Kallet: Mets Are Simply Stringing Their Fans Along, Delaying The Inevitable
By Brad Kallet
» More Columns
It's agonizing to be a Mets fan right now.
There's just no other way to put it.
Ever since the All-Star break it has been the baseball equivalent of slow torture, death by a thousand cuts.
The Mets, despite their pedestrian 60-59 record, are still hovering in the National League wild-card race. Entering play on Wednesday, they are three games behind the Cardinals, who have sole possession of the last postseason berth, and two games back of the Pirates and Marlins. This season should be long over, but St. Louis, Miami and Pittsburgh refuse to go on runs, letting the Amazins' hang on by a thread.
At this point it would just be easier if the Cardinals won eight of 10 and put the Mets, and their fans, out of their misery.
Prior to New York's nine-game stretch against the lowly Padres and Diamondbacks, which began last week, I wrote that Terry Collins' club had to win seven games -- six at a minimum -- to put itself in good standing in the race.
So much for that.
The Mets were swept in humiliating fashion by Arizona at Citi Field before eking out two of three against San Diego. Back on the road, the Mets have since reverted to form with an ugly loss to the last-place D-backs on Monday night. They evened the series on Tuesday and will give the ball to Jon Niese -- is this some kid of sick joke? -- in the finale on Wednesday. That one could get ugly in a hurry.
Against two of the worst teams in baseball, New York will go 4-5 at best or 3-6. That's simply unacceptable, and now the honeymoon is over.
Next up for New York is four games against the first-place Giants in San Francisco and three games against the Cards in St. Louis. The Mets will more than likely be badly exposed in those series, and I could see them winning just two games. By Aug. 26, when the Amazins' return home to Queens, this mirage that we're calling a pennant race should be all but over, as far as the Mets' chances are concerned.
If the Mets continue playing like they're playing now, September will be rendered meaningless.
MORE: Palladino: Firing Collins Might Be Unavoidable If Mets Miss Postseason
Who's to blame? Many want to point fingers at Collins for not handling adversity competently, making questionable on-field decisions and not leading as well as big-league managers should lead. His comments about not thinking to challenge on a play at the plate that ended one game, Jay Bruce's speed and Yoenis Cespedes' penchant for golfing while injured were alarming.
Others choose to call out general manager Sandy Alderson for building a weak bench, counting on a beat-up David Wright to play 130 games and not re-signing Daniel Murphy.
They're both fair game, as some of the blame undoubtedly should fall on them. But the bottom line is this club was, and continues to be, decimated by injuries in a way we've hardly seen before. We knew that Wright was dealing with spinal stenosis, but we couldn't have predicted that a herniated disk in his neck would cost him 125 games. Jose Reyes, Wright's replacement, ironically, missed time, Lucas Duda is probably finished for the year, Juan Lagares is out for an extended period and Travis d'Arnaud had his annual trip to the disabled list.
Cespedes, who is unquestionably New York's best and most important player, Asdrubal Cabrera and Justin Ruggiano are sidelined at the moment, though they're all expected to be activated shortly. To add insult to injury, literally, Neil Walker, one of the hottest hitters in the majors over the past month, missed Tuesday's game with back stiffness.
On the mound, Matt Harvey underwent season-ending surgery and Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz have both pitched through bone spurs in their elbows. Zack Wheeler was expected to return this summer, but instead he's headed to see orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews. We won't see him in uniform any time soon.
It just goes on and on and on and on and on.
The Mets remain very much alive mathematically, but the standings can be deceiving. In its current state, New York is just not as talented as the teams it is chasing. Maybe Cespedes will spur a winning streak when he returns, but Collins can't count on that. The slugger has had a terrific year, but he struggled for a significant amount of time before going on the DL, and to expect the same production as last September is rather unrealistic. Cespedes was on a different planet at the end of 2015, and lightning rarely strikes twice.
The Marlins lost on Tuesday night -- both the Cardinals and Pirates won -- allowing the Mets to stick around a bit longer. But a miracle aside, it seems inevitable that back-to-back postseason appearances is not in the cards.
Postseason races are supposed to be fun, exciting, thrilling. This one, for Mets fans, has been none of the above. More appropriate characterizations? Boring, arduous, exhausting, infuriating.
Above all, perhaps, sad.
Brad Kallet is the managing editor of TENNIS.com and a frequent contributor to WFAN.com Follow him on Twitter @brad_kallet
