NL Wild Card Update: Mets Lead Looks Precarious

The marathon baseball season is a sprint now and the Mets are staggering to the finish line.

New York has lost four in a row and eight of 12. Meanwhile, the surging San Francisco Giants, winners of 13 of 16, have closed to within two games of the Mets for the final Wild Card spot. (The Mets hold the tiebreaker over the Giants.) And three teams lie in wait behind the Giants. If the Reds, Diamondbacks or Cardinals were to go on a sudden hot streak like the one the Giants are in the midst of, any of them could jump the Mets.

Carlos Mendoza was asked by a reporter after Tuesday’s 9-3 loss to the Phillies if the Mets would make the playoffs.

“We will,” the manager said. “We will. We gotta play better. We gotta fight. We’re in the middle of it. There’s no time to feel sorry or it’s, we gotta fight. What’s in the past is in the past and we gotta continue to take it one day at a time.”

It seemed to me that after the “it’s” in the quote above, Mendoza’s mind jumped to a dark place, and he stopped himself. Smart man.

“We just gotta do our thing,” Sean Manaea said after giving up four runs in five innings. “It’s a tough hill to climb right now but the boys in here are ready for the challenge so we just gotta put things together and I think we have the group to do that.”

Looking up the standings, the Mets are three games back of the Padres for the second Wild Card and six back of the Cubs for the top Wild Card spot. Barring an epic hot streak/collapse, the division is settled. The Phillies lead by nine games with 17 to go.

NEW YORK METS (76-69) 

Remaining schedule

Home – Texas (3), San Diego (3), Washington (3)

Away – Philadelphia (2), Cubs (3), Miami (3)

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS (74-71) -2

Willy Adames has been a key in their recent good play, hitting .326 with six homers and 15 RBIs in his last 12 games. He hit a three-run homer in a win Tuesday over the Diamondbacks. Former Met prospect Drew Gilbert is 7-for-23 with two home runs in September.

Remaining schedule

Home – Arizona (1), Dodgers (3), St. Louis (3), Colorado (3)

Away – Arizona (3), Dodgers (4)

CINCINNATI REDS (73-72) -3

Hunter Greene, who beat the Mets Sunday with seven innings of one-run ball, has posted a 2.35 ERA with 40 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings pitched since coming off the injured list last month.

Remaining schedule

Home – Cubs (4), Pittsburgh (3)

Away – San Diego (1), Athletics (3), St. Louis (3), Milwaukee (3)

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS (72-74) – 4 1/2

The Diamondbacks since Aug. 12: won three, lost four, won four, lost three, won four, lost two, won four, lost three. This team could get hot or cold at any time. Sounds familiar.

Remaining schedule

Home – San Francisco (3), Philadelphia (3), Dodgers (3)

Away – San Francisco (1), Minnesota (3), San Diego (3)

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS (72-74) – 4 1/2

Four of the Cardinals’ five starting pitchers have ERAs above 5.oo over the last month. During this same period, the team is 29th in MLB in OPS (.635). It’s hard to see them making a run, but that’s why they play the games.

Remaining schedule

Home – Cincinnati (3), Milwaukee (3)

Away – Seattle (1), Milwaukee (3), San Francisco (3), Cubs (3)

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