Mets refuse to go away in their pursuit of a Wild Card berth

The New York Mets have continued to fight for the second Wild Card spot and have a winnable schedule for the rest of 2019.

Only The Undertaker has been buried alive and risen more times than the 2019 New York Mets. Every time a marching band plays taps following a disappointing series, this team seems to find a way to climb right back into the Wild Card hunt. It certainly helps that the teams they are chasing haven’t figured things out either, allowing the ball club from Flushing to take a step forward every few days.

The Mets are by no means a perfect team. There’s still uncertainty with the bullpen. Seth Lugo looks like the preferred choice to secure the final three outs, but his availability isn’t the same as a regular closer.

This week, the Mets have gotten creative and used Justin Wilson for the ninth when Lugo was not available. The semi-closer by committee solution to make up for Edwin Diaz’s struggles can help keep their coffin from staying underground. Thus far, it seems to have worked.

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For much of 2019, the National League Wild Card race has been a tight one. In recent weeks, the numbers of dwindled. With the Washington Nationals owning a less comfortable lead in the first spot, a collapse from them may even allow one of these other teams to sneak in. I won’t bet on it, however, we’ve seen them fall apart before. See 2015 for more information.

The remaining September schedule won’t be as easy as the one in late July and early August.

After the Arizona Diamondbacks series, they host the Los Angeles Dodgers for three at home. Although the Dodgers have already clinched the National League West, they aren’t about to take their foot off the gas. Finishing with the best record in baseball is a mission on their mind. So, don’t expect to see them go easy on the Metropolitans.

Following the Dodgers, they visit the Colorado Rockies where we will finally get to see Pete Alonso hit at Coors Field. Then they visit the sneakily dangerous Cincinnati Reds. The Mets must not relax for this series. The Reds can hit and this year, they’ve gotten some tremendous pitching performances from guys like Sonny Gray and Luis Castillo—not the ex-Mets second baseman.

Four against the Marlins then three versus the Braves finish the year. Like with any game against a division rival, anything can happen in those series. New York could luck out and face a Braves team with nothing to play for. Even so, the scrubs in the lineup may be fighting for a job next season.

It’s going to take a lot of kicking and screaming to knock the Mets out of postseason contention. The final day of the MLB season is less than three weeks away and the Mets are right there with their noses pressed firmly against the final playoff spot.

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Don’t make plans for October yet. Playoff baseball may be visiting Citi Field.