangers rode a wild card trip to a World Championship.
No matter how you get there an invitation to the playoff party, could be a chance of a lifetime for this organization. So the next 3-4 weeks will be key for the Mets. If they are anywhere between 5 and 10 games under by that All Star break I believe they will be sellers but if they are less than 5 games under 500 all bets are off. Who knows they might become buyers.
Stranger things have happened in this sport and last night’s 10-4 Met win was a step in the direction of carving out a summer that these Mets are in a playoff race.
