The New York Mets have found themselves in a tough situation. They are 1.5 games out of first place in the National League East behind the Atlanta Braves. They're running out of games to make up that ground.
New York Mets manager Buck Showalter stated that if it comes down to it, he will pitch Jacob deGrom for the final game of the season. This all depends on whether the Mets can make up their 1.5-game deficit.
"He's available to pitch tomorrow and potentially could. It's one of the many options." Said Buck Showalter.
Throwing Jacob deGrom on the final day of the season could be a gamble. deGrom's availability for the next series will be limited. If they did lose with deGrom, he wouldn't be available for the all-important Wild Card game.
Fans don't agree with this decision; they think the risk is not worth the reward. They would rather see their ace available without a doubt for the first game of the postseason whenever that is for them.
"They should not be using him or Scherzer in this series", one fan commented.
"Not worth the gambkle. We need him for possible game 1 wild card." Another fan explained.
The New York Mets dropped the ball when they got swept by the Braves last series. They would have had the chance to clinch the division if they had swept the Braves. Instead, they find themselves fighting a battle that they cannot control.
The Mets will need the Braves to lose both of their games to the Miami Marlins. If they do, the Mets will have a chance to take back the NL East. A lot of fans don't believe this situation will present itself.
The Marlins haven't been too great this season and they've already been eliminated from playoff contention. They're not playing for anything other than pride, and are rolling out a bunch of rookies to see what they have for the future. People around the league don't think this team will top the Braves, who are still playing to clinch their division.
The New York Mets need to shake off getting swept by the Braves
The New York Mets shouldn't let their series loss against the Braves linger into the playoffs. They are a talented baseball team that has what it takes to win a World Series this year. Whether they win the division or not, they need to go into the postseason forgetting about this last week.