Coleman: Mets Are Still In Decent Shape As Far As Playoffs Go
By Ed Coleman
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The last time we spoke, I told you that the Mets would be all right. That was on July 25, right after they had returned from their post-All-Star break nine-game road trip with five wins and were sitting five games back of first-place Washington in the NL East.
Well, that deficit has since doubled -- 10 1/2 games to be exact, 11 in the loss column. That's what happens when lose 13 of your next 20 games. The Mets have actually won their last two, marking the first time they've taken consecutive games since July 6-7.
Not pretty.
But, yes, I still think they will be all right. Maybe not for the division crown -- Washington will have to cooperate some in order for that to happen. But a wild card spot is there to grab, and for once, the oft-injured Mets may be looking less injured than some of the teams they have to catch.
Yes, it's a huge road trip coming up, starting with three in Arizona, a team that just swept the Mets at Citi Field. They then went to Boston and were crushed by the Red Sox, getting outscored 31-9 in a three-game sweep. And they have been atrocious at home, 19-39 on the season. Only Atlanta, at 18-39, has been worse.
After the Diamondbacks, the Mets have four in San Francisco and then three in St. Louis following a day off.
The Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers are neck-and-neck atop the NL West, but after blowing a six-run lead on Sunday in a loss the Giants are just 9-18 since the All-Star break. And the Dodgers continue to have almost daily rotation problems. They got Brett Anderson back for his first start Sunday, and he lasted just an inning. He was hit hard by Pittsburgh and then fell on his wrist, which may require another DL stint. The Dodgers recently put Brandon McCarthy back on the DL with hip problems. They have several other starters banged up, and won't get Clayton Kershaw back until the end of the month at the earliest, and there's no guarantee of that.
It's always tough playing in St. Louis, especially at the end of a 10-game trip. But the Cardinals just lost Matt Holliday to a broken thumb, and Matt Adams is sidelined as well. Pittsburgh is in the mix, but ace Gerrit Cole, who at 7-8 has been struggling with inconsistency all season, suddenly fronts a rotation that contains youth and inexperience (Jameson Taillon and Chad Kuhl), a veteran that has made just four starts this year (Ryan Vogelsong) and an ex-Yankee (Ivan Nova).
And then there's Miami, which suffered a huge blow on Sunday when slugger Giancarlo Stanton was ruled out for the season with a Grade 3 groin strain. Stanton had three home runs and nine RBI over his last seven games, and sat at 25-70 in the power department for the year. And that includes the six-week period from early May into June where he did absolutely nothing at the plate but strike out. In addition, the Marlins also lost lefty starter Adam Conley to the DL as well.
The Mets just got Jose Reyes back and he has already injected some speed and energy into the lineup. Yoenis Cespedes should rejoin the team in San Francisco. With a little luck, Asdrubal Cabrera will follow, if not there, then in St. Louis.
On the mound, Jacob DeGrom has the look of a pitcher ready to lead his staff down the stretch. Over his last four starts he has a 0.65 ERA and has lowered his second-half ERA to 1.56. DeGrom has made 21 starts this year, and in 11 of them he's allowed either one run or no runs.
Steven Matz took a no-hitter into the eighth inning on Sunday, and in his last two starts has pitched to a 1.35 ERA with 17 strikeouts over 13 innings. For someone who looked 50-50 to even finish the season a couple of weeks ago, Matz now looks like he's turned a huge corner.
Two wins against San Diego and a 2-4 homestand certainly doesn't guarantee success over the next 10 days, but the Mets can thrust themselves into the mix with more authority if they believe that push they have said is coming is either finally here or just around the proverbial corner.
C U soon
Eddie C.
