New York Mets: 3 keys to victory in the NL Wild Card Game
The New York Mets, not the Yankees are the Big Apple’s playoff baseball team. Can they get through the San Francisco Giants?
For the second consecutive year, the New York Mets are back in the MLB playoffs. The Mets are going to the playoffs in back-to-back years for just the second time in their franchise’s 55 years of existence.
From the fringes of playoff contention, the Mets came storming back to claim the National League’s top Wild Card spot, and will host the San Francisco Giants for a chance to take on the top-seeded Chicago Cubs.
In mid-August, the Mets were two games below .500 at 60-62, but finished the season on a 27-13 run. Do they have one more win in them? Here are three keys to victory if the Metropolitans are to advance to the NLDS.
3. Hit some dingers
The Mets rank second in the National League in home runs with 218. This is a huge surprise considering Lucas Duda and David Wright both played fewer than 50 games. Travis d’Arnaud, who emerged as an offensive weapon behind the plate last year, has struggled all season. The team’s biggest pickup at the trade deadline, Jay Bruce, slugged only .389 with eight home runs in his 49 games after coming over from the Cincinnati Reds.
The load on offense was carried for the Mets by Yoenis Cespedes once again, and the Cuban star certainly set himself up well to cash in during free agency. Cespedes cranked 31 home runs in only 132 games while slugging .530. Curtis Granderson hit a ton of solo home runs, knocking 30 bombs while driving in only 59 runs. The Mets also got a resurgent season from Asdrubal Cabrera, who hit 23 home runs from the shortstop position. Wilmer Flores also contributed an unexpected 16 home runs.
The Mets are very much an all-or-nothing offensive team. In their 87 wins, they slugged 163 home runs. On the flip side, they hit only 55 in their 75 losses. In wins, the Mets posted an OPS of .851, but struggled to a .588 mark in losses. If the Mets are not hitting the ball out of the yard, they struggle to win. Their offense is low-average and low-OBP, but none of that matters when one swing of the bat can generate three runs.
The Giants will send Madison Bumgarner to the mound, and he has given up 26 in 34 starts. For his career, the postseason ace has allowed a home run roughly every ten innings. The left-hander has been even more stingy with the long ball in the playoffs. For the Mets, something’s got to give.