MIAMI, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 10: Craig Counsell #30 of the Milwaukee Brewers looks on as the medical staff tends to the injury of Christian Yelich #22 of the Milwaukee Brewers in the first inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on September 10, 2019 in Miami, Florida. Christian Yelich will miss the rest of the season after fracturing his right kneecap in Tuesday’s victory over the Miami Marlins. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
The New York Mets are still given slim chances to make the playoffs, but they are red-hot and could actually pull off a miracle comeback.
When I wrote a post on Tuesday breaking down the remaining contenders for the National League’s two Wild Card spots, I left the New York Mets out of the picture. The Amazins were four games back at the time and had lost four of their first seven games to open the month of September, including an epic 11-10 loss to the Washington Nationals that featured a blown six-run lead in the ninth inning. You just aren’t supposed to be able to come back from those types of losses.
Instead, the Mets have completely proven me wrong. They’ve run four in a row heading into a very crucial weekend and are only two games out of the NL’s final playoff spot with 16 games to play. The Mets just keep finding ways to pick themselves up off the mat and stay in the hunt. Since July 1, they are 38-23 and have reeled off multiple lengthy winning streaks. Mets fans have had their hearts broken dozens of times over the past few decades, but there is a legitimate reason to have cautious optimism that this season can end in a playoff berth.
The Mets were given less than a five percent chance to reach the playoffs a few days ago, but their playoff probability is all the way up to 14 percent now. That’s obviously not a huge percentage, but it’s not impossible to make up two games in two weeks. Heck, the Mets did that this week. I don’t want to lead Mets fans on too much — getting into the playoffs this year will definitely qualify as a miracle, but there is plenty of reason for hope.
5. NL Central weakness
It’s awful that Milwaukee Brewers star Christian Yelich saw his MVP-worthy season ended a few weeks early by a freakish knee injury on a foul ball, but that does help the Mets playoff hopes. Yelich has been the driving force of the Brewers all year, and losing him for a crucial stretch will make it difficult for Milwaukee to match the rest of the contenders win-for-win. The Brewers have won seven in a row, but they’re coming off a four-game series against the Miami Marlins and have to face the St. Louis Cardinals. Playing poorly in this weekend’s series could really dent Milwaukee’s momentum.
The Chicago Cubs have been well ahead of the Mets all year but are heading in the wrong direction. At this point, it feels like the Cubs are the runner who jetted off to a sizable lead in the marathon only to fall apart at mile 24 with the pack chewing up ground behind him. There’s not much time left, but things can go south in a hurry. Losing Javy Baez is a huge blow to the Cubs. They are just 5-6 in September and still have seven games against St. Louis.