The New York Mets lost on Sunday night, but guess what? So did nearly every other team they face in the NL Wild Card standings. Oprah forgave losses to the San Diego Padres, Atlanta Braves, St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants. The upstart Arizona Diamondbacks picked up a win, as did the suddenly significant Chicago Cubs.
With one and a half months left, it is important to always pay attention to the playing strength of all the teams still in the race. This is where playing strength plays a role.
While it’s not perfect because it doesn’t include home/away games, winning streaks, etc., it does give us an idea of how easy some teams might have it. Timing is also important. Having the Chicago White Sox at the end of the season is a lot different than having them at the end of August, like the Mets do.
Here you can see the ranking of the teams. This includes the clubs that miss a playoff spot within 3 games.
Chicago Cubs .483
San Diego Padres .490
New York Mets .497
Atlanta Braves .499
Arizona Diamondbacks .501
San Francisco Giants .508
St. Louis Cardinals .523
The Mets still have one of the easier remaining schedules by a few percentage points. That will quickly evaporate after the upcoming home game. The Oakland Athletics and Miami Marlins are two teams they must play and win against. The Mets also have to deal with the Baltimore Orioles, who have the best record of any team they will face the rest of the season. Seven more games against the Philadelphia Phillies could also determine whether or not they make the playoffs. There will be a lot to gain for Philadelphia as well.
Despite having the third easiest schedule by that formula, they’re still just a little better than the Braves. They also have seven games left against the Phillies, but four games to play against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Those games are a month away in Atlanta.
That the Cardinals and Giants still have two of the toughest schedules ahead of them is a positive considering how close they are to raising the Mets’ hackles. St. Louis has the fourth toughest remaining schedule in all of baseball. The Giants are eighth.
The Cubs, who have the 26th most difficult remaining schedule, are the team to keep an eye on. Elite pitchers and below-average pitchers, one of the tougher teams to beat, might get lucky this week when they face the Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians haven’t been the same as they were when the Mets faced them. They have the potential to become a real threat for the third Wild Card spot. Why couldn’t someone overpay for Jameson Taillon at the trade deadline and put an end to them?
