If things had broken even slightly better for the Mets this year, the final two weeks of the regular season would have been full of potential, stress, and anxiety. Instead, the Mets are irrelevant when it comes to the current, watered-down version of the playoffs, but they’ll have an opportunity to drag one or two of their division rivals down with them.
Beginning tonight, the Mets play only the Marlins and Phillies for the rest of the season, a scheduling decision that seemed odd from the moment it was announced. Things get underway in Miami, as the Mets play the role of visitors for three games against a Miami team that has exceeded expectations and goes into this series tied with the Cubs for the third Wild Card Spot in the National League.