In a tight National League wild-card picture, this qualifies as breathing room.
The Mets, who for the last week had been clinging to a half-game lead in the race for the second wild card, jumped a full game ahead of St. Louis on Thursday night, when the Giants beat the Cardinals 6-2 in San Francisco. But the Mets also fell a full game behind the Giants for the top seed in the wild-card race.
As the Cardinals and Giants continue their crucial four-game series, the Mets will receive a gift from the heavens: three games beginning Friday at Citi Field against the Twins, whose 54-92 record is the worst in the major leagues.
Overall, the Mets will play a 10-game homestand against teams — the Twins, Braves and Phillies — with a combined .400 winning percentage as Thursday’s play began.
Now the caveat: the Mets lost five of six games last month to a Diamondbacks team that is entrenched in the NL West basement.
“I don’t care who we are playing, these are big games,” said manager Terry Collins, whose Mets went 6-3 against the Reds, Braves and Nationals on the road trip. “This is a big time of year and we play pretty well at home and we’re hoping we get our fans excited and they come out and back us up.”
If there is one player who could use a big homestand it’s Jay Bruce, who is batting .192 with four homers in 130 at-bats since arriving from the Reds at the trade deadline. The veteran outfielder’s latest blemish was striking out on three pitches with the bases loaded and one out in the first inning of the Mets’ 1-0 loss to the Nationals on Wednesday.
“I think every year players go through something whether it’s physical or mental,” Bruce said. “They go through slumps, go through skids, and it’s always something different. Baseball is like a puzzle that never has all the pieces.”
Collins hinted he could soon turn to alternative options such as Michael Conforto or Alejandro De Aza if Bruce doesn’t soon rebound.
“I’ve talked to [Bruce] at length about it and one of the things he’s done his entire career is play through things,” Collins said. “He’s been an everyday guy, he’s never been a guy who sits very much so he has the ability to fight through it. We talked about he’s probably missed more playing time here than he has anywhere. So I said, ‘We’re going to run you in there this week and see if we can get you started.’ ”