Standings

[Edgy MD]

Man, I'd say it's a good time to take on the Braves, but they may actually improve.

Little remembered, but in the same game that Beltran and Kablammeron collided, Cliff Floyd got hurt too when he dove and got some system-shock. Rather than put an infielder in for him, Willie Randolph stalled the game while Cliff collected his marbles, but he was clearly dragging his ass through the rest of the game. The season seemingly ended that day, though the next day featured Victor Diaz substituting in right and homering twice.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

On the plus side, with the momentum loss, Wright/Harvey taking their bows on Tuesday, and a BabyMets-loaded Sunday game, maybe it's the right time to get behind your FutureMets (including those we'll be drafting a little bit higher next year).

[Frayed Knot]

- Braves win tonight as their make-shift outfield combined for seven hits.

- Meanwhile, the Marlins have crept up by two games over the last two days.
After jumping on Strasburg for 7 runs in 2 innings on Friday, Jose Fernandez held the Nats to one run tonight which became enough when Giancarlo HR'd to tie it in the bottom of the 9th. Miami then won it in the 10th when, rather than get the force out at home, the Nats tried but failed for the one-out/Bases-loaded GiDP.

- Phils lost their first game with the ChiSox (make-up from yesterday's rain out) and are headed for the 10th in game 2.

[Edgy MD]

Standings news: Philadelphia slips within a half a game of Washington, even as Met announcers interpret every Washington win as the beginning of a run they just know the Nats have in them, and every loss as perhaps the last bump in the road before said run comes. Embarrassing, guys. They're just a team.

Mets sit 11 off the division lead after the Harveyless squad lost their first series in weeks, despite playing the triumphant Pirates largely even, being in every game to the end. Pittsburgh's series win puts them back over .500. If they're going to come crashing back down to earth, it ain't the Mets that are going to do it. They looked good, and they're pitching looks as deep as the Braves.

In the Wild Card race, the last series put the Giants back a half game up on the Mets an dCubbies. The Dodgers pulled in front of the Rockies in the West to get even at the break, saving Mattingly's head so that he might fight another day.

San Diego continues to sink.

First 14 games following the break for the Mets are intradivisional matchups.

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	NGB
Atlanta	54	41	.568	�	�
Washington	48	47	.505	6.0	6.0
Philadelphia	48	48	.500	6.5	7.0
New York	41	50	.451	11.0	20.5
Miami	35	58	.376	18.0	48.5

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	NGB
Pittsburgh	56	37	.602	-4.0	-4.0
Cincinnati	53	42	.558	�	�
Washington	48	47	.505	5.0	5.0
Philadelphia	48	48	.500	5.5	6.0
Los Angeles	47	47	.500	5.5	6.0
Colorado	46	50	.479	7.5	14.0
San Francisco	43	51	.457	9.5	24.0
Chicago	42	51	.452	10.0	27.0
New York	41	50	.451	10.0	27.0
San Diego	42	54	.438	11.5	39.0
Milwaukee	38	56	.404	14.5	66.0
Miami	35	58	.376	17.0	91.0

[Frayed Knot]

Of Atlanta's broken outfield, as of yet they've only DL'd one of the Uptons (BJ) but not the other or Heyward.

And speaking of injured NL East OFers, Philly CF Ben Revere broke his foot and is shelved for at least six weeks. Looks like Mayberry in CF with Young & Brown in the corners for the time being.

[Edgy MD]

Philadelphia loses two of three and manages to pass Washington. LA, in beating the Nats, passes them both.

The Mets gain a mere game in the divisional standings, but knock four games off their net games back, and two net games in the Wild Card, pulling ahead of Chicago and staying within a half game of the champeen Giants.

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	NGB
Atlanta	55	43	.561	�	�
Philadelphia	49	50	.495	6.5	6.5
Washington	48	50	.490	7.0	7.5
YOUR New York Mets	43	51	.457	10.0	16.5
Miami	35	61	.365	19.0	52.5

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	NGB
Pittsburgh	57	39	.594	-3.0	-3.0
Cincinnati	55	43	.561	�	�
Los Angeles	50	47	.515	4.5	4.5
Philadelphia	49	50	.495	6.5	8.5
Washington	48	50	.490	7.0	10.0
Colorado	48	51	.485	7.5	12.0
San Francisco	45	52	.464	9.5	22.0
YOUR New York Mets	43	51	.457	10.0	25.0
Chicago	43	53	.448	11.0	32.0
San Diego	43	56	.434	12.5	44.0
Milwaukee	41	56	.423	13.5	53.0
Miami	35	61	.365	19.0	108.0

[batmagadanleadoff]

My New York Mets?? These ain't my New York Mets. Me and my best buddy, eff Wilpon (Fred, to you) would've wanted Jose Reyes at short. We would've paid Jose whatever he wanted and he knows it. Whatever. And an upgrade in the outfield, preferably someone not yet eligible for Social Security, who might plausibly make the All Star team. But that ********** Sandy Alderson is running things like we're under war-time rationing restrictions here, acting like the only free agents are either missing an arm or a leg. There's only so many Spam sandwiches we can feed Matt Harvey at the post-game buffet before he bolts for the Bronx. We tried to roll the Spam into little balls and glaze them with Orange Jello, hoping the players would think it's caviar, but the stupid hicks don't even know what caviar is. Plus, they know their spam, so we can't fool them either way. I think they were raised on Spam. Breast-fed Spam. I pay them millions of dollars a year and they still think that the height of dining are the french fries over at the Shake Shack. That ********** Sandy, I tell you, he practically put a gun to eff's head. And I can't get rid of him.

[Edgy MD]

Sleep well.

[nymr83]

1st Place could be only 2 weeks away!

[ashie62]

God can take me if the Mets win....

[Vic Sage]

Ashie-
That's a deal.
-God

[Guest Swan Swan H]

When Terry Collins looks in the rear-view mirror, what does he see? The immense cranium of Bruce Bochy, blocking his view of the Cubs, Padres, Brewers and Marlins all piled up in the back of the bus.

Next stop, Colorado.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Missed opportunity or not a terribly costly loss but Washington and (looks like) Philly also going down to defeat today.

This of course makes tomorrow's Matinee with [crossout:2dtm76an]Mejia[/crossout:2dtm76an] Wheely a Big Game. Really, all our games are big at this point.

[Edgy MD]

Splits seem like a wash, and when one more win would have put the team two games closer to first, it feels like a lost opportunity, but in the standings, the Mets still continue to progress, and they head to Washington this weekend amazingly playing for second place, having pulled within two games of both the plummeting Phils and those same Nats that they will be facing.

The champion Giants have been caught and passed, and so they're a team you might want to think about rooting for. They sit a game a half behind the Roxx in the Wild Card, but most important are those two games in the division standings.

The Dodgers have really turned their ship around, taking over first and knocking Arizona into the Wild Card race, where they remain even after losing to the Reds tonight.

I don't want to be the guy to say so, but... Big. Day. Tomorrow. They're more or less playing not only to claw back into the race, but for the survival of Byrd and Murphy and anybody else rumored to be on the block. Because a lost opportunity in Washington probably pushes the front office toward sell mode.

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	NGB
Atlanta	57	45	.559	�	�
Philadelphia	49	53	.480	8.0	8.0
Washington	49	53	.480	8.0	8.0
YOUR New York Mets	45	53	.459	10.0	14.0
Miami	38	62	.380	18.0	46.0

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	NGB
Pittsburgh	60	40	.600	-2.5	-2.5
Cincinnati	59	44	.573	�	�
Arizona	53	49	.520	5.5	5.5
Philadelphia	49	53	.480	9.5	13.5
Washington	49	53	.480	9.5	13.5
Colorado	49	54	.476	10.0	15.5
YOUR New York Mets	45	53	.459	11.5	23.0
San Francisco	46	55	.455	12.0	26.0
Chicago	45	55	.450	12.5	29.5
San Diego	46	57	.447	13.0	33.5
Milwaukee	42	59	.416	16.0	60.5
Miami	38	62	.380	19.5	95.5

[Frayed Knot]

It's possible to be in 2nd place NLEast by tomorrow.

[batmagadanleadoff]

As of right now, the Mets are the second likeliest team in the NL East to qualify for the playoffs, according to ESPN's playoff odds, and at least almost twice as likely to qualify as every other division rival but the Braves.



CJ8MvnEVCqM

[Edgy MD]

Remember that series where we had the Braves on the ropes, and walked away with a split when we were poised to sweep, or at least take three of four? Well, thank you, Mets, because the Braves have used that series to springboard forward from, and haven't lost since, having obliterated opposition, mostly divisional, to run off 12 in a row and open up a 15 and a half game lead.

Mets have done at least a little more than treading water in that time, passing both Philadelphia and Colorado, moving into third place in the division, and within a game of the second-place Nationals. Also a little resurgent have been the Pads, recovering from a disastrous July to inch a little toward respectability.

Even toastier over the weeks have been Don Mattingly's Dodgers. While Atlanta has won their last 10, 16 or their last 20, and 21 of their last 30, the Los Angelinos have gone 8-2 / 17-3 / 24-6 over the same period.

Anyhow, root for the Mets this weekend, and maybe find a little heart to root for the Phillies over the Nats too, and maybe you wake up some day over the next three in second place.

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	NGB
Atlanta	70	45	.609	�	�
Washington	54	60	.474	15.5	15.5
YOUR New York Mets	52	60	.464	16.5	17.5
Philadelphia	52	62	.456	17.5	20.5
Miami	43	70	.381	26.0	54.5

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	NGB
St. Louis	66	48	.579	-3.0	-3.0
Cincinnati	63	51	.553	�	�
Arizona	58	55	.513	4.5	4.5
Washington	54	60	.474	9.0	13.5
YOUR New York Mets	52	60	.464	10.0	16.5
Philadelphia	52	62	.456	11.0	20.5
San Diego	52	62	.456	11.0	20.5
Colorado	52	64	.448	12.0	26.5
San Francisco	51	63	.447	12.0	26.5
Chicago	50	64	.439	13.0	34.5
Milwaukee	49	66	.426	14.5	48.0
Miami	43	70	.381	19.5	98.0

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I gave up on my crazy dreams for a playoff run when they went into Washington and played like shit 2 weekends ago but. Look, I'm not saying they will do this, but if... if they somehow have an unbelievable road trip here*, I will get Wild Card hopes high enough again to be let down by the Braves and Tigers when we get home.

* - Starting pitching continues to shine, under-scouted Flores goes on a tear, Ike continues improvement, etc etc

[Edgy MD]

It's three teams vying for two playoff spots. They catch and pass Washington, and then they become the best of the irrelevant teams. It's a long road back to relevancy, but that's something, and I'll celebrate every step they take down that road, though late it may be. They've climbed through Rocky territory, now they need to muddle through Washingtonian bureaucracy.

Still hard to muster true confidence on Hef Day, though. I can do it!

[Frayed Knot]

And while catching Washington may not come with any specific reward, as Ronnie said in yesterday's broadcast (or maybe it was the day before) things like 3rd place instead of 4th does mean something to the players and it should to the fans as well.
I look at it this way: in all the pre-season polls and predictions, what do you suppose the average gap between the Nats finish and Mets finish was? 15 games? 20? 25? 30?
I'd like to finish ahead of Washington just on that basis alone.

[Guest Mets � Willets Point]

A second-place finish, even if the Mets are 21 games back, will be enough for the LCAO to justify standing pat ... oh, wait, I was channeling someone else for a moment there.

[Guest metsguyinmichigan]

If the Mets finish in second and the MYF's finish in third in their division, that helps get me through the winter.

[G-Fafif]

Last time the Mets finished higher in NL East than MFYs finished in AL East was 2008. Last time the Mets finished with a better record than the MFYs was 2000 (big help). Last time the Mets finished higher in their division than MFYs did in their and had a better record?

1990.

[G-Fafif]

1990. 1989. 1988. 1987. 1986. 1984. 1973. 1972. 1971. 1969.

Ten seasons out of 51 (or 52, depending on how you take split-season 1981) in which the Mets finished with both a higher standing and a better record than the MFYs.

This could be the eleventh.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Could my ass. WILL

[G-Fafif]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: Could my ass. WILL

Could your ass will what?

OH, I get it...

[Edgy MD]

Mets taking two of three on the road from a motivated team ahead of them in the standings is no small potatoes, and they somehow managed to keep pace with the front-running Braves, who lost their first game since the Mets played 'em two weeks ago. The Mets, however, lose a game on the second-place Nats, as the Phils are just rolling over and dying. In getting their sorry asses swept this weekend, the Phils get passed by Colorady and San Diegy, and caught by the Cubs. Don't stand beneath them. Brewers, as they're likely to land on you hard.

It'd be nice to be playing those very same Phils, but as mentioned in another thread, we've got to through fire to get there, facing the red-hot Dodgers (winners of nine of their last 10) on the road, followed by the Pads (11 of 20) in the Animal House, a one-game swing through Minnesota (seven of 10), two against the Braves (nine of 10, 16 of 20) at home, and a day off before hosting the Tigers (eight of 10), before finally hosting the Phils who --- who knows? --- might be hot by then.

It's a tough life, this baseball.

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	NGB
Atlanta	72	46	.610	�	�
Washington	57	60	.487	14.5	14.5
YOUR New York Mets	54	61	.470	16.5	18.5
Philadelphia	52	65	.444	19.5	27.5
Miami	44	72	.379	27.0	57.5

Team	W	L	PCT	GB	NGB
St. Louis	67	50	.573	-2.0	-2.0
Cincinnati	65	52	.556	�	�
Arizona	59	57	.509	5.5	5.5
Washington	57	60	.487	8.0	10.5
YOUR New York Mets	54	61	.470	10.0	16.5
Colorado	55	64	.462	11.0	20.5
San Diego	53	64	.453	12.0	25.5
Chicago	52	65	.444	13.0	31.5
Philadelphia	52	65	.444	13.0	31.5
San Francisco	52	65	.444	13.0	31.5
Milwaukee	51	67	.432	14.5	45.0
Miami	44	72	.379	20.5	105.0

[metirish]

I think I am warming up to the idea that there is in fact merit to a strong second half. Seeing these young players coming up is filling me with Mets pride.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Fuck yeah, and this Dodgers team can be stopped. I'm tellin ya, MGiS for the SHaMs.