Port Jeff NY- Greetings all… let’s talk ball: Mets Bounce Back, Yankees Smoked, Wide Open American League.
Mets Bounce Back
After yet another disappointing series loss in Washington, the Mets have responded nicely winning the first two games against the Braves. What’s really been encouraging is the sudden offensive breakout, having scored 21 combined runs in the two games. In addition to that, rookie Nolan McLean looked incredible once again in his second straight start at the big league level. McLean has been flat out dominant in both outings allowing just two runs and striking out 15 in 12 innings. McLean has seemingly rejuvenated this rotation that’s now seen Peterson and Holmes step up. While they’re playing much better baseball, the horrific stretch to begin the second half really put them into a tough position. They sit 2.5 games ahead of the Reds for the final WC spot and six games behind the Phillies for the division lead. While it seems insurmountable given how they’ve played over the last few months, there is a path for the Mets to win this division. To start, the Phillies suffered a devastating loss, with Zack Wheeler being done for the season. Additionally, the Mets still have seven games against the Phillies – starting tomorrow night. If they can flip the switch back to the way this team played in the first half they can absolutely still win this division and make a deep playoff run
Wide Open American League
Yankees Smoked by Boston
On the other side of town, the Yankees after winning five straight have been bludgeoned in the first two games hosting the Red Sox. This was a massive series for the Yankees, as the Bosox now hold a 2-game lead over them for the top Wild Card spot. This is as wide open an American League pennant race as I can remember… The Tigers were the best team in baseball for the first half but have struggled a bit in the second half, Toronto had an unconscious run in early July that propelled them to first place, however they’ve also struggled over the last month. The same can be said for Houston and Angry Ward’s Seattle Mariners. It truly feels like any team that gets into the playoffs has a real shot at winning the pennant.
