Ever since the New York Mets’ 11-game winning streak back in April, the team has struggled to find consistency, leaving fans impatiently waiting for another period of sustained success. That success appears to be on the verge on returning for the Mets; of course, it comes just in time for the team to take four days off during the MLB All-Star Break.

The Mets have won seven of their last nine games heading into the All-Star Break, the best stretch they’ve had since that 11-game winning streak came to an end. New York put together an impressive 4-2 road trip, winning series against both the NL West leading Los Angeles Dodgers and reigning World Series champions San Francisco Giants. They followed that up with a home sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks, holding the highest scoring team in the National League to a mere seven runs in three games.

Not only have the Mets shut down high-powered offenses over the past week and a half, but New York’s offense has also shown signs of life. The Mets have hit 10 home runs over their last four games, including two from the previously slumping Lucas Duda and one from the injured and slumping Michael Cuddyer. The home runs are a welcome sight for a team that has had a dearth of power throughout the first half of the season, especially from hitters like Duda and Cuddyer, whom the Mets need to be productive in the middle of the order moving forward.

Alas, the four-day long All-Star Break may very well stop the Mets’ momentum in its tracks. New York was in a similar position last year, winning eight of 10 games heading into the All-Star Break, only to lose three of their first four after the break, spoiling any momentum the team may have been building.

It’s imperative that the Mets avoid a similar post All-Star Break hangover this year. New York plays its first 10 games after the break against division leaders, including baseball’s best team the St. Louis Cardinals and the Washington Nationals, the team New York is chasing for the top spot in the NL East. A slow start to the second half of the season for the Mets could create a hole too deep for such an offensively-challenged team to get out of, ruining the progress they’ve made over the last week and a half, as the Mets have crawled within two games of the Nationals atop the division and within one game of the wild card.

Pitching shouldn’t be an issue for the Mets coming out of the break, as it’s been the one constant all season and the part of the team that has carried the Mets all season. However, New York has to hope that the momentum and confidence they’ve built up over the past nine games, in addition to their recent power surge, will carry over to the second half. If it doesn’t, the Mets could be in trouble because arguably the most important stretch of the season is waiting for them on the other side of the All-Star Break, which couldn’t have come at a worse time.

 

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.