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The New York Mets have been in a downward spiral in the latter part of the month of June. The Mets have lost seven of their last ten games, and have lost their seat atop the NL East to the Washington Nationals. The Nationals have been playing good baseball behind the All-Star caliber play of their franchise player, Bryce Harper. New York’s franchise player David Wright has been sidelined since mid-April. The bats for the Mets have suffered without the protection in the lineup from their captain. New York sits 28th in the league in both batting average (.238), and slugging percentage (.368). As far as runs (262), the Mets are 27th in the league. This in turn has given themselves a 2.5 game hole behind Washington.
There is no panic in the clubhouse however. Terry Collins told the media on Wednesday, that he told his ball club just to relax. He then went on to say, “We’re going through a tough time. Unfortunately, every team does it. We’re disappointed where we’re at. But you know what? It’s where we are. So we’ve got to move on. We’re still in the hunt. We win five or six in a row and all of a sudden things look a lot different. We can’t get down about it. We’ve got to move forward.”
New York has proven that they can string together wins, including winning tough ones late into games. In April, the Mets had 11 straight wins and all of them came against division opponents. New York has also amassed a 23-15 record against teams in their division which is crucial in a pennant race. It is important for teams to beat their division opponents, and so far this young Mets team has proven they can do so. The Mets are also 26-11 playing at Citi Field, which is impressive to say the least.
Daniel Murphy had a rehab assignment on Wednesday, and could return as early as this weekend against the Cincinnati Reds. His return would have an immediate positive impact on the struggling Mets offense.
Collins knows all of this, and is right for making the statements he did. New York is still very much in the hunt for the NL East crown. When players see that their manager has full confidence in them in the darkest of times, it makes a difference. After all, baseball is as much a mental game as it is physical.
Barry Holmes is a New York Mets Beat Writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @BHO732, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google+
