WASHINGTON — The Mets have certainly been a different team over the last 5 1/2 weeks, but time isn’t on their side in trying to catch the Braves in the NL East.
Consider the hard numbers: If the Braves were to play at a 30-30 clip over their remaining games entering last night, the Mets would need to finish 41-22 to tie for the division lead. That’s provided, of course, the Phillies or Nationals don’t get hot in front of the Mets and become the team to beat in the NL East.
With yesterday’s 11-0 thumping of the Nationals in Game 1 and the Mets’ 2-1 loss in Game 2 of the doubleheader, the Amazin’s are 21-14 since June 18. Continuing at that .600 clip wouldn’t be good enough for the Mets if the Braves played .500 ball. Instead, the Mets — who trail the Braves by 10 1/2 games after Atlanta’s 4-1 win over the Cardinals last night — would have to play close to .630 baseball for the next two months.
LaTroy Hawkins pitched for a Rockies team that went 14-1 in the final three weeks of the 2007 season to reach the postseason before winning the NL pennant, but isn’t ready to call the Mets a playoff contender.
“We’ll have to play a lot better — a lot more consistent,” Hawkins said. “But I was with the Rockies when we had that unbelievable run, we had the unbelievable September, so you never know.
“We’ve got to go play the Marlins, and they’re very tough against us. I’ve been on a lot of teams and there’s always one team that’s your nemesis. There is always that one team.”
Though the Marlins have NL’s worst record at 39-62, they have won 8-of-11 games against the Mets this season. But maybe winning series in Washington and Miami would make a pennant race seem more attainable for the Mets.
“You see the things that weren’t happening for us in the beginning of the season starting to happen,” Hawkins said. “Pitches we were making early in the season were getting hit, now they are getting popped up. It’s just a little turn of luck.”
Daniel Murphy said he doesn’t pay attention to the standings or how many games the Mets are below .500.
“You try to string as many quality games together as you can and hopefully at the end of the season you’re where you want to be,” Murphy said. But he says the Mets still view the postseason as a possibility.
“Nobody has ever given up on any season in any team I’ve been a part of with the Mets,” Murphy said. “We feel fortunate to be playing good baseball and we’ll keep trying to play good baseball.”