Mets: There’s No Way Fans Cannot Like And Respect This Team

Maybe, Mets fans were expecting more from this team in April, but no one can say this group of players doesn’t put it all out there.

The Mets lost to the Dodgers last night, and there’s a good chance they’ll have a steep hill to climb for the next two nights, facing Walker Buehler and future Hall of Famer Max Scherzer.

We can state as fact the Dodgers are a better team than the Mets because, as Joe Maddon is fond of saying, “You are only as good as your record says you are.”

But if you watched last night’s game or checked the box score, just as with wins, some losses are better than others.

A week ago, the Metropolitans were on the verge of losing their hold on first place, and fans were challenged to keep the beat going when the Phillies swept themselves into the top spot.

But the Mets came back to sweep the Nationals, looking at the prospect of playing only the Dodgers and Giants in their next thirteen games.

Mets: The Real And Only Team Is Standing Up

So, last night, more than anything, was a test for the Mets.

For a while, it looked like the team was not up to playing with the Dodgers, but that all changed in the 7th inning when the Mets put up four runs on only three hits, none of which was a home run, three walks, a wild pitch, and a passed ball to even the score.

By now, you know the Dodgers pulled ahead in the top of the 10th inning on a two-run home run that was surrendered by Mets closer Jeurys Familia – but you also know the team battled back to score one, only to have the flame blown out when pinch-hitter Tomas Nido flew out to left.

It’s games like this that make the Mets an entertaining team, and one worth the cost of attending a game, as 35,000 Mets fans did last night.

At this level, it is about winning, but when you have a team constructed as the Mets are this year, there’s also the entertainment value attached to nearly all the games they play.

“Resiliency” is the code word most often applied to the Mets team this year. The Bench Mob rose to carry the Mets in the absence of Michael Conforto, Jeff McNeil, and J.D. Davis.

It’s not much different today either as the Mets are without their ace Jacob deGrom, who was advised by a renowned Los Angeles orthopedic to not pick up a baseball for another two weeks.

Also missing in action is the Mets regular shortstop Francisco Lindor (oblique) and recently acquired Javier Baez (back).

Still, Pete Alonso scored two runs last night on one hit and a base-on-balls, Jeff McNeil‘s two-run double, Tylor Megill‘s five innings of three-run ball, and a scoreless score inning turned in by Edwin Diaz before Luis Rojas gave the ball to Familia.

Mets: Forget Those MLB Team Rankings

The current MLB team power rankings have the Mets ranked 15th in all of baseball.

And yet, can we say with any authority the Mets are not capable of competing as a team with the Braves or Phillies, and later in the playoffs against the Padres, Giants, and Dodgers?

With even the weakest of those teams, the Phillies, having Zack Wheeler and Aaron Nola as a one-two punch in a playoff series, the Mets will struggle to find a counterpunch without deGrom and Syndergaard.

But that’s where the team’s magic assembled in Luis Rojas‘s clubhouse comes into play, and from there, who can say (with any authority) the Mets won’t stand toe to toe with any of these teams?

The Mets were down but never out last night, and there’s no reason to believe it’ll not say the same for the rest of the season…

And either Walker Buehler or Max Scherzer will bear witness to that sometime this weekend…

Here’s What Readers Are Saying…

Daniel Abel I can easily and honestly say this group does NOT put it all out there. Their offensive numbers compared to both last season and 2019 back me up. They stink.

Lori McNicholas I love them 

Emory Davis We can lose 12 out of 13 who cares. It’s all about how the Phillies and Braves do, if they also lose we are ok

Michael Gallo They are no quitters and keep trying to pull out these wins

Jim Russell Nice “glass half full” article Steve. Too much individual player commentary for me to list, but I’ll summarize by saying most of the lineup has gotten away from the approach that has made each of them successful in past years. If they can go back to what it was that got them on a major league roster and in a major league lineup, they’ll be successful again. Good one.

Ricky Tuck Great article but plays like Conforto not sprinting on scoring replay are frustrating!

Victor Soler We always creer (sic) the team and expect them to make the playoffs, but realistically the team…especially the coaches and management leaves much more to desire.

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