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Mets' survivor tactics set up strong chances in September
Despite a rash of injuries, the Mets have been getting lots out of their next men up. David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports

Mets' survivor tactics set up strong chances in September

If there is to be one of those MLB Productions videos made to chronicle the year of the still-defending National League Champions, the title of could appropriately be something to the tune of “Smoke and Mirrors: the story of the 2016 New York Mets” or “Against All Odds…”, etc, etc, etc. Because more so than any other team that still has a pulse, the Mets have done more with less in order to survive than any other team still standing in baseball this year.

The list of players they have lost along the way in some capacity reads in the fashion that should say they are long down for the count, rather than sitting just a game outside of the NL’s final wild card spot. Along the road to September, they have lost David Wright, Matt Harvey, Lucas Duda, Juan Lagares, Neil Walker, Travis d’Arnaud, Yoenis Cespedes and, most recently, Jacob deGrom.

Now some of them, such as Cespedes and d’Arnaud, have made it back from the abyss of the Mets’ fog of the injured. Others have hopes to do so, such as deGrom, Wright, Duda and Matz. Some like Harvey and Zach Wheeler, whose chances of a return after a year out of action were permanently dashed last week, have no idea of when (or if) their careers will resume.

Terry Collins’ boys have fought against all odds and went into a crowded gunfight with an oft-half loaded clip, at best. It has been since May 20 that the team last had Duda, Cespedes and Granderson in the lineup together, a major part of the core that pushed thru to a surprisingly swift NLCS a year ago.

It would be easier to instead move credit for the team’s success to their much-hallowed starting pitching staff; however, they have been far from immune to the woes that have sacked the everyday lineup as well. Harvey, whose return represented so much to the team’s rise in power last year, as well as its teflon run through the postseason, all the way to the final innings of the year, was never right. His season was a mess of an affair that came to an end after 17 starts, of which only seven qualified as quality. His 4.86 ERA, 10 losses and sudden dip in velocity became clear when it was revealed that he would require the dreaded Thoracic Outlet surgery, which has had a cloudy impact on the future of many Major League arms of late. For some, it has been rebound-able (Brandon McCarthy), for others it has been a constant plague (Michael Wacha), while for former Cy Young winner Chris Carpenter, it brought his career to a close. Add in the non-return to activity from Wheeler and the increasingly concerning condition of Steven Matz’ shoulder, and the rotation has been defined by the All-Star efforts of Noah Syndergaard and Bartolo Colon, a far cry from the expected impenetrable five-man force it was expected to be.

Yet, once again, regardless of these obstacles, the Mets have managed to hang around just long enough to stay dangerous. This has been done by them becoming the ultimate next man up conglomerate on the year. Walker did as strong of a Daniel Murphy impression as could be expected, raking 23 home runs in his first year in Flushing. Jose Reyes’ found comfort in a familiar place after the controversial beginning to his year in Colorado, while Asdrubal Cabrera, Kelly Johnson and Wilmer Flores have played their roles admirably. In later stages, Jay Bruce led the NL in RBI when he was acquired midseason to be a sturdy bridge over troubled waters as well.

And when all else failed, there was the bullpen to hold things together, which has been the secret strength of the team. Led by NL saves leader Jeurys Familia, the Mets are holding more late leads intact than any other NL team. Joining Familia in securing the late inning foothold is Addison Reed, an author of over 100 career saves himself, who has made an invaluable conversion to setup man as a Met and has played a vital role in shortening games for Mets opponents. Once again, a player in a new role has done what it takes to ensure the Mets’ survival/success.

But all of these things considered, can the Mets continue to bear this load going into the final stretch run of the season? Well, the odds look very much in their favor to do so, because they successfully braved the onslaught of an August slate that featured series versus the Detroit Tigers, St. Louis Cardinals, San Francisco Giants and Miami Marlins, a run in which they endured to a 15-14 record, one game north of .500—which was, ironically enough, their best full month record since April.

However, this patchwork club is in line to be rewarded for keeping its head just far enough above water to not be taken under. For their September slate features only one more series against a team with a winning record. Instead, their September has a pair of series versus the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies, as well as series against the Minnesota Twins and Cincinnati Reds, both of which line the bottoms of their respective divisions. Save for one final series against the NL East-leading Washington Nationals next week, the closest thing they face to a team with a winning record is the Miami Marlins, who have had a gradual decline towards the fringe of the NL Wild Card race over the past few weeks.

The horizon looks bright for the Mets, who have shown a knack for simply showing up, doing enough and—perhaps more importantly than anything else—surviving to fight another day. And in the end, they could stick around long enough to just blend into the NL postseason picture for a second straight year.

And as last fall proved, anything could happen from there.

Can you name every New York Mets player to hit 30 or more home runs in a season?
SCORE:
0/34
TIME:
5:00
53 (2019)
Pete Alonso
41 (2006)
Carlos Beltran
41 (1996)
Todd Hundley
40 (1999)
Mike Piazza
39 (1987)
Darryl Strawberry
39 (1988)
Darryl Strawberry
38 (2006)
Carlos Delgado
38 (2008)
Carlos Delgado
38 (1991)
Howard Johnson
38 (2000)
Mike Piazza
37 (1976)
Dave Kingman
37 (1982)
Dave Kingman
37 (1990)
Darryl Strawberry
36 (1987)
Howard Johnson
36 (1989)
Howard Johnson
36 (1975)
Dave Kingman
36 (2001)
Mike Piazza
34 (1993)
Bobby Bonilla
34 (2005)
Cliff Floyd
34 (1962)
Frank Thomas
33 (2019)
Michael Conforto
33 (2007)
Carlos Beltran
33 (2002)
Mike Piazza
33 (2008)
David Wright
32 (1985)
Gary Carter
32 (2012)
Ike Davis
32 (1999)
Robin Ventura
31 (2016)
Yoenis Cespedes
30 (2016)
Curtis Granderson
30 (2014)
Lucas Duda
30 (2004)
Mike Cameron
30 (1996)
Bernard Gilkey
30 (1997)
Todd Hundley
30 (2007)
David Wright

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