Francisco Lindor
Courtesy IG: @lindor12bc

All of the postponed games early in the year are starting to re-appear on the calendar. 

The Mets have done a really nice job this season.

Yes, that feels polite; they’ve dealt with as many significant injuries as any team in baseball and their biggest addition — Francisco Lindor — didn’t get off to a good start in his new uniform.

Manager Luis Rojas has kept his team afloat with quality pitching and timely hitting. He’s pulled the right string more frequently than not, and the players he’s had available have done their jobs.

You could make a case that, because of the injuries, weather has helped the Mets thus far. Rain and snow have kept the Mets behind the ball in the games played column all season.

But that’s going to change soon.

The calendar will do the Mets no favors in the coming weeks. And the games on the slate will likely define the Mets’ postseason outlook ahead of the trade deadline.

 

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Busy days ahead

Starting today — Friday, June 11 — the Mets embark on the most aggressive stretch of games on their schedule to date. Between today and the All-Star Break (which begins on July 12), the Mets have one off day.

One.

And the teams they’ll face are among the best in the game.

Tonight the Mets start a seven-game homestand against the Padres and Cubs, both of whom are playoff contenders at the moment. They will then head to Washington for four games in three days. The first double-header of the next few weeks.

After the long weekend in Washington the Mets come home for four games in three days against the Braves before the one off day in the coming stretch. Another double-header; the Mets have two double-dips in three days.

After the off day on June 24, the Mets will play their third double-header in six days to start a weekend set against the Phillies. Again, four games in three days.

The Mets will then make up an April rainout in Washington before heading to Atlanta for three days as the calendar rolls to July.

Thankfully, the Mets spend the final nine days of this hellacious 30-day stretch in their own beds.

The Mets’ final nine days before the All-Star Break start with three at the Yankees. Here’s hoping we get a Jacob deGrom vs. Gerrit Cole matchup that weekend.

Then Milwaukee comes to Citi Field for three games before the Mets host the Pirates for four games to close out the “first half” of the season.

For those scoring at home, that’s 32 games in 30 days. Only 12 of those games are against teams that aren’t currently within four games of a playoff spot (including the Yankees). But 16 are against teams in the National League East.

The coming four weeks will define the Mets’ season. They’ll know what they need to add before the deadline and will have a better idea of how they stack up against the rest of their division.

Tab has written about MLB, the NHL and the NFL for more than a decade for publications including The Fourth Period, Bleacher Report and La Vida Baseball. He is the author of two books about the Chicago Blackhawks and has been credentialed for the MLB All-Star Game and postseason and multiple Stanley Cup Finals. He is the co-host of the Line Drive Radio podcast.