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MILWAUKEE — The way this nutty, up-and-down Mets season is going, it’s only right it’s going extras.
Twenty eight of 30 teams are done playing regular-season games, but the Mets headed out for a return one-day, two-game trip to Atlanta to face their nemesis Braves after finally beating their newest nemesis here Sunday.
Mets travel is a continuing nightmare this year, from the one-game series in St. Louis sandwiched by West Coast swings to the hurricane in Atlanta this week, and it isn’t getting any better with the trip back to their least favorite city.
“It’s not surprising the way this season’s gone,” Brandon Nimmo said. “We’ve definitely had some weird things happen.”
The itinerary stinks, as they’ll need to fly and play their first playoff game on the road the very next day if they’re in.
But this is the position they want, and exactly what they deserve. They only need to win one of two to punch their ticket to October.
Call them fortunate, if you will, as their 5-0 victory Sunday represented their first win on this trip from hell, which already saw three defeats and two games postponed by Hurricane Helene. But realize, too, that the Mets battled back from an 0-5 start, and a standing 11 games under .500 to put themselves in this position by posting MLB’s best record over a 100-game span heading into the stretch run.
Say what you want, but they earned this spot. Now all they have to do is win a game in a place they hate, then four more rounds, all likely with disadvantages for record and locale.
“It’s going to be a tough task,” J.D. Martinez said. “We just got to suck it up and get through it.”
With a relatively small but vocal Mets contingent to cheer them on, they showed why they are one of 13 teams left still hoping to win the grand prize. Emerging star David Peterson pitched a gem and Mets MVP Francisco Lindor set the needed tone, ignoring any lingering back pain to involve himself in three run-scoring innings, including the first when he walked, stole and scored.
No matter how poorly this trip was going, the Mets looked and played relaxed in a game they needed to win to give themselves a decent chance. By finally prevailing here and earning this first victory over the pesky Brewers, the Mets only need a split. That seems very doable in a season that has a split personality.
The Mets found their mojo in this one, playing one of their best games against one of the better teams. Manager Carlos Mendoza’s message was to have fun, play with a smile and know it’s in your hands.
The words resonated. The Mets played loose and easy, and walloped a team that’s becoming a perennial thorn.
“We can’t put pressure on ourselves. I’ve been saying that since we sucked and everyone kind of wrote us off … We don’t have any pressure. We’re not supposed to be here,” Martinez said.
(Author’s note: Make that almost everyone. While I’m a game away from claiming credit, I did write on May 18, during the middle stages of the suck period, that they would make the playoffs.)
“We just can’t get here and all of a sudden put pressure on ourselves,” Martinez continued. “This team just plays better [this] way — we’re just having fun, messing with everyone, listening to Iggy’s OMG song and making fun of him, and everyone’s having a good time.”
No excursion to Atlanta can be considered a joyride, but compared to what they’ve been through, it’s livable. It’s also eagerly anticipated.
The Braves are great but they aren’t quite what they often are. Four of their biggest stars remain out, and they are playing cheap pickups in some spots.
Fairly, the Mets odds aren’t at all bad.
“We have a chance. We’re right there,” Mendoza said. “We need one more. So we feel good.”
Speaking of feeling good, so did the fans who made the trek here to cheer on their heroes.
“Let’s Go Mets,” they chanted early.
Later things got more specific.
“Beat the Braves,” they sung.
That’s never the easiest chore, of course. But things feel positive around this Mets team. They have Luis Severino and Tylor Megill on full rest or better lined up to pitch the doubleheader that will determine their fate.
Things are upbeat for at least a day for the team from Queens. It’s that potential October schedule that follows that appears pretty dicey. But who knows with this group? They are anything but predictable.
If they sweep the Braves, they head out to San Diego to face a Padres team that’s been the best in baseball over the final two months.
If they split, they head back here — making the second return trip in two days. It’s been a crazy year. If they endure all this travel, and survive, they will have earned it.
