An August to Forget, A September to Remember?

I try to be positive here, even though after the Mets’ 11–17 record in August, it’s not always that easy.

The good news? The Amazin’s are 1–0 in September after today’s 10–8 win.

The offense has started to come around, averaging just under five runs per game last month. Unfortunately, with the rise of the bats came the putrid smell of the pitching staff—and there doesn’t seem to be much light at the end of that tunnel.

Yes, the Mets got some help with Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong getting the call from the minors, but they still have to find arms to cover three other games every turn through the rotation. Kodai Senga admits he doesn’t know why he can’t find the power on his pitches. Sean Manaea shrugs his shoulders as to why he can’t last more than four innings. David Peterson has never pitched this many innings in a season. And Clay Holmes looks gassed—he belongs in the bullpen, not trying to carry the rotation.

That leaves us with Tong, and McLean, and pray for rain ?

Sure, lightning could strike again if Brandon Sproat gets the call, and Tylor Megill might provide a fresh arm when he returns. But the feeling remains that the Mets still need more—and sorry to say, there isn’t much left out there.

And forget about bullpen games. At the deadline, getting Ryan Helsley, Tyler Rogers, and Gregory Soto looked like a win in the bullpen arms race. In reality, it’s been a unmitigated diaster . Helsley was supposed to be the centerpiece—someone to lock down the eighth inning and be a bridge to Edwin Díaz as well as give him an occasional breather. Instead, he’s pitched like he came over from St. Louis with a gas can and a book of matches. His August numbers: 0–3 with a 9.31 ERA. No highlights there.

Is he tipping pitches? Possibly. But even so, he’s throwing too much over the plate. The only way out of this is to pitch through it, which means the Mets can’t afford to use him in high-leverage situations. That only increases the pressure on the rest of the bullpen—and may force Carlos Mendoza to stretch Díaz for more than three outs when wins are at a premium like today.

The silver lining is this: the Mets are still four games up in the final Wild Card spot. They have a chance to take advantage of the Reds this weekend, and then—as they so often do—try to turn Citizens Bank Park into Citi Field South next week against the Phillies.

If McLean and Tong keep pitching like they belong, if Sproat gets a look, and if Megill comes back fresh, there’s still a path to October baseball in Flushing.

Maybe.

But what do I know? I’m just trying to stay positive. After August, it can’t get much worse.

Can it?