PRE-PLAYOFFS VS. NATS

PRE-PLAYOFFS VS. NATS by Tom Brennan

The playoffs are interesting animals.  Once you're in you play - you lose, you go home like everyone else.

The Mets have 3 games coming up with Daniel Murphy's division-leading Nats with just three weeks left in the season.  Kind of like pre-playoffs.  Lose all 3, chances are worsened that the Mets make the playoffs.  Win 2 or 3 of the 3 games and the Mets' playoff chances become far more likely.

With that in mind, I recommend a roster tweak: promote Paul Sewald and remote either the unused, .159 hitting Eric Campbell or Logan Verrett, who is a stunningly bad 0-8 since the start of May, having allowed an ugly 53 runs and 15 homers in 70 innings during that time span.

Sewald had a very strong season in AAA this season, and a great overall minor league career.  If I have to choose between Logan Verrett and Paul Sewald, I go with Paul. It is hard for me to imagine Sewald has been so very good pitching in relief at every level, but would be not good enough to succeed in the majors.  The main guys in the pen need a blow, and Verrett isn't up to the task. Sewald, I bet, is. Let him eat some innings.  Do it now, Sandy.

Recall Paul. Let's win these pre-playoff games with the best qualified players at our disposal.

Cespedes (who in his last 15 games has 14 RBIs, as many as D'Arnaud has had all year) and Reyes can only take this team so far by themselves.  Give them a pitching upgrade in Sewald.

And if we make the 1 game Wild Card, let Super Seth Lugo pitch it....what the heck, he's pitched like an ace, a totally unexpected one.  We could do worse. He looks legit.

The Mets sit at 76-67 with 19 games to go, remarkable when one thinks that 3/5 of the vaunted starting staff - Harvey, Jake and Matz - only have combined for 20 wins. 

 After these 3 games against the gnatty Nats, 16 games are left against weaker, sub .500 teams. Never easy, but it sure could be worse.

Mets sit at 196 homers, just 4 short of tying the team record.  Get Duda back here so he can pinch hit a homer and break the record this week.  C'mon, Lucas. With only 571 runs so far, I wonder if they will be baseball's lowest ever 200+ homer scoring team.

Lastly, Gavin Cecchini went down on a foul tip strikeout in his major league debut as a pinch hitter.  Good to get the first AB out of the way, now it's time for the first hit.  Better things lie ahead.

G'day, Mets' Mates.