NEW YORK, NY – The Yankees and Mets are both running out of time to mount a playoff push. After yesterday’s loss to the hapless Orioles, the Yankees are a half game behind the Red Sox and Blue Jays in the Wild Card hunt. The Mets are in worse shape. They find themselves five games out of the Wild Card and 5.5 games behind the Braves in the NL East.
Neither team looks fit for the task.
The Mets were just swept by Cam James’ Cardinals and are five games out with 15 left to play. While not mathematically eliminated, their season is essentially over. They would need to win out and have a lot of help along the way to have any shot at passing the four teams ahead of them for the Wild Card or the pass the Braves and Phillies for the division.
The Mets have a weekend 3-game set against the Phils before heading to Boston and Milwaukee. Those will be five tough games as the Sox are still in a fight for the Wild Card and the Brewers have had a stellar season and sit atop the NL Central. The Amazin’s end their season with three games in Atlanta.
It’s all a bridge too far for the Queens outfit, who have struggled with injuries and inconsistency all season. They will soon be focused on the offseason and whether to offer Javier Baez a long-term deal. My guess is that Baez will not stay in New York. Aside from that, the Mets will need to focus on getting and staying healthy. They should have deGrom and Syndergaard back in the rotation next season which will go a long way to putting them back on track for a division title.
The Yanks are in a better position than their crosstown rivals. only a half-game out of the Wild Card with 15 left to play. They will need to make hay against the Indians Guardians and Rangers in their next six games. They then end the season with nine games against the teams currently ahead of them in the AL East. Teams they haven’t been able to consistently beat all season.
The Bombers have been streaky. Their 13-game win streak got them back in the mix for the Wild Card. Then they lost seven straight and back into a dogfight for the Wild Card. The bats have cooled a bit and the bullpen is worn out from overuse and key injuries. Losing Zack Britton to Tommy John and Jonathan Loaisiga to a shoulder injury coupled with the command issues that Aroldis Chapman has had recently have turned a once reliable bullpen into a shambles. Loaisiga may be back before the season is over which will help the Yanks immensely.
It’s all still to play for in the Bronx. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton have stayed hot. Elder statesman Brett Gardner has contributed lately. Gleyber Torres… Well, he’s been bad. If he can pull his head out of his behind down the stretch, the Yankees will be in good shape.
Did you think you would get a post from me with zero mention of hockey?
Training camp starts next week and the Rangers’ first preseason game is next Sunday. Should be a good season at The Garden.
