While Mets fans are getting sweaty palms about the Philllies' footsteps--and rightly so, considering the past two weeks and the state of the Mets bullpen--there might be a soft cushion even after an historic collapse.
The Mets start the game tonight two games ahead of the Padres in the wild card race, and the Padres are not in great shape, to say the least. San Diego has lost four consecutive games and two vital outfielders.
Old friend Mike Cameron looks to be out for the season with a hand injury, and Milton Bradley is out with a bizarre knee injury. He was in an argument with an umpire and was being restrained by Padres manager Bud Black. In the midst of that restraining move, Bradley happened to move the wrong way and was injured pretty seriously.
"Freaky thing, man. Freaky accident," Willie Randolph said. "It’s unfortunate that an umpire has to get involved in something like that and it escalates. After the Milledge thing last week, and you see things go on during the course of the year, there’s got to be a way there should be more control [by] players and umpires. There’s no reason to have all these crazy blowups. It’s very easy to walk away, very easy to turn your head."
The bottom line is, the Padres might not be able to make up those two games on the Mets, even if the Phillies do stay hot and move ahead in the division race. Not that anyone with the Mets is looking at the wild card. Or are they?
"People who tell you they don't look at what the other clubs are doing, they're lying," general manage Omar Minaya said. "You look at all scenarios."