Reese Kaplan -- Can the Mets Face the Big Boys and Win?

In a strange way this west coast trip could be a determining factor for how the season progresses.  The Dodgers were ramped up to go straight to the World Series before some injuries and non-game issues reared their ugly heads to cause distractions and put a slight damper on the LA enthusiasm that might mean people start leaving in the 6th inning instead of the 7th. 

In previous years the Mets have struggled a bit against the better teams and the Dodgers certainly fall into that category.  This year the New Yorkers took effective DH J.D. Martinez from the Dodger dynasty though his late start and injury have yet to demonstrate to the Mets what he’s capable of doing for his new employer.

Of course, when you give up a 33 HR hitter with 100 RBIs for the $700 million man in Shoehei Ohtani, well, things could get even better for the Angelenos.  Thus far the translator/gambler associated with Ohtani hasn’t affected his hitting ability but the possibility always exists no matter how slim that the wagers being made (and lost) by Ohtani’s right hand man could reveal that Ohtani himself also had gambling on baseball as well which would be a worse fate than Trevor Bauer’s social life. 

The Mets were obviously disappointed when they did not land pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto in the offseason, but like many players arriving after being sensational outside of the major leagues, Yamamoto is off to a mediocre but not awful start.  He’s got a 4.50 ERA which is not what the Dodgers and his other suitors expected when he was a free agent.  Surely it will improve for Yamamoto and a fresh start against a team with questionable hitting certainly can help him in that regard.

Getting back to the earlier assertion, think about the turnaround the Mets have shown after the miserable start.  The sweep in Pittsburgh got people’s excitement growing and blood pumping.  People started to proclaim that the team is far better than they initially looked and David Stearns’ transition year plan might actually be working. 

If the Mets can take a Pacific swing and connect with a better than .500 record for the trip, then it will likely underscore the belief that the team is indeed promising.  Upon return to Citifield at the end of the week it’s even rumored Martinez could be making the trip from the minors to the majors and the club can see what having his bat in the middle of the order does for winning potential.

The flip side, of course, is a losing road trip which could deflate a lot of the happy balloons over fans’ heads.  People will start sniping and swiping at the players not yet hitting particularly well like Francisco Lindor, Brandon Nimmo, Jeff McNeil and, yes, Francisco Alvarez.  They will start harping on starters and relievers who don’t look like All Stars in every single appearance.  They will question the suitability of rookie manager Carlos Mendoza and POBO David Stearns.  In other words, it will be like week one all over again.

For now we need to remember it’s a 162 game season that is not going to be determined definitively by a good or bad week of game results.  Still, it’s better going into this over .500 period with a smile on your face than an antacid making its way down your throat. 

Play ball.