The St. Louis Cardinals have been dominating proceedings in the National League for the entire season. They have done it all without Adam Wainwright and they never showed any signs of weakening. However, those same red birds have been exposed as of late, with their starting pitching putting up some seriously questionable outings. Not only that, but the offense has been unable to save them.
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In steps the New York Mets.
The New York Mets have had injury problems all year but now that everyone is coming together, there look to be few who can stand in their way. Yoenis Cespedes is making an MVP-like run and the returns of golden boy David Wright and Lucas Duda, the Mets offense has a seriously powerful core. Add to that Curtis Granderson and already you have a half of the lineup. And that half is fearsome.
On the mound, the one big concern has been innings limits. With a young starting rotation, the Mets did not want to overexert the arms of Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom or Noah Syndergaard. They are key pieces for the future of this New York Mets’ organization so it would not do to be getting them hurt or exhausted. To augment their rotation and prevent the innings cap from becoming a problem, the New York Mets added Steven Matz as the sixth man.
By doing so, they are adding another future starter to the fray and are allowing him to get even more experience. Having Matz as a sixth man is not your traditional sixth man. Normally he would be with the New York Mets’ rotation anyway, but he has been spending time in the Minor Leagues.
The New York Mets have the upper hand. With just over 20 games left play, the New York Mets have become unstoppable at the perfect time. They will keep this momentum rolling into the playoffs. Meanwhile the Cardinals have hit a rough patch at a terrible time. 20 games is more than enough time to turn it around but their weaknesses have been exposed.
The New York Mets have almost an entire rotation they can rely on. The Cardinals have a few question marks popping up now. The Mets have an offense that can carry the team if need be. The Cardinals have an offense that ranks 25th in the league. They have been anchored by their pitching and when that pitching is not consistent, neither are they.
The one thing the New York Mets may have to worry about is playoff experience but that can be offset by momentum. It is not about how you start, but how you finish (I thought of that myself). Well, the New York Mets are starting their finishing run as good as they possibly can.
The records may not show it – yet – but the New York Mets are the best team in the National League.
Next: David Wright is icing on the cake
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