Deja Vu All Over Again

What a brutal offensive stretch for the Mets--three straight losses to the San Diego Padres by 2-1 scores.

The real shame? The pitching has been brilliant.

The Mets now stand 6.5 games behind the Phillies in the NL East, and 5.5 games behind the Cards for the Wild Card, with four other teams sandwiched between.

Ever the eternal optimist when it comes to the Mets, I have begun to worry.

I'm worried that we'll never have the offensive consistency needed to win 90+ games.

I'm worried that Moises Alou won't have 90 more games of baseball left in his old body.

I'm worried that Ryan Church might have cobwebs for another month.

I'm worried that our weak hitting bench is going to be the team's downfall.

Speaking of the bench, I love those guys individually, but as a unit they have got to be among the worst in baseball. Tatis, Endy, Easley, Castro, Casanova, and Nunez?

My kingdom for Angel Pagan!

Hey Omar....we need some offense, and I believe it is time to make a move and part ways with one of the weak hitting guys that currently make up our roster. Tatis is the obvious candidate, but don't rule out Easley....he has just lost his ability to turn on a fastball and cover the plate on breaking pitches.

It's time for a move on the bench and a little shakeup.

Damion Easley Stats and Projections--what has he done to deserve 360 at bats this season?

2008 Season Stats
SPLITS	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	CS	AVG	OBP	SLG	OPS
Season	37	96	7	22	4	0	1	11	5	13	0	0	.229	.262	.302	.564
Career	1630	5264	709	1323	281	25	158	651	496	910	114	56	.251	.328	.404	.732
Last 7	4	10	1	4	1	0	0	3	1	1	0	0	.400	.455	.500	.955
Projected	138	358	26	82	15	0	4	41	19	48	0	0	.229	.262	.302	.564

Mets Season Projections and the Playoffs

The Mets are currently 28-27 through the first 55 games of the year. So with 107 games remaining, here is what the Mets will need to accomplish to win--

100 Games: 72-35 .673 winning % from here on out, .617 overall result
95 Games: 67-40 .626 winning % from here on out, .586 overall result
90 Games: 62-45 .579 winning % from here on out, .555 overall result

So what will it take to make the playoffs?

In 2007, the Phillies won the NL East with an 89-63 mark, .549 win %
In 2006, the Mets won the NL East with a 97-65 mark, .599 win %
In 2005, the Braves won the NL East with a 90-72 mark, .556 win %

Looking at those last three years we can see that 95 wins is a very good number, and 90 will be competitive to contend for the division crown.

Both win totals are well within the Mets potential.

And what about the Wild card?

2007: Rockies 90-73
2006: Dodgers 88-74
2005: Astros 89-73

Bottom line is the Mets, despite all of their early season woes, are well poised to make a run at it once again this year.

Yes it's early, but for all of the crestfallen who counted the team out a week ago, remember that in the end, baseball is all about numbers.

Win at a .600 clip the rest of the year and the chips will fall into place nicely for a 90+ win season.