Congested NL Wild Card standings continue to give the Mets some hope of a playoff run

The New York Mets go to London and find themselves only 3.5 games out of a Wild Card spot. In fact, they’re just 4 games behind the second-seed. The Chicago Cubs hold it with just a 31-31 record. The Mets, at 27-35, are right there with more than half of the league.

Only the Colorado Rockies and Miami Marlins have sunken too low for any sort of a playoff run. The only two teams in the National League with a lower winning percentage than the Mets, it’s these congested NL Wild Card standings that continue to provide some hope of a playoff run.

The challenge is leapfrogging the 6 teams between them and the San Diego Padres—the team holding onto the third Wild Card spot. Luckily, the strength of their remaining schedule bodes well.

The Mets have one of the easier remaining schedules

Of course, you have to actually beat your opponent to make a softer schedule worthwhile. The .489 winning percentage of the teams left for the Mets to face is the sixth-easiest. Among those competing for the NL Wild Card, only the San Diego Padres at a slightly better .487 winning percentage from their opponents appear to have it any easier.

It’s games against opponents like the Washington Nationals whom the Mets just swept and Arizona Diamondbacks who they should’ve taken the series from instead of tied that’ll matter most. Dropping games to the Philadelphia Phillies or Atlanta Braves is irrelevant. Sure, they should try to win those games and steal a few they theoretically shouldn’t win. The difference for the Mets will come down to taking wins away from the basement dwellers in MLB and also earning a W while handing an L to the ones competing for the same playoff berth.

Key to all of this is to do it before the trade deadline arrives. June’s schedule isn’t the easiest, but July starts off with a few victories. They play the Nationals, Pittsburgh Pirates, Colorado Rockies, and Marlins through July 22 and no one else. The month ends tough with games versus the New York Yankees and Braves before finishing against the Minnesota Twins.

Do the Mets have a miracle run in them? Ten games left against both the Marlins and Nationals is where they can make up a lot of ground. The Mets proved they can beat Washington. They’ll get more opportunities in the coming weeks.