Just a quick update before heading to rainy Shea in a few minutes. Made a trip out to the Melville home office this morning, and during the visit, had a conversation with my sports editor, Hank Winnicki, about the Mets' "on-and-off" approach to this season. Hank mentioned that the Mets had the look of a team that believed it could flick the switch whenever it wanted to, as they did at times during the Braves series. But I'm not sure -- with the number of injuries they've sustained -- the Mets are good enough to have that attitude.
This is a team that really has been operating at less than full strength since mid-May, but it says something that the Mets still have stayed atop the division and have the best record -- by a single percentage point over the Diamondbacks -- in the National League.
Forget about Thursday's late comeback. That came against Tyler Yates. I found it disturbing that the Braves really outplayed the Mets in a few different areas. They outfoxed them -- Tim Hudson's safety squeeze -- outhustled them and definitely overpowered them. When Oliver Perez and John Maine fall flat, as they did in the two losses, the Mets wind up in serious trouble.
That's not to say the Braves are better. I still think the Mets have the edge, and they were missing Carlos Beltran for the series. That can't be overlooked. Atlanta just seemed more determined throughout, more hell-bent on making a statement, and the Braves left town feeling they did. If only the rest of the Mets stuck around long enough after yesterday's game to vent some of the frustration David Wright showed, I'd feel more comfortable believing this team as a whole was angered by losing a fourth straight series to their bitter rival.