The Mets again did not answer the call today as the Phillies took them to task again. But is this a team that is ready to roll over, or not…
The 2021 Mets invite you to live large, placing your bets in Vegas and elsewhere on a team that held first place in the NL East Standings that look much different than ninety days ago, following yet another loss to the Phillies this afternoon.
It’s all history now, and they are not the first team who were on the other side of the chase to relinquish a lead in August, much less when they rose from, nowhere in 2015 to capture the Nationals, moving as far as the NLCS and Matt Harvey‘s fateful talk with Terry Collins in the dugout that remains in team infamy.
It’s way too early to go there with a Mets team now at the opposite end of the spectrum, but the Mets’ second straight loss to the Phillies this afternoon raises doubts among their fans, and most likely within their clubhouse.
Mets: Has It All Been A Mirage?
There’s always the possibility as many have been saying that the Phillies are a better team than the Mets, and the Braves are better than the Phillies, but all we know for sure is what we see in the NL East standings.
Nor is fair to point to all the injuries sustained by the Mets this year because there has been a rash of them among all MLB teams, including the Phillies and Braves.
Nevertheless, there are high points and nadirs for all teams over the course of a 162-game six-month major league season.
The Mets, for instance, caught a hot streak early when they reeled off seven wins in a row from May 5 – May 12, a streak that moved them to a season-high five games over .500, and a hold on first-place they would relinquish until yesterday.
In contrast, the Phillies fluctuated up and down, though they never reached extremes in either direction as Joe Girardi stayed the course, keeping his team on an even keel, until they finally responded, reeling off seven straight.
To his credit and still a bonafide candidate for NL Manager Of The Year, Mets manager Luis Rojas has done what he can to put a finger in the dyke, although Zack Scott and Sandy Alderson still have to answer for their impotent actions at the Trade Deadline.
The overwhelming question facing the Mets on August 8, however, is this.
Will this Mets team draw themselves into a cacoon, joining the bulk of teams playing out the season – or do they have a second and third wind in the team to withstand the current challenge?
Mets: Is There A Reason To “Believe”?
It was Mets reliever who coined the phrase “Ya Gotta Believe”, and it has held for Mets fans.
But as we know, it takes more than a wish and a prayer. The Mets need, above all else, to score runs, especially in the face of a wilting starting rotation and the likely loss of Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard for the remainder of the season.
With only waiver deals that consist of cast-offs from other teams in play until August 31 when all rosters are frozen, the Mets have what they have.
So, break it down – what needs to happen?
Number one, Michael Conforto needs to turn his season around, if not for the Mets, then for himself as he heads into free agency because he has been just awful.
And from there, you go up and down the Mets lineup looking for relief that came so easily earlier in the year when the no-name Bench Mob carried the day.
No one knows how it’ll play out, but there’s a certainty that Dominic Smith, Jeff McNeil, J.D. Davis, Javier Baez, and later the MIA Francisco Lindor, not to mention (again) Conforto, need to ALL come through.
The three-game sweep by the Phillies, while depressing, is not the end of the world, nor the season for the Mets.
Mets: Ya Know What? – There’s A Game Tomorrow
But as the Mets lick their wounds, returning home to face the Nationals, and then a string of home and away series with the Dodgers and Giants over a stretch lasting from August 13 -August 26 – well – draw your own conclusions…
Mets owner Steve Cohen made a surprise appearance today in an effort to lend support for his slumping team, but he can’t swing a bat not pitch a ball.
Even so, there’s something that’s struck me and held true about this version of the Mets- – that while it doesn’t make me (necessarily) a believer, I’m still hanging in there to be the team they have yet to become in 2021.
Here’s What Readers Are Saying…
Harve Klatzko A prolonged winning streak…………………. not happening.
Thomas Kubas Bring your own bag BYOB
Michael A Serrano Figueroa No, they are quitters
Harvey Rosenblum TL;DR. No.
Martin Stamile Lmao you didn’t really think the Mets would stay in first place did you???
Scott Haney Not with this manager…It’s his job to get them to play their best
Jeanne Nuber I hope so! Let’s go Mets!
Edmond W Krysz Stick a fork in them. Ouch, that hurts.
Deborah Crane Nyet
John Jet The players aren’t quitting. Did you hear Pete Alonso’s message to Mets fans? He said: “Mets fans, believe in us. Don’t just believe – know — because there are tough times not just in baseball but in life in general. Know that this is just a speed bump and a challenge.” Thanks John – and Pete.
Joe Noa This series is what separates the men from the boys. Either you want this or you don’t. Time to put on your big boy pants.
Steven Hirsch It’s not time for paper bags, yet. However, if you asked me 90 days ago, if I thought the Mets would do a complete 180, I’d call you crazy. They’re still only 2.5 games out of 1st in the NL East. Plus my fellow administrator, David Kim is going to attend the Met game this Tuesday, so that’s a win! Seriously, the Mets still have to play the weaker teams in their division, but also the stronger Dodgers and Giants. So we’ll have to see what the season prevails! LFGM!!
Closing Comments And Final Thoughts
With this, we’ll close published comments, though as might be expected in these darker days of the Mets season, Mets fans need a night to sleep on what transpired this weekend…
Baseball, it is said, is only a game. True. And the Grand Canyon is only a hole in Arizona. Not all holes, or games, are created equal.
