That’s all it is for the Mets right now.
They gained what was easily their most important victory of the year tonight, August 3rd, beating the Braves 3-2 courtesy of a 9th-inning solo shot by Jeff Francoeur. They also got a 1-2-3 save from Frankie Rodriguez. The tie game had been set up by a 4-pitch walk to Frenchy in the 7th, a sacrifice bunt, and an RBI single by Chris Carter.
The Mets are 54-53. Symbolically, it’s great for them to stay above .500. They stand 6.5 games behind the Braves for first place in the NL East, 4 games behind the Phillies, with the Marlins breathing down their backs within half a game. The Mets are 7.5 back of the Wild Card, behind 5 teams.
This is where the Mets have to do some serious soul searching and find out who they really are. I think they can finish in first, or in fourth. They have plenty of talent. They just have to believe in themselves.
It’s a pitching staff that is good, fantastic when it’s rolling on all cylinders, with an ace in Johan Santana, an absolute godsend in R.A. Dickey, two sparkling young starters in Niese and Pelfrey, and a serviceable swingman in Hisanori Takahashi. Their bullpen has been good for the most part, with the current Flavor of the Week being Manny Acosta. The Mets could still stand to improve it through waivers. However, right now, it seems relatively reliable.
Their hitting has been inconsistent. They seem to have worked their way out of the massive funk they saw coming out of the gates for the second half. If Beltran gets going, and Bay comes back and gets hot, watch out. I think the Mets are truly missing Bay, as pitchers can just zoom through the bottom of the Mets’ lineup.
They have a tough stretch through the middle of August, facing the Phillies on the road, the Rockies, and the Phillies at home after they finish this series tomorrow (Pelf on the mound, by the way). Then, they get some cupcake games-the Mets still have yet to play the Pirates or Astros this year. Aside from that, though, almost all the Mets’ remaining games are within the division. And honestly, I’m more afraid of the unknown as opposed to the known. The Braves and Phillies are letting the Mets hang around. The Phillies in particular have been destroyed by injuries and have a much less intimidating lineup. The Braves have as much talent as the Mets, but have just been more consistent. The Marlins? Well, they are a similar team to the Mets-lots of talent, inconsistent.
The chance is there. They have to take advantage of it.
