Call me a realist, call me a pessimist, but even before the May injuries, they were struggling just the same after Week 1, and now the Mets have actually opened up a bit of a lead.
I hope they can outperform my expectations this month, which aren't high:
2-1 Braves
1-1 Yankees
2-4 West Coast road trip (LA, SF)
2-0 Nats
That takes us from 28-30 to 35-36, which is fine. Possibly optimistic. Maybe we'll do better out west or sweep the Yankees, but we could also drop this series to Atlanta or lose one to the Nats.
Then it's four on the road in NY plus the Cincinnati make-up game, followed by three at home against the Marlins. Those eight are the real pivot point, taking us right to July 2. And probably, nothing will be different - they'll be 39-40, maybe 38-41, and Dombrowski's decision still won't seem any easier unless the number in GB column is getting bigger.
What they need is that 9-10 game winning streak, like last year. If the recent offense is a long-term trend, perhaps they have it in 'em.
