The Mets can spoil someone else's NL Wild Card hopes and dreams this September

There is no miracle run about to take place for the New York Mets. They haven’t shown any signs in August of being able to pull off the impossible and take advantage of a September schedule featuring plenty of matchups against clubs vying for an NL Wild Card spot.

From September 11 through the end of the year, the Mets play only four different teams. All of them have a chance at making it to the playoff via the Wild Card. Whose year will they ruin?

NY Mets games are still relevant even if it doesn’t matter much in Queens

There are some games in the MLB season where nothing is on the line. It’s inevitable in every sport. Opening Day can include matchups where we already know both teams involved have no chance at playing a game with playoff implications.

The Mets might be out of the running for a playoff spot, but the games they have left can factor into who does play in October and who doesn’t.

It begins with a seven-game homestand with four against the Arizona Diamondbacks and three versus the Cincinnati Reds. The penultimate stretch of games at Citi Field for 2023, it’s a chance to see a Tommy Pham tribute video and our first glimpse of Elly De La Cruz. It does seem like only one of these two clubs will make it into the playoffs. Their games against the Mets will be critical in securing a Wild Card berth.

From September 18 onward, the Mets play three against the Miami Marlins and four against the Philadelphia Phillies on the road. Their final six games are all at home. Again, it’s three against the Marlins and another trio versus the Phillies.

Back in mid-August when the Mets were playing a little better, fans were looking at that September schedule and seeing an opening for the team to capitalize on those opponents. Hammer them and you can take control of your destiny. Fall by the wayside too soon and all you can do is become the NL Wild Card spoiler.

There are some good odds those final games against the Marlins and Phillies don’t have as much meaning. The Marlins are floundering out of the race. The Phillies are galloping away with the number one seed.

It’s those games versus the Diamondbacks and Reds that’ll be especially impactful. Can the Diamondbacks slither past the Mets and will the Reds manage to color their way into the playoffs?