On June 2, the New York Mets were 24-35 and left for dead in the National League playoffs race. Since then, the New York been on a tear, going 25-10 and now holding onto a wild card spot.
A big reason for the Mets' success has been a surge in their offense. Shortstop Francisco Lindor, who hit a three-run home run in New York's 7-3 win over the Colorado Rockies on Saturday, explained the key.
Said Lindor on the Mets' offense, “We bounce ideas [off] each other. We talk to each other and try and figure out how we're going to approach the pitcher. But at the end of the day, this is baseball. We're riding the good wave. We've just got to learn from today, try and turn the page, come back tomorrow, and try to finish the first half strong.”
The two teams wrap up the three-game set and the first half of the season as the Mets go for the sweep.
Lefty Jose Quintana (3.91 ERA and 1.262 WHIP in 96.2 innings) takes the mound for the Mets in his 19th start of the season. Colorado is sending out righty German Marquez for his season debut. (He has a 4.95 ERA and 1.339 WHIP over his last 201.2 innings in the past two years).
Key Mets reliever receives injury update
While the Mets are surging, not everything has gone perfectly for them over the last month. Reliver Drew Smith, who hasn't pitched since June 23, underwent elbow surgery and is likely out for the rest of the season.
Smith has spent parts of six seasons with the Mets, and he's been one of their more underrated bullpen pieces in recent seasons. This year, he had been particularly effective when he found himself on the mound (1-1, 3.06 ERA, 23 K, 1.53 WHIP), and his experience will be missed as they continue to try to make a playoff push.
Without Smith, the Mets need for pitching grows even larger than it already was. They certainly could use a starter, but their bullpen suddenly looks a bit light on reliable arms without Smith available. With their recent surge up the standings, New York's trade deadline strategy has completely flipped on its head over the past few weeks; it's safe to say that they will be a team worth keeping an eye on in the reliever market.
Along with Smith, key bullpen pieces in Reed Garrett and Sean Reid-Foley are on the injured list for the time being too, so this upcoming stretch is going to be difficult for the Mets to navigate. The three-headed snake of Edwin Diaz, Adam Ottavino, and Jake Diekman is going to have to step up more than ever, which is a bit concerning given how shaky they all have been throughout the year.
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