Luckily, the Dodgers test is only a mid-term and not the finals

Here’s a positive spin on the two-game skid the New York Mets are on against the Los Angeles Dodgers; it’s only the first week of June! The Mets have a comfortable lead in the National League. And unless firing Joe Girardi really will solve all of the problems the Philadelphia Phillies have or the Atlanta Braves wake up from their World Series hangover, they appear playoff-bound.

The Mets are in the midst of their biggest test of the year. A long road trip on the West Coast beginning with four against the Los Angeles Dodgers then consecutive series versus the San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Angels will undoubtedly include a couple of losses. It’s not easy to travel to the other side of the country and face quality teams.

Unfortunately, this test requires much more than a number two pencil to get through. So far, it hasn’t been pretty. But this is just the mid-term and not the finals.

This year’s Mets team is the kind to learn from this series, let it eat at them all season-long

Regardless of how the final two games of this series go, the Mets will need to learn from their shortcomings. Why couldn’t they compete with the Dodgers in the first two games? While neither was a blowout, it felt as if the Mets never really stood a chance.

The Mets are working a little shorthanded at the moment with Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer absent. Put those two on the mound on consecutive days and they’re bound to sneak away with at least one victory no matter who the Dodgers put on the mound against them.

One run in two games should also raise a couple of questions about the offense. The Mets were smoking pitchers prior to this series but those were far weaker teams. The Washington Nationals have possibly the worst pitching staff in baseball. The Dodgers might have the best one.

This is the kind of series the Mets could lose but come away with the win at the end. They can’t think of this as four games they were going to drop. This is a preview of what they could be facing in the postseason. Very likely, it’s the Dodgers who will stand between the Mets and the World Series.

Take a game in this series if you can, Mets. Otherwise, load up on some knowledge and realize what you’ll need to arm yourself with later on in 2022 when each loss is one step closer to the offseason.