WILD, WILD EAST
After 18 games, Mets know what they’re up against in division
Now that the Mets have pocketed a first look at their competition, how do they square up in the gritty National League East? In the first 18 games (10-8), only two meetings – against the Twins – were outside of the division. Thirteen of the team’s 16 division matchups took place on the road. No other NL East team had such a vigorous head-to-head challenge to begin the season.
Before Thursday, the Nationals (8-8) had played just the Phillies and the Mets from their own division. The Braves (9-8) had yet to get a glimpse of a Nationals lineup devoid of Bryce Harper. The lowly Marlins (4-15) hosted the Mets and Phillies and traveled to Braves country.
Only the Phillies (11-6) opening slate
comes close to the Mets’, though they’ve hosted nine out of 14 division games at Citizens Bank Park.
“It’s been what we expected,” Michael Conforto said. “Three to four really good teams. Great lineups. Every time we go out, we need to bring our A-game. We just need to do more. We need to put the whole thing together.”
The Mets’ schedule began with a tough April, voyaging from one division-rival city to the next.
But perhaps this was their advantage. After traveling to the opposing team’s comfort zone and competing against foreign ballpark antics, the Mets hung in.
Attempting to rally against the backdrop of a constant Tomahawk chop wasn’t easy. Watching fireworks flare up into the sky at SunTrust Park after every Met struck out was offsetting. Listening to the cracked Liberty Bell at Citizens Bank Park blare raucous chimes for home runs encouraged the blues. Still, the Mets paid no mind.
They won an away series against the Nationals, swept the Marlins at a newly renovated Marlins Park, split the series against the chopcentric Braves and, finally, lost 2-outof-3 to the impressive Phillies.
Losing a series against the Phillies in Philadelphia was tolerable. That the Mets were able to scrape one win against them was admirable. The facelifted Phillies are no joke.
“They’ve got a really good squad and this is a really tough division,” rookie Pete Alonso said. “You got some high quality teams up and down, throughout. We’re going neck to neck and this is going to be a tough division all year.”
The Mets would have been swept by the Phillies, were it not for their luck in the 11-inning series opener. Dominating a struggling Aaron Nola (1-0, 7.45 ERA) was uncomplicated. But the rest of the moving parts leading to the Mets’ 7-6 victory on Monday night hinged on chance.
“It’s a dog fight,” manager Mickey Callaway said. “We’re seeing it’s coming down to the wire. Everybody’s playing kind of .500 ball against each other. And it’s even exciting at the end, if it’s close. It’s going to be a fun division to play in.”
Throughout Monday’s four-hour and 29-minute marathon, the Mets served up countless moments for the Phillies to break open the game. In the same fashion, the Mets had many opportunities to win Wednesday night’s rubber match.
Jake Arrieta silenced the Mets into the ninth inning. They scraped six hits off the 2015 Cy Young award winner, and four of them didn’t escape the infield. But the Mets couldn’t capitalize on their chances. The offense went 1-for-7 with runners in scoring position and, as Conforto so bluntly phrased it, the Mets just didn’t do enough.
“When you’re playing against teams that are as good as we have in the division, we gotta put the whole thing together,” Conforto said. “None of these teams are just going to sit on a lead. They’re going to keep building on it. That’s what we gotta do to compete in this division. Like I said, we just gotta do more.”
The Phillies will serve as the Mets’ peskiest opponent this season. Both teams have deep lineups and aces in the rotation. They depend on these assets to win battles. When one element is not clicking, the rest falls apart.
When the Mets are firing on all cylinders though, they’re a legitimate threat. The Nationals and Braves can attest to that. The Mets will receive their second chance to puncture the Phillies on their own turf before the month is over. But one thing is certain — they’ll have to tip the scales against the Phillies to keep Brodie Van Wagenen’s “come get us” mantra alive.