The New York Mets are starting to look like the competitive team many considered a serious contender to win the World Series. They’ve truly returned to playing good baseball, as evidenced by their performance in the first game of the series against the Washington Nationals, marking their third consecutive win for the first time since late July.
An intense-and concerning-season finale
The team led by Carlos Mendoza faces a brutal close to the regular season, where they must maintain their streak of strong results to close the gap with the Philadelphia Phillies in their battle to conquer the National League East, or at the very least, hold a strong position in the Wild Card race to secure a postseason berth.
In this regard, the schedule is not in their favor. The first game against the Washington Nationals marked the start of a grueling stretch of 16 consecutive games, followed by a single day of rest, and then another run of 10 straight games. This stretch, extending until September 14, is particularly worrisome as it will have a direct impact on the Mets’ postseason aspirations.
During this period, they will face seven games against the Phillies, three against the Cincinnati Reds, and three more against the Detroit Tigers-two direct rivals critical to their October ambitions.
It’s no secret that this series of games will put significant pressure on the Mets’ starting rotation, making it vital for Carlos Mendoza to carefully manage his pitchers’ innings (an injury would be catastrophic for the team).
The bullpen, as at any point in the season, will also be crucial, and it’s during this stretch that the offense must step up to support the pitchers. The Mets are essentially playing for their season in these games, where rest is non-negotiable-they must give it their all.
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