Jon Stewart has seen a lot in his 16 years as host of The Daily Show. But he wasn’t expecting to see the Mets atop the NL East before he retired from the beloved news satire show.
In his penultimate episode, Stewart gave a shout out to the Mets (also his favorite team) for their surge to the top of the division.
Stewart isn’t the only one giddy with surprise. After being down in the standings by eight games just a few weeks ago, the Mets have surged into 1.5 game lead in the NL East over reigning division champs Washington Nationals thanks in part to a three-game sweep at home against the Nats this last weekend. The team is hoping to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
There’s two reasons to think the Mets actually have a shot to make the postseason this year. They’ve added some offensive help at the trade deadline by scooping up Yoenis Cespedes from Detroit. Cespedes has hit .293 with 18 home runs this season for the Tigers and will help the Mets in the outfield with his canon of an arm. He’s also been a boon for Mets ratings, which have jumped 52 percent since Cespedes was acquired.
Another key trade in my view was getting Juan Uribe from the Braves.
Uribe—who started the season as a Dodger—is one of the most popular guys in the sport. He is widely respected and loved in the locker room and is known to pound a few clutch hits. His presence will not only help offensively, but with team chemistry as the Mets look to close out the season as winners.
Another reason things look good for the Mets—according to the Wall Street Journal they finish their season with the weakest schedule in the MLB. The Nats also have a weak schedule, but the Cubs and Giants—who the Mets are chasing for a wild card spot—finish with games mostly against teams above .500. So even if the Mets falter in the East, they could potentially end up a wild card contender.
--Alexis Garcia, BYB's "Eye on MLB" Columnist
Twitter: @heylexyg
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