The New York Mets are four games up in the final Wild Card spot and six games behind the Phillies in the NL East with four games to play against them. I said the Phillies would win the division before the season started, and I am sticking with that. Will the Mets hold on to the Wild Card?

 

With a month to go, the Mets starting pitching staff is in a hole. It’s been heading to this, but Jonah Tong and Nolan McLean had propped up a VERY tired pitching staff that, on average, can’t go five innings. The Mets coaching staff as a whole has done a poor job of managing what they have. David Stearns’ efforts to bolster the staff have failed, and this is the dual problem they face.

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The fact that the Mets have decided to keep Brandon Sproat in the minors is baffling, and that means the Tylor Megill has to provide something when he returns. I guess it will be in the bullpen unless they rest some of their starters and have each of them miss a start. I might be in favor of that at this point in time and let them get their mechanics back in order.

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As far as the Mets bullpen goes, I think they’re sitting on a potential time bomb with Gregory Soto. He’s 1-3 with a 1.42 ERA, but his WHIP is growing at 1.34. The league is hitting .247 against him.

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Ryne Stanek has returned to the mean as well. His WHIP is an alarming 1.57. The league is hitting .254 against him. Can he be trusted?

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The Mets have a few trusted relievers that they can use in high-leverage spots. They have to run the bullpen and be ready and have relievers warming up the minute that there is trouble in the fourth and fifth innings. Carlos Mendoza can’t continue to try and get that last out or two because most of those instances have gone against the Mets. The philosophy has to change now.