The New York Mets are on the precipice of wrapping up their first divisional crown in nine years. Holy God, I can’t believe I actually just typed that. But it’s true! The Mets have a 6.5 game lead over going into play September 3rd. Stay calm Met nation, they are going to get this done this time. This is not 2007 or 2008’s Mets. This team has heart. This team has gumption. But most importantly, this team has pitching.
I’m not going to say that this team has an easy schedule, though on paper, it does (for the most part). We all remember all too well what the miserable Marlins were able to do to us in the collapse years. No team should ever take any team for granted. I’m sure David Wright has passed along the lessons he learned over those two debacles. Here’s what needs to happen to ensure that the Mets will be NL East champs in 2015(!)
1) Don’t get swept, the rest of the way. The Mets have 8 series left, including 2 against Washington. Winning just 1 game out of each of the Met’s remaining series would put the Mets at 82 wins. If they were to win just one more game in half of those series, that would put them at 86 wins. Keep in mind that 2 of the 8 series remaining on the schedule are 4 game sets. 86 wins may be enough to win the division this year. Remember this is a worst case scenario.
2) Sticking with the sentiment raised in the above, winning at minimum 2 out of 6 games from the Nationals is imperative. The Mets can not get swept in these series so to not give Washington any momentum. Winning just 2 of the 6 games remaining with Washington would allow the Nationals only 2 games in the standings. That’s not going to be enough for the Nats, barring some kind of torrid stretch.
3) Don’t get cocky. It’s not over until it’s over. I don’t want to see regulars resting until the division is far out of reach. Obviously guys like Harvey and Syndergaard need to have a start given over to Matz, but if things get close, go with the best pitcher available. I don’t want to see Niese continue to trot out there without a short leash if he continues to pitch to an over 5 era.
These are just my two cents. As critical as I have been of Terry, I think he has a firm grasp on the clubhouse and keeping the young players humble and hungry. There won’t be a collapse this year, though I understand if you don’t wish to exhale until the Mets do clinch. It’s okay to keep your stomach knotted up. Meaningful September baseball, ain’t it grand?
