For the Mets, winning in September could go a long way

Don’t look now, but the Mets are hot.

After beating the Washington Nationals 7-3 on Friday night, the Mets are now 7-1 in their last eight games. While the Mets are far removed from playoff contention, that’s not to say that these September games won’t mean much.

The Mets need to reverse their fortunes. And winning games down the stretch will go along way in accomplishing that.

Despite injuries and some rough patches, Terry Collins has done a good job instilling confidence in this group. This group plays to the final out and has routinely displayed that “never say die” attitude.

It’s good to see the Mets winning of late after a brutal start to August. Prior to this streak, the Mets were in a deep funk having lost five in a row and 11 of 13. It seemed the Mets were spiraling out of control.

If the Mets can somehow finish above .500 before the end of the season that would be considered quite the achievement. It could have the ultimate carryover affect and help propel the 2012 Mets into greater heights.

No one is expecting any miracles in 2012, but if they can somehow be a .500 or above team by the end of this year it would give the team a huge boost of confidence going into next season.

Remember this team, outside of Jose Reyes and David Wright, is very young. Some of the players having a major impact in the team’s mini-surge are guys that could be counted on to do more next year.

The maturation and progress guys like Lucas Duda, Ruben Tejada, Nick Evans are experiencing is very encouraging. Then you throw in the young guys on the DL (Ike Davis and Daniel Murphy) and this team could turn some heads next year.

Sandy Alderson has stated that the team will not be expanding the payroll all that much in the offseason. Most of the allotted money they will spend will go toward resigning Reyes. So don’t expect a huge overhaul going into next year.

Yes, this team has its holes, but if they can stay healthy (yes, I know you’ve heard that one before) and get back some key players this team is not all that bad a squad.

And if you start winning some games down the stretch that can only help boost clubhouse morale. Remember this club has been a horrible September team. From the 2007 and 2008 collapses to the 2009 and 2010 free-falls, if this team can put together a streak in September, they would put some distance between themselves and those ballclubs. No longer would this team be considered a joke in September, while at the same time instilling some confidence for 2012.

The schedule in September is not all that challenging either.

O the Mets 25 remaining games, 15 of them will be against teams with losing records. And by the time the Mets face off against the Phillies (September 23-25), the Phillies could be resting their regulars while getting ready for the postseason.

So, while you’re watching a September game vs. the Washington Nationals and glaze over as if it doesn’t mean a thing, remember how bad the Mets have had it in September for the last four years. Each September swoon always seemed to linger the following year.

Winning in September matters, playoff team or not. Winning in September will eventually lead to winning in October.