New York Mets Fail to Keep Pace in Wild Card Race
The New York Mets (50-51) keep failing to close the gap between themselves and the Atlanta Braves (59-43). The latter lost their weekend series, but the New York Mets could not handle the Florida Marlins (49-53) this time around either. The New York Mets took the first game of the series, but gave up leads in the last two games – including the one run lead that they held in the eighth inning of the Sunday finale. The good news is that David Wright collected six hits – including a homer – in 14 at-bats.
Season Series vs. Marlins
3-5
The Mets will try to bounce back on the road against the Cincinnati Reds (50-51) who are locked into a tight race in the NL Central. I haven’t caught a lot of Reds games this season, but it is a bit surprising that they are currently sitting a game below .500. There is plenty of time left in the season, but hopefully the Mets can take care of them before they get hot – if they get hot.
Pitching Matchups
R.A. Dickey (4-8, 3.80) vs. Mike Leake (8-5, 4.11)
Jon Niese (9-8, 3.76) vs. Johnny Cueto (6-3, 1.98)
Mike Pelfrey (5-9, 4.73) vs. Bronson Arroyo (7-8, 5.56)
What to Watch
- Carlos Beltran – Every home run, RBI or base hit that Beltran collects at this point is going to be one that a contending team could have had instead. It is just a matter of time before Beltran gets traded but when exactly will that be? Enjoy every last at-bat that he gets because it might be the last.
My Take
The New York Mets are going to need some breaks in this series. Johnny Cueto has been lights out this year and will be a tough draw for Jon Niese and I have next to no confidence in Mike Pelfrey in the finale. Hopefully with Jose Reyes, Wright and Beltran in the lineup together, the Mets can lean on their offense en route to a couple of wins. If I had to pick an outcome, I would have to say that the Mets are going to lose the series, but the Reds have not been playing to their potential this season so the Mets could steal a couple of games here.
Playoff Picture
The Atlanta Braves host the Pittsburgh Pirates (52-47) who are tied in first atop the NL Central standings.
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