Well... So much for that/Tough road for 2nd half

Well…. So much for that.

By FOX Sports Radio 1230

Since the official announcement of NL position player starters on July 1^st, New York area sports fans have been irate over the surprise overtaking of David Wright in the All-Star voting.

You may remember last week that we were crying for David Wright to start, lining his credentials over that of Pablo Sandoval of the San Francisco Giants.

Boy, were we ever wrong.

The public, mostly that of San Francisco Giants fans, spoke “wright” in getting their third baseman in over David Wright with his triple that unloaded the bases.  David Wright, however, came up empty with a fielder’s choice and then a strikeout.

It wasn’t the best argument from the Mets third baseman.  But he needs to put that past him because there’s a lot of baseball still to be played, and believe it or not, the Mets are still in the thick of a playoff chase that is even thicker this year thanks to the additional wild card spot.  However, it's a long and winding road for the Mets ahead if they are to get into position to win the Wild Card.

Tough road to start the 2nd half:

Well, the Mets are going to be put to the test fast with four straight series that could define the path of the team in the 2^nd half.  First up for the Mets are the Atlanta Braves down at Turner Field.  The Braves are currently holding one of the two wild card spots, a half game up over the Mets.

After that comes a grueling 20 game stretch without a break in which the Mets will play three in Washington against the Nations, three at Citi Field against the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will surely have more firepower than they exhibited at Dodger Stadium with two guys back from the DL, then three more against the Washington Nationals before taking their show out on the west coast for 11 games. 

That’s 26 games that will shape the Mets and will tell us whether or not they are truly contenders for the Wild Card or even the NL East title. 

Let’s just hope the series against Philadelphia and Chicago were not an indication of how things may go.

Next Friday: FOX Sports Radio 1230 welcomes in the longest running thoroughbred meet in the country with a preview of the 2012 Saratoga Race Course meet.