Hanging On

The Mets are hanging on for dear life. With nine games left and a game and a half lead over the Fightin’ Phils, the Mets need to hang on just a little longer. And it’s not getting any easier. On the heels of the news of Billy Wagner’s back spasms, Carlos Beltran goes down with a knee injury, and is listed as “day to day” which in Metsworld is more like a week; proving the old adage that, when it rains, it pours.

The Mets need to find a way to stave off this charge by the Phillies, who, let’s be honest, deserve a lot of credit for fighting their way back in to this thing. Granted, the Mets have played poorly, but the Phillies have shown remarkable resiliency led by probable MVP, Jimmy Rollins, who has been carrying his club down the stretch. And when you have guys like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and a rejuvenated Pat Burrell in the lineup, you have one potent offense; the best in the NL.

The Mets, with their backs against the wall, and the Phillies breathing down their neck, have been in first place since the middle of May. I don’t want to hear about who needs to play what record with these remaining games; Mets play .500, Phils go 6-2…Whatever. All of that stuff goes right out the window if the Mets lose a game in the standings tonight. All they need to do is take one game at a time, and hold on to first place for one more week.