SHaMs 2K13!!

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Here where you can let loose with hopes and prayers for the Second Half Mets.

71 Games left. I kinda looked at the schedule on paper and made an optimistic prediction that we could go 41-30, which would pull us into the station at 82-80. That's just under .600 so optimistic but not impossibly so.

I am basing this optimism on my belief that we've established a higher base level of performance as a result of improving the D and lineup with Young, stabilizing the bullpen, improved starting pitching, and my belief that there's room for improvement for guys like Davis (or whoever they put at first base), Wheeler, Muffy, whoever plays CF, etc. and the possibility of a trade/promotion to continue this theme we have going this year of finding a solution where we've had trouble.

Working against that is the fact that baseball is hard, injuries can happen, Harvey, waterskiis and a shark, guys like Young & Quintanilla regressing, recent history of rotten second halves etc etc etc.

What do you think and why? Make a SHaMmy prediction!

[bmfc1]

SI has the Mets only winning 26 more games. I went with 30.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

They think the Mets are going to play .367 ball? They haven't even been that low this year.

[Edgy MD]

I went with 43.

The key is winning tonight.

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

That's always it, isn't it.

The good news: the team should get generally better, if only from regression-to-mean stuff.

The bad news: as presently constructed, this team isn't THAT good, in toto.

It'll start well-to-very-well-- say, 16 out of 20, with a couple of win streaks-- then tail off significantly after the deadline, before settling into about a 36-37 win zone.

[Fman99]

Go SHaMs! I say 42-29 based on the recent starting pitching and the caveat that Byrd stays in a Mets uni all year.

[Edgy MD]

He would eventually start smelling really bad.

[metirish]

42 in honor of Mo

[Centerfield]

41. It feels like a good number.

[Guest Swan Swan H]

37 in honor of Casey, and in recognition that Harvey is only likely to pitch 80 more innings.

Fman99 wrote: Go SHaMs! I say 42-29 based on the recent starting pitching and the caveat that Byrd stays in a Mets uni all year. Edgy MD wrote: He would eventually start smelling really bad.

Whaddayamean 'start?' Have you been near him? He's like a hockey glove dipped in Axe and stufffed with garlic. He can hit, though.

[G-Fafif]

[Zvon]

37. They have to get up above .500 or I'll be grouchy all winter.

[Ceetar]

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: 71 Games left. I kinda looked at the schedule on paper and made an optimistic prediction that we could go 41-30, which would pull us into the station at 82-80. That's just under .600 so optimistic but not impossibly so.

I like 41. I kinda expected them to play sorta like an 82 win team this year anyway, so I wouldn't be surprised if it fell that way, but If I had to pin a number on it, 38-33.

I think Ike Davis has a good second half. (not great. He performs just well enough that we feel we've learned nothing helpful about how to proceed with him)

I think Nieuwenhuis will have a good second half, and make up for a drop off by Marlon Byrd. Murphy will perform a little better and hopefully that's enough overall to boost the offense just enough to win a couple more games.

I think Wheeler will have both an amazing stretch of 3-4 games, and one that has everyone comparing him to Mike Pelfrey for 3-4 games.

I think David Wright hits 13 home runs, putting him just 22 behind Strawberry.

[G-Fafif]

I picked 33 wins for the second half, which I thought left them at my preseason prediction of 73-89, but they have 41 wins right now (I thought it was 40), so I was off by one. Anyway, 33-38 over their final 71 sounds reasonable given the lineup flux, regressions to the mean and, most importantly, the kind of pitching that should prevent utter second-half collapse.

Might be enough to save Terry, which I'm not thrilled about, but if he earns it, he earns it.

[dgwphotography]

30.

Byrd gets traded at the deadline, Ike still hasn't shown much change in his approach, and the use of the bullpen will rear its ugly head in the second half.

[TransMonk]

38

[Edgy MD]

We have 17 active posters?

[Guest Swan Swan H]

Edgy MD wrote: We have 17 active posters?

I have one poster - Anthony Recker in a loincloth.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

lolololol

[metirish]

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

Edgy MD wrote: I went with 43. The key is winning tonight.

You shouldn't have put so much pressure on them.

[Frayed Knot]

Still contemplating my answer, but right now I'm leaning towards 0-71