The Mets identify as a disappointment, and the possibility their plight will worsen over the 23-game stretch that began Friday night is very real.
With two perennial NL East threats (the Braves and Phillies) scheduled as opponents in 13 of those games, the Mets realize they have perhaps reached a critical juncture in the schedule.
“Definitely, I think this stretch can tell us a lot about who we are,” Bo Bichette said before the Mets faced the Braves at Citi Field.
Who are the Mets at the moment? A team that got buried in April with a 12-game losing streak that hasn’t played nearly well enough to overcome that early horrid play.
The Mets began the day 30-38, trailing the first-place Braves (who own MLB’s best record) by 15 games in the NL East. The resurgent Phillies, under manager Don Mattingly following Rob Thomson’s firing, began play leading by 1 ½ games for the NL’s second wild card.
“We have just got to show up and win as many games as we can — whether we’re playing those teams or somebody else,” Bichette said. “I don’t think chasing someone is the goal. Maybe in late September if we find ourselves in that situation that could be a goal, but right now we have just got to focus on what we can every day.”
Three big lineup pieces remain sidelined: Francisco Lindor, Jorge Polanco and Luis Robert Jr., Nevertheless, their respective returns might be a moot point if the hole in which the Mets are submerged gets any larger.
“Where we are in the season, where we are from a record standpoint, regardless of who we would be playing over the next month, is going to have an added level of importance,” president of baseball operations David Stearns said. “This is an important time of year for us.”
Stearns was asked why anybody should believe the Mets can still have a shot at a turnaround.
“We’ve got to prove that things are going to change,” Stearns said. “There is no question we have played better since April, but we still haven’t played consistent enough to get out of the hole we dug, and we’re very aware of that. We have to prove it. I continue to believe we have the people in the clubhouse who are capable of doing this.”
The Mets opened the homestand with two losses in three games to the Cardinals after going 3-3 on their last road trip. Since the end of April, the Mets were 20-17 entering play.
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“Every series is like a measuring stick, especially where we are at,” manager Carlos Mendoza said. “But we’re facing a real good team with the best record in baseball, but I think it’s about us playing our best baseball, and whether we’re playing the Braves it doesn’t matter.
“Our job is to go out there and start playing consistent baseball, winning baseball. So, whether it’s this weekend, it doesn’t matter who we are playing. It starts tonight.”
Bichette was asked what stood out to him about the Braves.
“The same thing that stands out to anybody about them over the past five years,” Bichette said. “They had a down season last year, but they are a proud group with a lot of talent. All their players play every day, too, and it’s tough to find that. They have got everything you need.”