2 reasons NY Mets will quickly regain an NL East lead, 1 reason to have doubts

It’s safe to say the New York Mets have fallen on tough times. The team that started the season like a house on fire has, at least for now, been extinguished. They’ve gone 5-5 in their last 10 games and lost 4 of their last 5. In those five games, they’ve scored a paltry 8 runs. Things look bad. I’m not gonna sugarcoat it. The bats have gone cold, the defense has been a mess, and they’re wasting some gutsy pitching performances. Oh, and lest we forget, there’s the 765-million-dollar elephant in the room named Soto. For the first time since early April, the Mets are looking up at the division-leading Phillies.

If there ever was a fanbase with a Chicken Little complex, it would be the New York Mets. The sky always seems to be falling in Queens. But fear not, logic will be our guide through this tough time. The New York Mets will be back in first place in the NL soon enough, so let’s look at two reasons why and one reason why they might not.

Believe in the starting pitching

You might say, who are you trying to convince, me or yourself? And the answer to that question is both. We were riding high the first few weeks of the season, and who could blame us? Our boys were hotter than an illegal firecracker on a Queens street in July. That was no fluke. The reason the Mets were so dominant is their pitching. At 2.87, the New York Mets lead the world in ERA. In fact, the orange and blue crew are the only team in MLB to have a sub-three team ERA.

The Mets staff are top 5 in strikeouts. This is all being done by a rotation of Clay Holmes, who hasn’t started in years, Griffin Canning, who most people have never heard of, Kodai Senga, coming off of an injury-riddled 2024, and perennial works in progress Tylor Megill and David Peterson. This staff has been great, and it’s not even at its highest potential. With reinforcements in the form of Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas set to return, this staff could dominate the NL East, which leads to the next point.