If there is one thing on the Met’s squad holding them back from winning the NL East it’s going to be the bullpen. Tim Marchman from the New York Sun wrote about how a good bullpen is not sufficient, but is necessary to win the pennant or make it to the playoffs.
The Mets have showed they know how to win. They also have shown that they know how to choke when it matters most, hence last season. Two years ago they were the number one ranked team in the NL in ERA. This past year they were eighth. Two years ago they were all but that close from making the World Series. This past year, the Mets capped one of the worst collapses in baseball history, having led the National League’s Eastern Division by 7 games with 17 to go.They lost six of seven games in a final home stand against teams with losing records, and missed out on not only the division title but even the wild card spot in the baseball playoffs. This leads to my point… obviously the whole team is to blame for the melt down because most players didn’t hold their own, but the bullpen, which is supposed to hold the lead when the team is up- didn’t, and it costed them the end of their season.
For most of the 2007 season the bullpen was on of the New York’s biggest strengths, but near the end they became the one of the biggest weaknesses. In the last seven games of the 2007 season, reliever Joe Smith had a 0-1 record with a 13.50 ERA. A couple other relievers followed in that pattern- Phillip Humber had a 11.25 ERA, Aaron Sele had a 9.00 ERA and closer Billy Wagner did as well. The list goes on and on.
A big thing to improve a certain part if your team is to get better players and work harder at it. That never happened. The bullpen basically has not changed, so there is solid chance that there will be another hold on their journey for the World Series.
When it comes down to it, the Mets have the hitters to make it to October, that’s a for sure, and with the best pitcher in the league Johan Santana and another pitcher who is working his way up to greatness again Pedro Martinez, the starting rotation will be very good. The only thing that will be stopping the Mets from reaching the point where they are expected to is the bullpen.
