NL Wild Card Standings: Remaining Mets schedule loses some muscle

There have been certain points over the last month and a half where the New York Mets had the easiest remaining strength of schedule in the National League. This is no longer the case. Unfortunately, several others competing in the NL Wild Card standings against them have opponents with an even worse combined winning percentage.

A bit of this comes from being a numbers game. The Mets just faced the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies. Two non-contenders with weak winning percentages, removing those games from the schedule help increase the total of the teams they do have left to play.

The Mets still play the Miami Marlins seven more times and have three each against the Chicago White Sox, Oakland Athletics, and Los Angeles Angels. They also get three more games against the Rockies and Nationals. Some teams they’re competing against in the Wild Card have it easier.

Remaining Mets opponents have a .493 winning percentage and some contenders have it easier

The Chicago Cubs who started to pull things together before the first half ended have an identical .493 winning percentage left to face. Slightly easier is the .492 winning percentage on the remaining schedule for the Atlanta Braves. They’re not as much of a concern. Let them have the top Wild Card spot.

The alarm bells go off when we see the San Diego Padres with a combined .487 winning percentage. Don’t count out the San Francisco Giants either. Their .479 winning percentage left on the schedule is the second easiest to only the Los Angeles Angels.

There is good news. The St. Louis Cardinals have the fifth-hardest remaining schedule with a .512 combined winning percentage of their remaining opponents. Another team vying for a Wild Card spot with a realistic chance, the Arizona Diamondbacks, have to go against a .506 winning percentage.

More importantly for some of these teams is when these games take place. A rough week for the Giants who sit three games back of the Mets could have them selling. They do come out of the break against the Rockies so don’t expect it. The Cubs and Diamondbacks get to play each other. The Padres have to deal with the Cleveland Guardians.

The NL Wild Card Standings remain congested with only the Marlins, Rockies, and Nationals perceived as sellers among the 15 teams. Cubs, Giants, and Cincinnati Reds trail a playoff spot by 3 or 3.5 games each. What about those pesky Pittsburgh Pirates? At only 1.5 games behind the Mets, we’d expect them to fade but they just refuse to walk the plank.

In the games leading up to the All-Star Break, the Mets took advantage of a softer schedule. It’ll get bumpier. While still favorable, they can’t ease up.