With their 9-0 win against the Diamondbacks Wednesday night, the Mets have climbed within two games of the second wild card spot. Throughout, their up and down second half they now have a legitimate shot at a playoff spot. After some brutal losses over the last two weeks, it seemed like the Mets were buried.
How Are They Doing It?
Starting pitching has led the way during their burst back into contention. Jacob deGrom, Zack Wheeler and Steven Matz have all thrown stellar outings against the D’Backs. They squeezed out enough runs to win the first two games of the series, then exploded against Robbie Ray with five runs in the first inning.
Todd Frazier’s 2-run blast puts the Mets up 4-0.
[via: @SNYtv]— BetMGM ? (@BetMGM) September 11, 2019
The Mets have not gotten their way back in the race solely by themselves. They received some help from the San Diego Padres who took two straight from the Chicago Cubs. The Cubs and Brewers are now tied for the second wild card spot and the Mets are not far behind.
Managing Adjustments
Mickey Callaway has finally made the adjustment to keep Edwin Diaz out of the ninth inning. Seth Lugo got the six out save in game one and Justin Wilson got the four out save in game two. The blowout in game three, taxed the D’Backs bullpen, but rested the top two arms in the Mets pen. Even Brad Brach has emerged as a reliever the Mets can trust. Unless the Mets are in a pinch, do not expect to see Diaz anywhere near a big spot.
Mets have had their bullpen struggles but I’m usually confident when it’s Seth Lugo and the U.S. Navy on the bump. pic.twitter.com/aOrSdLsNAj
— Roger Cormier (yayroger.bsky.social) (@yayroger) September 10, 2019
The Mets do not have it easy through the weekend as the mighty Los Angeles Dodgers come into town. Both teams are throwing their best as the pitching matchups line up as such:
Friday: Clayton Kershaw vs. Noah Syndergaard
Saturday: Hyun-Jin Ryu vs. Jacob deGrom
Sunday: Walker Buehler vs. Zack Wheeler
The could be a preview of the NLDS, should the Mets get that far. There are 14 combined All-Star appearances combined in those matchups. If the Mets can survive the series, they get 10 games against the Rockies, Reds and Marlins. The Brewers and Cubs have easy schedules as well, so the Mets still have a lot of work to do through the last two and a half weeks of the season.