Three Biggest Factors for Mets to Clinch Wild Card Berth
After the Mets series win against the Phillies with a two-to-one victory in the series finale thanks to a Brandon Nimmo solo home run in the seventh inning and a stellar performance from the Mets bullpen. The Mets now head into a three-game road series against the Atlanta Braves, who trail them by two games and control their own destiny. With a series win, the Mets would be able to clinch their Wild Card berth, which, after their detrimental opening to the season, would be a huge turnaround. The three factors for the Mets to be able to clinch this Wild Card and playoff berth are:
1. Francisco Lindor Needs to Make a Return
Francisco Lindor has been keeping up in the MVP race with his statistics. Batting a .271 average with 31 home runs and 86 runs batted in, he has been leading this comeback to be able to allow the Mets to compete for the Wild Card. In his absence, however, the Mets have gone six and one with Luisangel Acuña majority of the time playing shortstop and competing with four home runs in his limited playing time. Jose Iglesias has moved into the leadoff spot and has been serving the team well, going 9-22 in his last five games and truly giving this fanbase something to cheer for as the crowd lights up when his hit single “OMG” comes on as he approaches the plate. The Mets hope to get Lindor back soon on their road to their hopeful 2024 postseason.
2. The Mets’ Pitching Rotation Needs to Keep Up Their Outstanding Run
Going into this season after losing their true ace, Kodai Senga, it was going to be a huge question mark on how the pitching but the rotation specifically would fare. Fortunately, every guy in the Mets’ current rotation has stepped up at certain points in the season, and they all seem to be stepping up right now. From Luis Severino pitching the most innings he’s pitched in a season to Sean Manaea being the standout after going through bullpen stints with his previous teams, the rotation has been crucial in deciding their fate for this season. They hope to get Senga and deadline acquisition Paul Blackburn back for their run, but until then, the current pitching staff will need to continue to hold their ground in these last six games.
3. JD Martinez Needs to Find His Bat
The biggest question mark in this lineup going into the year was the designated hitter, as they were unsure of who would hold that role. On March 23rd, the Mets went out and signed JD Martinez to assume this role. Martinez hasn’t been all that the Mets were hoping, batting .234 with 16 home runs and 69 runs batted in. He has been in an absolute slump recently, going hitless in his last 16 at-bats in his past five games, so it is up to Martinez whether he will assume playing time come playoffs. The Mets could look to deadline acquisition Jesse Winker, Starling Marte, or even Mark Vientos upon Lindor’s return.
