Mets' arduous West Coast swing is the latest storm they must weather
The Mets' Jeff McNeil strikes out in the ninth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Citi Field on Wednesday. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
The Mets began Thursday on the outside looking in - a mere half game out of the third wild card spot, yes, but out of the third wild card spot nonetheless.
Luis Severino got shelled Wednesday, and showed a potentially alarming velocity drop. Brandon Nimmo is banged up and feeling “terrible” at the plate - his own words. And, oh yeah, they’re about to embark on the sort of West Coast trip built to try men’s souls: Four cities and 10 games over 10 days beginning on Friday against the Angels, with the added gut punch of having to travel to St. Louis from Anaheim for one rescheduled game before high-tailing it to Colorado.
And because baseball is a cruel and unforgiving mistress - especially in August - it’s just their first of two West Coast trips this month.
“I saw this in the beginning of the season and thought this was going to be a big test,” Nimmo said. “Guys are prepared for that and they know it. They know what we’re about to enter into and we’re definitely going into it with a battle mentality.”
Battle is right, but given what the Mets are up against, these next two weeks must feel a little like King Leonidas and his 300 Spartan soldiers going up against 300,000 Persians at Thermopylae. Sure, the Angels and Rockies aren’t what anyone would call “good” teams, but the Cardinals are right there in the Wild Card hunt, and the Mariners, despite recent struggles, can out-pitch anyone in baseball. More than that, this will be a battle against themselves - a fight against fatigue, loss of routine, and the knowledge that everything they’ve built thus far could very well crumble.
So no, it’s no stretch to say that these next 10 days have the potential to shape this season. It's equal parts obstacle and opportunity - a chance to see if this emperor has clothes.
The Mets have lost Kodai Senga for at least the regular season, and Christian Scott for who knows how long. They survived being 11 games under .500, an Edwin Diaz sticky stuff suspension, and Pete Alonso’s streaky hitting. Jorge Lopez threw a glove. Happy Jeff McNeil didn’t exist for half the season. Outside expectations were low going into the year and, at one point, Nimmo had to publicly plead the front office to buy at the trade deadline.
In short, this team has shown a knack for survival, despite inhospitable conditions - partially due to players who bought in when things looked grim, and in no small part thanks to Carlos Mendoza, a first-year manager who’s doing the job like battle-hardened veteran.
Past success, though, doesn’t guarantee future triumph, and Nimmo was right to mentally steel himself for this coming trip. Severino, a straight-shooting athlete if there ever was one, minced no words: “This is the longest road trip I’ve ever seen. It’s 10 games out there. It’s going to be tough for us but this is what we get paid for, to go out there and play every day.”
Only time will tell if they have the internal resources to pull this off, or whether their modest trade deadline acquisitions move the needle. Fans will get their first look at Paul Blackburn, the back-end starter the Mets got from the A’s, in Game 1 against Anaheim. They’ll learn if Jesse Winker can traumatize other teams as much as he traumatized the Mets when he was on the Reds and later Nationals. And everyone will get to see exactly how good president of baseball operations David Stearns is at revamping a bullpen on the power of hopes and dreams (OK, fine - he traded some prospects for Ryne Stanek, Huascar Brazoban, et al, but no one in their top 20).
It's all valuable intel that becomes downright vital if they sneak into the playoffs. It’s highly unlikely they catch up to the Phillies for the NL East title, so this can be a gauge as to whether they can emulate the scrappy Wild Card teams that have felled divisional juggernauts in recent years. Especially in expanded playoffs, the name of the game is pitching, resilience, and getting hot at the right time, despite some trying conditions.
After all, glory for any team could very well be on the other side of Philadelphia, or Los Angeles, or the Bronx, or Baltimore. But the Mets should probably win this West Coast battle first.
Laura Albanese is a reporter, feature writer and columnist covering local professional sports teams; she began at Newsday in 2007 as an intern.
