What? Me worry? Nah, bring on the Phillies

The Mets have a great record here recently yet it doesn’t feel like they’ve been a particularly great team. Is that a good sign? The answer probably depends on whether you’re an optimist or a pessimist. But let’s look at how they’ve done over the past three weeks or so: Played three good teams in [...]

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MLB Power Rankings for September 12

Welcome to the final Power Rankings of the season. Unfortunately, this only has two people collaborating on the list, with Gus Livaditis joining me. The numbers in parenthesis are where we each ranked the team individually. On to the list! 1. Philadelphia Phillies (B2, G2) – After a stretch where they didn’t play well, the [...]

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The unsustainable 2024 hot streaks of Harrison Bader and Jose Iglesias

All baseball fans are aware that hitters go thru hot streaks and cold spells. Back in 2018, it was identified that it was common for a hitter who otherwise wasn’t very good to go thru a hot streak that lasted around six weeks that stood out completely from numbers that otherwise were pretty bad. Here’s [...]

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The wind catches the Mets’ feet as the Wild Card is calling

When you're 9-1 in your last 10 and your team is winning games because Jose Quintana is pitching 6.2 scoreless innings and Harrison Bader is hitting a home run, it’s difficult not to get swept up in things and believe that this could be a special season. Now, if they can score more than two [...]

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J.D. Martinez and Mark Vientos look to give the Mets five players with 70 RBIs

It was a rare game Friday night, as the Mets scored six runs and not one of them was driven in by Pete Alonso, Francisco Lindor or Brandon Nimmo, who are the three guys who lead the team in RBIs. Instead, it was a big night for Mark Vientos, with four, and J.D. Martinez drove [...]

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Playoff thoughts on the Mets, who’ve won 52 of their last 81 games

Even though the Mets didn’t play on Thursday, it was a very good day for them. That’s because the three teams they’re chasing in the Wild Card derby all lost. And the Braves’ defeat put them in a tie with the Mets, with both squads sporting a 76-64 record. MLB used to have a tie-breaking [...]

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How should Carlos Mendoza manage his bullpen down the stretch?

Entering September, the Mets are in a position where they can reach the playoffs as a wild card. They are currently one game behind the Atlanta Braves for the last wild card spot in the National League. So unlike last season, the Mets will have meaningful September games to play for. Carlos Mendoza in his [...]

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Down the stretch they come…

The five most exhilarating words in sports broadcasting come from horse racing, but it applies with equal force to the pennant chase days of baseball in September. The New York Mets, after being left for dead in early June (at least by this writer), find themselves squarely in the mix for a Wild Card berth [...]

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For the Mets, September is here and the games are meaningful

The Mets have won three games in a row and are 9-4 in their last 13 games. This mini spurt has gotten them within two games of the third Wild Card spot. But the remaining schedule is not easy. The final 26 games include 16 versus teams over .500, including a closing stretch of three [...]

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Reed Garrett and the quest to rediscover his early-season WHIP

After giving up runs in two of his first three appearances after being activated from the IL, Reed Garrett notched his fourth straight scoreless appearance Friday night. With Dedniel Nunez on the IL, Adam Ottavino apparently busted to low-leverage appearances only and Ryne Stanek not trusted to pitch at all, it would be a huge [...]

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How will the Mets utilize their outfielders in the final 28 games?

A lot was made in the offseason about how David Stearns was going to prioritize defense. Which sounds great, at least until you have to watch those guys brought in for their defense actually hit. It typically doesn’t go well. Yesterday afternoon in Phoenix, with the team having had a crushing defeat the night before [...]

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