The New York Mets must feel like the baseball gods are against them this season.
Between injuries to key players, some tough-luck losses in games, and some baffling scheduling decisions, the club hasn’t had the smoothest 2021 campaign.
For much of the year, it looked like New York was going to run away with the National League East.
It’s safe to say that things have changed.
Today, the club finds itself at .500 (59-59) and is facing a three-and-a-half game deficit in the division.
Fans are understandably frustrated.
As mentioned, the Mets’ quirky schedule isn’t doing them any favors.
Let’s take a look at what we mean by that.
The Mets Are In The Midst Of A 13-Game Stretch In Which They Only Play The Los Angeles Dodgers And San Francisco Giants
There are no breaks for New York right now.
The Mets are in the midst of a 13-game stretch in which they have to play the two best teams in baseball on loop.
Man, that #Mets upcoming schedule is BRUTAL. They are in deep trouble.
— JT The Brick (@JTTheBrick) August 17, 2021
The odd stretch began when the Mets hosted the Los Angeles Dodgers for three games.
Once that series was over, New York took off for the West Coast for a date with the San Francisco Giants.
That series is going on right now.
When it ends, the team will travel down the California border for another series with the Dodgers.
The Mets will then head home, but inexplicably, their ridiculous 13-game stretch won’t be over yet.
It will end with another series against the Giants, this one being in New York.
Scheduling oddities happen throughout the course of a year, but this one stands out as especially strange.
One thing is for sure: The Mets can’t be too pleased about the whole ordeal.
They’ve lost four straight games as a result of their quirky schedule, and their playoff hopes are worsening by the day.
Mets lose, 7-5.
They're now 59-59, the first time they've been .500 since May 6. They've lost four straight and 13 of their last 18.
— Justice delos Santos (@justdelossantos) August 17, 2021
Can New York Still Make The Postseason?
Things are getting desperate for the Mets.
They need to start playing with a sense of urgency, but that can be hard to do when you’ve got so many factors working against you.
With so many key players on the shelf (namely Jacob deGrom, who has been out for months), New York could end up wondering what could have been this season.
All of that said, it’s too soon to throw in the towel.
Sure, the Mets are just a .500 club, but they’re going to have a chance to make up ground in the division in head-to-head matchups.
The team still has one series remaining versus the first-place Atlanta Braves and one series remaining against the second-place Philadelphia Phillies.
New York will have take to care of business in its other games in order to stay within striking distance, but if the Mets’ deficit in the division is just three or four games going into those head-to-head matchups, things could get interesting.
Stranger things have happened for sure, and there is still a lot of baseball left to be played.
We’re about six weeks away from postseason baseball arriving in 2021.
NEXT: New York Mets Can't Seem To Get A Timeline On Jacob deGrom