‘OR GONE’ TRAIL
Beating Braves a must as Mets begin perilous trek — with goal of playoffs or bust
A RLINGTON, Texas — This was an interesting time for the Mets to have a two-day Texas two-step, because if they had clicked on the Dallas-Fort Worth radio or picked up the local newspapers, they might have sworn they were reading about themselves, only with a twang.
The usual subjects: losing, pitching, bullpen, lack of timely hitting, losing, sitting an acre in back of first place, managing, pitching-coaching, losing, underachievement, substandard defense and a general displeasure with losing.
Yes, the Mets saw themselves staring back through the mirror when they played the Rangers, who essentially are having an identical season.
That’s about to change, if you haven’t heard. The Mets, who have achieved their 25-32 record despite an early schedule Jim Boeheim would be proud to call his own, are about to undertake a harrowing stretch of games beginning Monday:
Three with the inconsistent (but still defending-champion) Cubs.
Four with the Nationals who, with a powerful pair of field binoculars, the Mets can spot way out in the NL East distance.
Four at the Dodgers, who are a team the Mets probably will be chasing if they ever clear .500 and officially begin pursuit of a wild card.
Three at the Giants, who are terrible, and probably are thinking, “When do we get our crack at the Mets, who are terrible?”
Three at Miami, where the Mets traditionally play their most profoundly awful baseball of any season.
Three against the Phillies at home. No snark, but good luck to you if you don’t sweep.
And then this: three at the Nats. Three at St. Louis. Three against the Rockies, who are mashing everybody. Four more against the Cardinals.
That brings us to July 21. If you’re keeping score at home, that’s 24 games against the NL’s elite, six games against scuffling teams taking place in traditional house-of-horror locales for the Mets and three against the Phillies. In other words: It might be a good time to take advantage of these four games against the Braves this weekend, a Braves team that will be without Mets killer Freddie Freeman, a Braves team that, oh by the way, will enter this series with a 26-32 record — a half-game better than the Mets have. Things are about to get real for the Mets. Really real. “We need to start playing good baseball, and when we do that, we’ll start winning games in bunches,” Mets manager Terry Collins said after Wednesday’s 4-3 win over the Rangers. “You do that, soon you look up and you’ve won seven out of nine and you’re finally on your way.”
If nothing else, the Mets will know by the end of this spate of games where, exactly, they sit — all of it conveniently concluding only 10 days before the trade deadline.
Now, the past two years, the Mets have shown a genuine proficiency for playing their very best when they absolutely need to. In 2015, they left home for the July 4 holiday left for dead and promptly took two out of three from the rampaging Dodgers, all but sending a desperate message to their general manager to acquire reinforcements. Last year, at 60-62 and facing five games against the Cardinals and Giants — the teams they ended up outlasting for the wild card — they won four of five and were on their way.
This year’s statement opportunity comes earlier in the calendar, but the Mets’ record mandates the stakes are just as high. They still will be without Noah Syndergaard and Jeurys Familia for the entirety of this stretch, but they will get Steven Matz and Seth Lugo back this weekend, and should get Yoenis Cespedes back early (presumably) in the coming surge of games.
The declaration is at hand: In or out? Buyers or sellers? Playoff pursuant or playoff pretenders?
The Mets have hinted at what they are for 57 games, and the early returns aren’t good. After the next 37, starting Friday? They will be 94 games in, and we will know for sure. Let’s say 49-45 is a reasonable place to be by then if you want to keep dreaming of October.
That means 24-13 for these 37. Against those teams.
Yes. If that’s going to happen, the Mets had better roll up their sleeves and get to work soon. As in immediately. As in Atlanta.