Keeping up the pretense is
All that's really left for us
Playing out the string, continued
At the moment, the Mets and the Braves are fighting over the last NL playoff spot. They're in a dead heat, tied at 78-65 as of today, but they're just one game back of both San Diego and Arizona in the loss column. It's the closest thing we have to a pennant race this year - three playoff spots, four teams within a game of each other. One of those four teams has to fall short - that's the Law of Small Numbers.
The schedule-makers have happily arranged things so that all this may be settled by a pair of head-to-head matchups. The Mets and Braves play each other in the final week of the season, and the D'Backs and Padres play each other on the final weekend.
The Mets do have no less than seven games left against the Phillies, which doesn't make their task any easier. Playing Washington and the Blue Jays doesn't make up for that.
The Mets and their supporters have begun beating the drums for Francisco Lindor's MVP case, as if Shohei Ohtani is somehow ineligible. I think Lindor's got a very good chance to be the runner-up.
Matchups
Mon 9 Sep - Megill (3-5, 4.95) vs Burr (0-1, 4.44)
Tue 10 Sep - Peterson (9-1, 3.75) vs Bassitt (9-13, 4.30)
Wed 11 Sep - Manaea (11-5, 3.43) vs Francis (8-4, 3.72)