Coleman: Remaining Schedule Is On Mets' Side
By Ed Coleman
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The Mets will be all right.
Do I know that? Well, no. Do I sense that? Well, yes.
And yes, I know Asdrubal Cabrera is now 0-for-his-last-32 with runners in scoring position. Everybody's on that one. Even Cabrera is keeping count.
Yes, I know Neil Walker is hitting .074 (2-for-27) with eight strikeouts since the All-Star break. After batting .278 with 13 home runs and 25 RBIs during April and May, Walker has hit just .190 with three homers and 15 RBIs since June 1.
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And despite the fact that the Mets went 3-for-7 with RISP during their 3-0 win over the Marlins in Miami on Sunday, I know they continue to be the worst in the majors in that category as a team, with some players (Curtis Granderson at .154 and Juan Lagares at .130) struggling mightily.
But with 65 games to go, I think the Mets are in a good spot. First of all, they can pitch, Jacob deGrom's blip on Saturday notwithstanding. (Look, you're probably not beating Jose Fernandez at Marlins Park anyway -- he's 26-1 at home for a reason!) And I believe they will add a starter of lesser stature if needed (and I think it will be) before either the Aug. 1 non-waiver trade deadline or Aug. 31.
And Hansel Robles seems to be pushing his way in to try to make the Mets' bullpen a three-headed monster along with Addison Reed and Jeurys Familia. The Mets' bullpen is 5-1 with nine saves and a 1.76 ERA since June 30. Also, there's little doubt the club will be adding a veteran reliever to the mix to help down the stretch, much like they did with Reed coming aboard to help last season's run.
And I do trust there will be some sort of positive correction coming to the RISP dilemma. It can't be this bad all season, can it?
But perhaps the biggest reason for hope is the remaining schedule. Now, I usually stay away from looking ahead at soft spots in the schedule -- you never know when injuries are going to crop up (especially with this team, which seems to specialize in playing a man short), and I'm a big believer in the old axiom of "it's not who you play, but when you play them."
But the Mets have 65 games left, 19 with teams that have a collective winning percentage of .420 (Arizona for six games; Colorado for four; and Cincinnati, San Diego and Minnesota for three each). If you throw in 10 games against the Phillies and six against the Braves, that's 35 of 65, and the winning percentage drops down to .412.
The reason I exclude Philadelphia and Atlanta per se is this: They're division rivals, and anything can happen. The Mets are only 7-6 vs, the Braves thus far, only 5-4 against the Phillies. Example? Atlanta starter Matt Wisler is 12-18 overall in two seasons with a hefty 4.82 ERA. This includes four starts against the Mets, against whom he's 2-1 with a 1.88 ERA. Go figure. Does not compute sometimes, but that's baseball.
The Mets have enough grinders and guys who know how to gut their way through the tough times and ride the hot streaks. They have a big series with the Cardinals, who sit just a half-game behind them, as they come home off a 5-4 road trip. An opportunity to see what they're made of? I guess so. And we'll see if what I sense comes out better than what I don't know.
C U soon
Eddie C.
