The New York Mets have been one of the best teams in MLB the entire season.
Yet, with the recent hot streak of the Atlanta Braves, the Mets find themselves only one game up in the NL East standings.
The Mets have been one of the best pitching teams in baseball this season, which is a big reason why they have been so successful.
They have a team ERA of 3.54 and have done that with their two aces missing large parts of the season.
Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer are the two biggest keys for the Mets for the rest of the season.
These are arguably the two best pitchers in baseball but they just can not seem to stay healthy.
deGrom has been great in the eight games he has started.
He has thrown 49.1 innings with 73 strikeouts and an ERA of 2.01.
A pair of first-inning strikeouts for Jacob deGrom 🔥 pic.twitter.com/cXCIDhBzhp
— SNY (@SNYtv) September 13, 2022
As always, the righty has an elite K/9 at 13.3.
But, the possibility of getting injured has always been the scare with deGrom.
Including this season, deGrom has not thrown over 100 innings in any of the past three years.
The righty can shut down any NL lineup when healthy.
He has already thrown seven innings of one-run ball against the NL-best Dodgers earlier in the year.
He can be a difference maker in the playoffs if healthy, but that is a big if with how he has been bitten by the injury bug of late.
On the other hand, Scherzer has been more reliable throughout his career.
But, the injuries are starting to pile up this season for the 38-year-old.
Scherzer was already on the injured list once this season with an oblique strain.
Now, he is back on the IL again with irritation of that left oblique.
He is expected to rejoin the Mets soon and this time he must stay off the IL.
For the season Scherzer has thrown 127.2 innings with a 2.26 ERA.
But, he is not striking out batters at the clip he used to.
His 10.8 K/9 is his lowest since the 2014 season.
With the Braves closing in and the Mets in danger of a Wild Card spot, they need both of their aces to be full go.
Playoff Picture
If the Mets were to fall to the first Wild Card they would most likely have to face off with the Phillies in the first round.
That could be a problem because Scherzer has an ERA of 3.38 against the Phillies this year, which is his highest against any team.
Even though the Mets have had success against the Phillies, that could be a matchup to watch.
Having a 100+ win season ending in only a Wild Card berth is a tough pill to swallow.
That is why the sooner Scherzer can return for this final stretch the better.
Most career games recording 0 walks & 10+ strikeouts in MLB history:
26- Randy Johnson
26- Clayton Kershaw
24- Curt Schilling
24- Max Scherzer
13- Jacob deGrom (Going 6 innings in a losing cause for the @Mets against the Cubs on Tuesday night)
12- Madison Bumgarner
11- Tom Seaver pic.twitter.com/spv8yuOuYt— StatsCentre (@StatsCentre) September 14, 2022
Whoever ends up winning the NL East is also in good shape to get a first-round bye.
That is crucial in the MLB playoffs when you can use the bye to set up your pitching staff.
Also, giving players extra rest this late in the season is not a bad thing.
The Mets bring a good lineup to the table as well, including Pete Alonso and Francisco Lindor.
Getting run support for these aces has been no easy task for the Mets.
That will have to change if New York has any hopes of a World Series title.
If deGrom and Scherzer are full-go come playoff time, this is a team no one wants to see in a series.
NEXT: Buck Showalter Has A Simple Message For His Team
