Why April was a success for the Mets

There were times in the month of April that it seemed like the wheels had fallen off of the New York Mets tricycle. The pitching staff struggled mightily, and then once the bullpen came in to relieve, well, they didn’t do much relieving. Mickey Callaway was starting to feel the hot seat, and many fans were clamoring for the team to sign the likes of Dallas Keuchel and Craig Kimbrel. While all of these factors make it sound like it was an abysmal month of baseball for the Mets, it actually wasn’t all as bad as it seemed. If you look at strictly success against divisional opponents, it was a productive month for the team.

Against non-NL East teams during April before the series against the Brewers, the Mets only secured two wins, one against the Minnesota Twins and one against the St. Louis Cardinals. Against divisional opponents however, the Mets were 9-7. While it may not look like it is the most glamourous record, it is actually the best out of the entire NL East. At the time that this was written, the Phillies sat at 7-8, the Braves at 4-6, the Nationals at 7-7, and the Marlins at 4-8. Although this is early on in the season, escaping the month with a divisional record that is two games above .500 should be considered a success. It should be considered even more of a success when you consider that the Mets survived their woeful pitching struggles.

These wins against the Phillies should be considered even more of a success when you bring in other factors. The Mets and the Phillies are currently first and second in the division, and it is reasonable to think that they could be jockeying back and forth in those positions for a long stretch of the season. It was known before the season began that watching the Mets and the Phillies play this season was going to be fun, but the two teams added more fuel to the fire this past week when Jacob Rhame threw over the head of Rhys Hoskins. Although there was no altercations from the happenings, it added another layer to the rivalry that needed a little bit of reheating.

The only issue is that the Mets and the Phillies will not play again until June 24th. While this probably will not serve to deflate the tension created between the two teams, it certainly could have an impact on how the division race plays out. There are many different variables as to how different the teams could be when they face each other again. One of the two teams could run into a stream of bad luck and succumb injuries, or see some of their hitters go through severe slumps. The Mets pitchers could figure themselves out and become the dominant staff that many expected them to be. All of these variables combined is why it is so valuable that the Mets finished 9-7 against the division during April. They were able to get a head start on the rest of the division, and they potentially have yet to play their best baseball.