One Final Push

By Eddie Castro
The dog days of summer are just about over and with just about 30 left in the regular season, the New York Mets will look to try and secure a playoff spot in the National League. It has been quite a roller coaster season for the team having started the 2025 campaign firing on all cylinders. Since June 13, the Mets have posted a record of 25-37.

Decimated by injuries especially when it comes to their pitching, manager Carlos Mendoza has really relied heavily on the offense lead by Juan Soto, Francisco Lindor and Pete Alonso. Despite the tremendous power the offense possesses, there are times where the offense has been stagnant to say the least. For the past two months, the tale of the tape for Met games has been good production from the offense but no pitching or good enough pitching but then bats have go silent.

The team was able to make some moves in the trade deadline that General Manager David Stearns hopes can come in and contribute right away. On offense, the team acquired outfielder Cedric Mullins from the Baltimore Orioles. Mullins is a true center fielder that provides speed, power along with solid defense. The move ultimately makes teammate Jeff McNiel able to move back to his more comfortable position at second base. Stearns was also able to reel in two bullpen arms in Tyler Rogers and Ryan Helsley.

Both pitchers are seen as the bridge to hand the ball over to closer Edwin Diaz in the ninth inning. Unfortunately, Helsley and Rodgers have struggled since being acquired by the Mets with both relievers posting a higher ERA than they did with their former teams. Opponents are hitting close to a hundred points higher off Rogers as they did when he was in San Francisco. The batting average off Rogers was .212. In 13 appearances with the Mets, opponents are hitting .315 off of him. Helsley Has endured some of the same struggles as Rogers. He has blown multiple saves since joining the team, which includes giving up a late game lead against the Braves. Helsley has had to make the adjustment from being an established closer for the St. Louis Cardinals to a set-up role.

If the Mets hope to play baseball in October, consistency is a must when it comes to timely hitting within the lineup and Mendoza getting length from his starting pitching along with his bullpen being able to hold leads. As we go to press, the Mets hold the third and final spot in the National League Wild Card and are six games behind the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East Division. From here on out, every game should be considered as a playoff game for the team. They have the offense to overwhelm opposing pitchers. The question is can the pitching for the team improve with a month left to go in the season? It should be a very fun and wild month in the borough of Queens for Met fans.

Sports Notes: (Baseball) The Yankees will begin a four-game series tonight in Chicago against the White Sox. The Mets Welcome in the Miami Marlins to Citi Filed to begin a four-game set tonight.