MLB

July resurgence puts Mets in range of a miracle

A team that just completed its second 15-10 month of the season shouldn’t be on life support in the NL playoff race.

But here you have the Mets, who were so awful in May and June to greatly overshadow a fast start to the season and recent turnaround.

The Mets (52-56) will need a minor miracle to have a shot at the playoffs, but at least have begun to resemble a baseball team again.

Almost from the start of this season, the rotation has been terrific, but it’s been the bullpen’s development and improvement in the lineup that have been most noticeable over the last several weeks.

If the Mets can replicate April and July for the final two months, they will be fun to watch. If they are closer to the May/June Mets, this recent surge in optimism surrounding the team is sure to dissipate heading to 2015.

A look back at July:

MVP: Lucas Duda

The slugging first baseman followed a big June with a huge July, in which he hit seven homers and amassed a 1.006 OPS. Included was a ninth-inning home run last Friday in Milwaukee that rescued the Mets from an almost certain defeat.

After several seasons of discussing Duda as somebody who could possibly hit 25-30 homers, the Mets finally have seen potential transformed into results. Duda could be a cornerstone on which this Mets lineup is built, heading to 2015 and beyond.

LVP: David Wright

Whether his left shoulder is barking more than anybody knows or it’s just a slump, the Mets captain hasn’t been himself at the plate. Wright had a pedestrian .719 OPS in July and hit only two homers.

Other than a handful of games in June, there hasn’t been a stretch this season in which the team’s two highest-paid players, Wright and Curtis Granderson, have been hot simultaneously. Getting both on track at the same time could elevate what has been an ordinary, at best, lineup.

Eric Campbell is congratulated after his go-ahead RBI single in a July 12 win over the Marlins.Getty Images

Game of the Month

July 12: Mets 5, Marlins 4

Chris Young’s pinch-hit, two-run homer tied the game in the seventh before rookie Eric Campbell delivered the go-ahead run with an RBI single in the eighth. Daisuke Matsuzaka struck out 10 batters over six innings, helping the Mets win for the seventh time in nine games on the homestand.

Looking ahead

The Mets certainly aren’t complaining about having seven games remaining against the reeling Phillies, but there are also potential pitfalls in August. Most notably, the Mets have a five-game West Coast swing against the Athletics and Dodgers that should prove challenging. If the Mets are serious about closing the gap on the first-place Nationals, next week’s three-game series in Washington would be a good place to start. The Nationals will come to Citi Field for three games the following week.

Toughest organizational decision

Wilmer FloresPaul J. Bereswill

The Mets will never know if Wilmer Flores can handle shortstop on an everyday basis unless they give him an opportunity to play. On the flip side, Ruben Tejada is more of the known commodity for a team still trying to win games and remain at least on the borderline of relevant into September. Flores has the higher upside with his offensive potential, but team brass continues to prefer the safe choice in Tejada.

Five key stats

1: Earned run allowed by Jeurys Familia over his last 21 2/3 innings for a 0.42 ERA since June 12.

10: Victories for the Mets in their last 13 games at Citi Field.

13: Times in 25 games the Mets scored three runs or fewer in July.

70: Runs scored by the Mets in the first inning this year. Opponents have scored only 51, making it the Mets’ best run-differential inning.

130: Hits for Daniel Murphy, which ranks first in the NL.