NL Wild Card Standings: Remaining NY Mets schedule washes out catching the Cubs

After a weekend where the New York Mets dropped 3 out of 4 to the Miami Marlins, the good feelings we had after seeing them sweep the Philadelphia Phillies seem like a dream. Now 73-64, they lead the Cincinnati Reds in the NL Wild Card standings by 4 games. It’s a comfortable enough lead when looking at the remaining strength of schedule for all 30 MLB teams.

The Reds have the second toughest remaining schedule with a .533 winning percentage to challenge them. The Mets aren’t far behind at .523. The upcoming battle between the two could swing things drastically.

Much further down the list are two other teams vying for a Wild Card spot. Ahead of the Mets are the Chicago Cubs and San Diego Padres. Want to catch them? They have two of the easiest remaining schedules.

The Mets have a gauntlet in September while the Cubs and Padres have a cakewalk schedule

No one has it easier than the Padres in September. With a remaining winning percentage of .433 against them, the tough opponents include 3 games against the Mets, Reds, and Milwaukee Brewers to provide them with a big challenge. A total of 7 games versus the Colorado Rockies will have their mouths watering. They also have three games against the Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles, and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Strength of schedule, particularly at the beginning and end of a season, can be deceptive. We just saw the Marlins mow over the Mets despite not having a satisfying season record. Anything can happen.

The Cubs happen to play the Mets for 3 games and the Reds another 4 times as their biggest challenge in September. The Washington Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, and 6 games versus the Atlanta Braves who’ll do whatever they can to not help the Mets at all will face Chicago whose remaining strength of schedule equals a winning percentage of .470.

The Mets haven’t played like a playoff team at times and have looked like a complete team during other stretches. It certainly feels like they’re locked into the sixth NL playoff spot. Someone would need to collapse for this to change. Our fingers have gone numb from crossing them, hoping it’s not the Amazins.

The Mets trail the Padres by 3 games, the Cubs 5, and are 4 ahead of the Reds and don’t own the tie-breaker against them currently after losing 2 out of 3 to begin the second half of the season.