NY Mets Schedule: 13 reasons why fans should be concerned

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 31: Javier Baez #23 of the New York Mets looks on against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field on July 31, 2021 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Reds 5-4 in ten innings. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 31: Javier Baez #23 of the New York Mets looks on against the Cincinnati Reds at Citi Field on July 31, 2021 in New York City. The Mets defeated the Reds 5-4 in ten innings. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

How concerned are you with the New York Mets? The team has been in first place practically forever. Though faulty, the rest of the division has its own warts.

Finding 13 reasons to be concerned might startle you. Your first instinct might be that my 13 reasons come from some obvious issues the club has had. Maybe I’m going to criticize their lack of major moves at the trade deadline aside from the Javier Baez acquisition. Or maybe I’ll slap the offense silly for not producing runs.

Nope. That’s not what this is about. My 13 reasons why to be concerned about the Mets can be answered with a date range: August 13-26.

The biggest concern we should have right now is seeing the Mets get buried in mid-August

The 13 games we have been dreading all year take place this month beginning on August 13th. A Friday the 13th. Oh no. This is an omen.

After three games where the Mets should pound the Washington Nationals at home, they play host to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a three-game weekend series. The Dodgers are never an easy opponent. And the trouble doesn’t stop there.

Following those three with the Dodgers, the Mets travel to face the San Francisco Giants for three more. The Giants have been one of the surprising powerhouse clubs of 2021. Superb pitching and batting with Kris Bryant now on the roster, they’re going to give the Mets fits out on the West Coast.

As if this wasn’t grueling enough, the Mets then begin a four-game series against the Dodgers. At this point, we’re at August 19th and the shorthanded Mets haven’t had an off-day since August 9th. These four games all take place at Dodger Stadium. If we’re lucky, Jacob deGrom might be back. I’m not feeling lucky, punk.

Finally, the Mets do get a day off on August 23rd. When they return to Citi Field, the Giants will be there to play three more games.

This is the stretch of the season that could make or break the Mets. They need to win. They also need their biggest NL East threats to lose.

From August 13-26, the Braves play the Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, Baltimore Orioles, and finally the New York Yankees. It’s not insane to expect them to sweep at least two of those clubs.

The Philadelphia Phillies schedule is a little harder. They have the Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks, San Diego Padres, and Tampa Bay Rays in their mid-August future. Although tougher than what the Braves have, they can make up ground. What’s more, they then have games against the Diamondbacks, Nationals, and Marlins until finally facing the Milwaukee Brewers on September 6th for a tough opponent.

Want your voice heard? Join the Rising Apple team!

Write for us!

You want 13 reasons to be concerned about the Mets? I’ll spare you the Netflix original teenage drama. I can’t give them to you. Instead, I give these 13 daunting matchups.

Schedule