Right now I say oh yes the magic is back in Queens at the moment.Looking back to the time around the all-star break, you would have thought, as a Mets fan, that once the team fell behind, that the ballgame was over. There was no offensive life. Now when the Mets fall behind, most Mets fans think that the comeback is on, that no lead is too tough to overtake. Just look at the 15 come from behind wins, which are the most in the Majors, that the Mets have strung together and it really gives the fans something to cheer about in Queens. The last two games have proven that no late inning deficit is too big to overcome. Saturday the Mets took a lead on a Cespedes homer, but the pen gave it back, leading to a tie game. Cespedes struck again in the 9th, grounding into a fielder's choice to shortstop, scoring Kelly Johnson. Johnson had given the Mets the lead back when he knocked in Eric Young Jr with a single. Him scoring on the Cespedes play just padded the lead.
And then there was the win on Sunday against the Braves. Conforto gave the Mets the early lead, but John Niese couldn't hold the lead. The Mets and Braves traded the lead until Atlanta Jumped out to the 7-4 lead in the 8th. Once in the 9th the Mets had two on and two out, with Daniel Murphy at the plate. With two strikes on Murphy, he cracked a three run bomb to tie the ball game and send it to extra innings. Then the Mets took control and scored three more runs to take the game 10-7.
There's just a different vibe around this baseball team over the last few months. It seems as if almost that when fall behind, there's no reason to worry because the offense is going to pick the team up and come through in the clutch. Cespedes has been knocking the cover off the ball since joining the Mets. Cespedes now has 16 homers and 41 RBIs in his first 40 games with the Mets. The Elias Sports Bureau notes that he is only the second player since RBIs became an official statistic in 1920 to switch clubs mid-season and record at least 15 home runs and 40 RBIs within his first 40 games playing for his new team. Hank Sauer was the first to do so with 15 homers and 47 RBIs over his first 40 games for the Cubs in 1949 after being traded by the Reds (WFAN). It hasn't been just him, although he has indeed been a big factor. The return of David Wright and Travis d'Arnaud have been a big factor. Wilmer Flores has been knocking the cover off the ball since the non-trade. Kirk Nieuwenhuis had a big homerun against Washington earlier this month. It seems on like any given night, a new offensive hero can step up for the team.
Sure there have been some snags. The pitching at times hasn't looked great as of late. Jon Niese has hit a rough patch of giving up five or more runs (he's given up five or more runs in four straight games). Haravey, as has been well documented, is dealing with the innings limit and trying to figure out how to save his arm possibly for the playoffs. deGrom has has his hiccups in his last couple of starts, but is still a steady force in the rotation. Bartolo Colon has been pitching lights out as of late as well, tossing the only complete game of the year (to date) last week against the Nationals.
Everything seems to be falling the Mets way over the last couple of months. The offense is clicking and picking up the team when its needed most. Pitching has been steady as of late. This team has a good groove going right now. Now the question is how far can this team go come October? That question will be answered in about a month or so. For now, this Mets club has the fans believing in this team again. Its fun being a Mets fan again this late in the season. It gives hope in the Orange and Blue again come the post season. The magic is indeed back again for the team in September and its long overdue!
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