WASHINGTON – It appears the Mets will end the season the same way they started it, and played all year long for that matter.
The Mets have been up and down and back and forth all year long. Even though the year is winding down, nothing has really changed. Just take a look at how their final month is playing out.
The Mets started September by losing 12 of their first 14 games. Entering last night, they’d followed that up by winning five of their seven games since.
Of course, the Mets were losing games when it mattered and are winning now that it doesn’t.
Still, not only have they won the five games, the wins have been rather memorable.
It started last Friday with Pedro Martinez shutting out the Braves in a complete game, beating John Smoltz in a 4-0 win.
The Mets then lost on Saturday before coming back on Sunday with Tom Glavine beating his old team in another complete-game gem.
On Tuesday against the Marlins, Mike Jacobs’ walk-off single in the 12th won it.
Wednesday, Miguel Cairo’s walk-off single in the ninth did the same.
After falling to Dontrelle Willis on Thursday, the Mets then came out on Friday in Washington to open a three-game set against the Nationals.
The Mets had a 2-0 lead wiped out in the ninth thanks to Roberto Hernandez’s blown save. But they won it in the 10th on Carlos Beltran’s three-run homer, their third straight win in their final at-bat.
As everyone knows, Beltran, who had three hits on the night, has had an extremely disappointing season. The three-run shot was only his fourth homer since July 22.
“Every time you come through for the team – it can be a home run, it can be a base hit, a blooper, whatever – as long as you come through for the team, it makes you feel good because you’re helping the team win ballgames,” Beltran said. “And that’s what it’s all about.”
The Mets went into last night with a 76-77 record, nine games remaining and their magic number to be eliminated from playoff contention at only two.
They are obviously not going to the postseason, but they are looking as if they might finish the year at or better than .500.
The Mets have two more games with the Nationals, three with the Phillies and four with the Rockies to end the year. If they can head into the four-game set at Shea against Colorado at 78-80 – which would mean going a reasonable 2-3 in the five games against Washington and Philly – the Mets could certainly expect to take three of four from the Rockies and finish the year at 81-81.
One thing that may make it difficult to reach the .500 mark, though, will be the fact that the Mets are almost certainly going to have to achieve it without Martinez the rest of the way.
Manager Willie Randolph said Friday that Martinez would be done if the Mets are done – that is, mathematically eliminated from playoff contention. If the Astros were to have won last night’s game, and if the Mets lost, the Mets would be officially eliminated.
That will make it five straight years that the Mets have gone without being in the playoffs. For a team that’s been up and down and streaky, that’s one streak that is going to remain uninterrupted.
