Show Me!!

The Mets have been, or have seemed to be, an up and down team all year. They have never gone through that long stretch where they won 15-18, 21-25, etc. They tend to put together 2,3, maybe 4 wins in a row and then proceed to lose 2 of the next 3 and missing out on a chance to pull away from the rest of the pack. The rest of the pack being Philly and Atlanta. This type of inconsistent play is the reason why i don't necessarily have all the confidence in the world that they can get deep into the playoffs and make that long sought after trip to the World Series.

They lost 6 of 8 heading into the All Star break and were clinging to a 2 game lead over Atlanta (4.5 over philly) on July 9th. Coming out of the break they went 15-9 and were heading into a 3 game set at Shea against the Braves with a 4.5 game lead (5 over philly). This series was a chance for the Mets to make a statement and , of course, they proceeded to lose 2 of 3 to not only the Braves but to the mighty Marlins in the following series.

Since that Marlins series the Mets have gone 8-4 and stretched their lead in the division race over now 2nd place philly to 6 (7 over atlanta). Through all of their mediocrity and talks of Atlanta and Philly breathing down their necks in the middle of the summer, the Mets have managed to win just enough and atl/phi have managed to lose just enough for the Mets to get a hold of the division.

For me though, on the heels of the ugly (but exciting) series with the Padres and another inconsistent outing last night vs LA, I need to see this team come out and let the rest of MLB know that they are the team to beat. And taking 6 of 7 from Phi/Atl this week will make that statement loud and clear. Pitching and defense will tell the tale this time around, as it almost always does. 6 of 7 may seem like a reach but given the fact that they are facing mediocre pitching over the next 4 games (durbin, eaton, moyer, lohse) and missing Smoltz in Atl (they do get hudson but face reyes and cormier as well), this should certainly be something that is achievable for a team that has it's eyes set on a WS ring.

Make me believe!