The Importance of Mets Vs. Phillies Part 1

Photo Courtesy Of Michael Baron

Just how important is the Mets’ upcoming series with the Philadelphia Phillies? The two teams will meet 18 times this season. So what is it that makes these three early season matchups any more or less important than those others? It’s a good question..with some interesting answers.

From a results standpoint, there are plenty of quotes and clichés to go around. Two which strike an accord for me, but tend to contradict each other are that April wins count, yet you can’t win the division in April. Oddly enough, each of these may be true. The issue arises in the fact that while the Mets may not be able to win the division this month, with a poor start to the season and 17 games against division rivals in April, they can certainly hurt their chances. These may only be games 4 through 6 of the 162 that make up the regular season, but they are important to this team. Having success this week in Philadelphia may have minimal effect on the standings for the year, but can work wonders for team confidence and moral moving forward.

Regardless of the outcome, these games are probably more of a concern for fans than they are for the players. The total 180 degree turn in fan moral from Friday night to Sunday afternoon is almost comical. We love our Mets and we are happy that they are back, but we know what’s on the line. If the Mets find themselves out of the running before the trade deadline, the departure of Jose Reyes, Carlos Beltran and Francisco Rodriguez could be on the horizon. Should that happen, not only will the team and its fan base lose most of its star power, but each could find itself in a state of disrepair for an extended period of time as a result.

The reality of the situation is that the Phils are already off and running, having swept their opening series with the Astros. If the Mets can manage to win their second road series in succession, not only will they level the playing field in the NL East for the time being, but they will have disrupted the momentum of one of the teams they are perceived to be inferior to in the process. Just as important, it will likely fill the stands next weekend, as what would be a rejuvenated fan base welcomes the team home, for their first home stand of the 2011 season. That my friends…would be a win for everyone involved!

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