The New York Mets had a deserved off day on Thursday, after winning each and every one of their last seven games. Their main opponents in the Wild Card race in the National League, however, all took the field to try and increase their lead.
All of them failed, though. Each and every one of them.
The Mets have gained an edge in the Wild Card Race
The Mets, without taking the field, gained half a game in the Wild Card race on the three teams above them: the San Diego Padres, the Arizona Diamondbacks, and the Atlanta Braves.
Well, the Braves are no longer ahead of the Mets, as the latter tied them in the third and final spot of the NL Wild Card:
“The Mets’ Wild Card competition during their off day: Diamondbacks lose in walk-off fashion to Giants, 3-2; Braves drop series finale to Rockies, 3-1; Padres give up go-ahead grand slam in 9th inning, lose 4-3 to Tigers,” SNY Mets posted on X.
The Mets went, in a span of a few weeks, from a rebuilding team in a transition year to making things interesting, then from that to potentially fighting for the last Wild Card position; and then to possibly vying for the top WC.
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The Mets are in the thick of the race
The Padres lead the Wild Card race in the National League, boasting an 80-62 record, half a game ahead of the D-Backs and three games up from the Mets and Braves.
Both New York and Atlanta are just two games behind the Friars in the loss column, though. Things are getting very interesting in the National League, and the Mets will probably have Kodai Senga and potentially Christian Scott back for the last week of September.
Atlanta and New York are tied 5-5 in their season series, but will play a deciding three-game set at Truist Park from September 24-26. Getting the tiebreaker will be a priority for the Mets, but they hope to have left behind the Braves by that point.
If they continue to play like they have in the last seven, it’s plausible.
