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Reality Sets In As New York Mets Fall Out of First Place

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Adam Hunger - USATODAY Sports

Adam Hunger – USATODAY Sports

Well, you can’t say it wasn’t nice while it lasted. An early-season 11-game winning streak catapulted the New York Mets into first place in the NL East, and with the Washington Nationals slow out of the gate, New York had quite a sizable cushion atop the division for much of April and the early part of May. But the party appears to be over for the Mets, who have now fallen out of first place, leaving them staring up at the Nationals in the division, just as most had predicted before the season.

Despite the disappointment of falling out of first place, the Mets holding onto the top spot in the NL East for over a month is quite a feat, considering the circumstances. Both David Wright and Travis d’Arnaud were on the DL for much of that time after both got off to such hot starts. On top of that, the Mets have dealt with a slew of injuries to pitchers that have altered the shape of their bullpen. Even with those injuries, the Mets were able to hold onto first place for quite some time, despite a red-hot Washington team that has won 17 of their last 21 games right behind them.

It may be disconcerting for Mets fans to see the team fall out of first place, but the team remains five games over .500, which is quite impressive considering the injuries to Wright, d’Arnaud and several members of the pitching staff. Moreover, falling out of first place does nothing but put the Mets in the position where most expected them to be. Heading into the season, most assumed the Nationals would win the NL East, leaving the Mets hoping to keep up, but more realistically expecting to compete for a Wild Card spot; and that’s exactly where the Mets find themselves now.

One thing the Mets’ stint in first place did is set them up in good position moving forward. Roughly 25 percent into the season, the Mets are right behind the Nationals, ready to pounce if Washington cools off anytime soon. New York also holds the top spot in the Wild Card standings, putting them in good position moving forward despite their recent struggles. With the Mets hoping to get some of their injured players back in the next week or two, New York is in good shape, as the reality of being a second-place team starts to set in.

Bryan Zarpentine is a New York Mets writer at www.RantSports.com.  Like him on Facebook, follow him on twitter @BZarp and add him on Google.

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