3 Mets playoff roadblocks that could get in the way of playing October baseball

3) An untrustworthy Mets offense and bullpen

Even with Francisco Lindor inserted at the top of the lineup, the Mets weren’t doing a whole lot of hitting. Their victory on Monday was a perfect example of what we’ve seen. Nothing. Nothing. Nothing. Then boom! A run. Sometimes it’s an explosion of them.

The Mets have somehow managed to be one of the more prolific run-scoring teams in September but that’s mostly based on one big inning a few times this month. Their biggest roadblock of all is the assembled roster that has a whole lot of heart but lacks in some other departments.

It isn’t only the offense that has struggled enough to lose our trust. The bullpen, which looks immaculate one day and a pushover the next, has far too many untrustworthy players in there. What is Adam Ottavino still doing on this team? Only because the Mets don’t have a better option has he been able to survive this long.

The saving grace for the Mets has been their starting pitchers dominating even when the rest of the team hasn’t clicked right. Going deep into games has helped eliminate the need to turn to the bullpen as often as Carlos Mendoza had to early on in the season. And because outings from everyone have been so effective, the team constantly has a chance to put together its big inning late in order to seal a victory.

A shaky bullpen and a way too often absent offense can sink the Mets this year. On the other hand, if those two just become average, there’s little that can stop them from being a team of destiny.