NL Wild Card Standings: Remaining Mets schedule is one of the toughest in MLB

What’s the big deal about going 3-3 to start this 9-game homestand? The New York Mets suddenly go from having a schedule averaging below-average opponents to one of the toughest. They dropped 2 games behind the Atlanta Braves for the final Wild Card spot with their loss on Sunday. Nix the Oakland Athletics and Miami Marlins from the remaining schedule and the remaining combined winning percentage of teams they play goes up to .516. This is the sixth-toughest remaining schedule according to Tankathon.

Of course, a large number of those games will be in the next couple of series. Three against the Baltimore Orioles and then four versus the San Diego Padres and three against the Arizona Diamondbacks will make up a large portion of those tough games.

It’s going to be tough sledding over the next few games. How do the Mets’ opponents measure up?

The other NL Wild Card contenders don’t have it much easier

NL Wild Card contenders, if we can even refer to them as that, with a tougher schedule than the Mets include the St. Louis Cardinals and nobody else. The combined winning percentage left for them is .521. Everyone else is behind the Mets, not necessarily by a whole lot. Here’s how they rank from toughest to easiest:

St. Louis Cardinals .521
New York Mets .516
Arizona Diamondbacks .513
San Francisco Giants .512
Cincinnati Reds .511
Atlanta Braves .504
San Diego Padres .500
Chicago Cubs .477

There is only so much the Mets can control in their quest to claim a Wild Card spot. Every team in the NL behind them is at .500 or worse. The Giants trail the Braves by 4 games, the Cardinals by 5, and the sneaky Cubs by 5.5. The Cubs are still a concern. Their masterful pitching is playoff-worthy. Hitting has been their issue. Something similar could be said of the Cincinnati Reds. However, the recent loss of Hunter Greene to the IL might sign their death wish. Picking up Amed Rosario on waivers isn’t the stunning move to catapult them anywhere.

The strength of schedule for the Mets will improve by the time they get to the Chicago White Sox at the end of the month. September won’t offer them too many easy games, though. Three against the Braves to finish the year plus a whopping seven left versus the Philadelphia Phillies will prove difficult. The upcoming games against the Orioles, Padres, and Diamondbacks is where they need to make up ground and show everyone they have serious playoff aspirations. Otherwise, get ready for some early October pumpkin picking.