Postmortem: Feeling good ... is gone

The Mets have hit rock bottom.

Did it take a 2-1 loss to Baltimore where the only run was brought in on a Sac Fly to realize this?

No.  This was evident long before this.

But losing to the Baltimore Orioles, the worst team in the majors, with a pitcher who was 1-7 with over a 6 ERA going into Tuesday's game helps emphasize what's wrong in Flushing. 

The Mets magic that was proudly on display in April, is gone.  The Mets should of danced circles around Alex Cobb.  Coming into that game, Cobb had allowed 5 or more hits in every start this season.  Instead, he punched out seven Mets, a season high.  The 1 earned run allowed is a season low for the 8th year pitcher.

And the Mets only had two hits against Cobb.  They made Cobb look like a Grade A pitcher. 

And that 1 run?  A Sac Fly to score the first run the Mets had seen since the 1 run they put up against the Chicago Cubs on Saturday night. 

The Mets offense has been anemic of late, and is a part of the problem that has the Mets losing 12 of their last 15.  Their batting average, sub-optimal.  Their bullpen, a turnstile.

The good feeling present in April, gone. 

This can be corrected, but it has to be done soon.  Especially with the first round of the Subway Series beginning Friday.

Commentary: The Mets have won the series, but now's not the time to stop

Don't look now, but the Mets are clawing their way towards being in a Wild Card position.

Seems strange to say after a season that has seen so many injuries that have brought a potential pennant to potential early October off-season.

But that's where the Mets sit, having won the first three games of this four game series against the Miami Marlins.

8-2 the last ten games, the Mets have moved within 1-1/2 games of the second wild card spot, currently held onto by the St. Louis Cardinals.

It's a position many didn't think the Mets would be in after Matt Harvey, David Wright and Lucas Duda all checked out for the season due to injury.  But the team has pulled through, with new and existing talent working together to crank out wins when they needed to.

It's not to say that it has been easy.  There have been multiple moments when the Mets looked like they were about ready to wave the white flag for 2016.  But off the heels of two rough series against the Arizona Cardinals and another against the San Francisco Giants who were in the midst of a major tailspin in August, the Mets have bounced back to win the next three series, including two critical series against the St. Louis Cardinals and now the Miami Marlins.

But now's not the time to ease up on the gas.  The Mets have a tough road ahead of them.

It has nothing to do with their strength of schedule -- the Mets have the easiest schedule the rest of the way.  But that easy schedule means that opportunity needs to be taken advantage of.  Granted there will be road bumps along the way, such as two upcoming series against the Washington Nationals, but series against the Braves, Phillies and Twins is where the Mets will need to show promise. 

Losing those series will likely hand the Mets the fatal blow that will end any playoff chance they have in 2016.  And because they're not in the driver's seat yet, now's not the time for the Amazin's to let up on the throttle.

It's crunch time.  

Mets Recap: Gee Whiz!

Brad Penner/USA Today

Dillon Gee strikes out six and gives up only three base hits as the New York Mets win the rubber game against the Miami Marlins in shutout fashion, winning 4-0 to improve to three games above .500.

Gee pitched eight innings, getting into trouble only in the fourth and seventh innings.  In the fourth inning, Gee gave up a single to Marcell Ozuna, the Marlins first hit of the game.  He'd be out at second on a fielder's choice, putting Giancarlo Stanton on first.  He'd go to second on Jarrod Saltalamacchia's walk, but Gee was able to get out of trouble as Garrett Jones would strike out to end the inning.

In the seventh inning, Gee gave up back-to-back singles to start the inning, by Saltalamacchia and Jones.  He was able to get Derek Dietrich to hit a grounder that went a couple of feet away from Anthony Recker.  Recker opted to go to third to retire Saltalamacchia.  Gee was able to get out of the inning unscathed when Adieny Hechavaria hit into a 6-4-3 double play. 

Carlos Torres came in to relieve Gee for the 9th inning, and was able to get a 1-2-3 inning to preserve the Mets 14th win of the season.  

Tom Koehler took the loss for the Marlins, going five innings in which he gave up five hits and four walks, which led to four runs, all earned.  In the second inning, Koehler got into trouble as he gave up a lead-off walk to Daniel Murphy, and then plunked Chris Young to set up 1st and 2nd with nobody out.  Lucas Duda would bring home Murphy with his ground-rule double.

In the fifth inning, Curtis Granderson led off with a walk.  He was brought home by David Wright.  Wright would be brought home with Chris Young's second home run of the season, giving the Mets a 4-0 cushion that they'd not relinquish.

The Mets are off on Monday as they prepare for a three-city road trip that begins with their first look at the Phillies on Tuesday down at Citizens Bank Park down in Philadelphia.  In the first of a short two game series, Jonathan Niese will oppose Cole Hamels. Hamels lost his debut last week, giving up two runs in six innings of work as the Phillies lost against the Los Angeles Dodgers.  First pitch is at 7:05 p.m..

THE INNING ENDER: It was a tough game for Eric Young.  After leading off the game with a fly-out to right, Eric Young found himself the third out in the second, fourth and sixth innings.  In those three inning-ending plays, Young managed to strand five on the bases.  

AMERICAN LEAGUE, PLEASE?  The Mets at this moment probably wish they were in the American League, where their pitchers wouldn't have to bat.  After today's game, the pitchers are hitless, going 0 for 40.

Unfortunately for the Mets, the next time they will travel to an American League ballpark is in mid-May when they face the New York Yankees for the split four game Subway Series. 

Midday Recap: Mets prevent sweep

Jim McIssac | Newsday | From April 24th

The Mets were able to hold this lead, barely.

The New York Mets prevented the sweep by the Miami Marlins as they won 7-6.

They can thank Jordany Valdespin and John Buck for this one. Valdespin's three-run blast in the 6th inning gave the Mets the lead and have the Mets their best inning since April 20th, when they plated 5 against the Nationals. John Buck added insurance in the 7th when he doubled in Murphy and Wright.

Bobby Parnell, irked that he wasn't asked to save the game Tuesday night when Hefner had to leave the mound, came in and delivered a 7-pitch save.

The 7 runs were the most the Mets have produced since their April 24th win against the Los Angeles Dodgers, when Jordany Valdespin won the game with his grand slam.

The Mets are off today as they travel to Atlanta to start a three-game series against the Braves.  It will be the meeting of the two NL East rivals this season.  Preview coming tomorrow.