Aug 6, 2019; New York City, NY, USA; New York Mets relief pitcher Robert Gsellman (65) and catcher Wilson Ramos (40) react after defeating the Miami Marlins at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Andy Marlin-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Mets have been mocked far more than they’ve been applauded in 2019. They also left the baseball world confused when they acquired starting pitcher Marcus Stroman from the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of the July 31 trade deadline. The Mets were six games back in the NL Wild Card race, so it appeared Stroman was unlikely to make much of a difference for things in 2019. Sure, Stroman is also under team control for 2020, and perhaps the Mets will be a contender then. But it was a questionably aggressive move for a team in the Mets’ position.

Or maybe it wasn’t.

The Mets shut out the Miami Marlins 5-0 on Tuesday night, giving them five straight wins and 12 wins over their last 13 games.

New York now has a 58-56 record, which places them just two games out in the NL Wild Card race. FanGraphs has the Mets’ playoff odds up to 38.1%, just behind the Cardinals’ odds (38.8%) for the NL’s second wild card slot.

With a rotation featuring Jacob deGrom, Noah Syndergaard, Zack Wheeler, and Stroman, to go with an offense featuring Peter Alonso, Jeff McNeil, and Michael Conforto, the Mets may truly have one of the top-two most dangerous teams in the NL Wild Card race (the Nationals should be viewed as the favorite for the No. 1 slot).

What a turnaround, and in just a couple weeks.

About Matt Clapp

Matt is an editor at The Comeback. He attended Colorado State University, wishes he was Saved by the Bell's Zack Morris, and idolizes Larry David. And loves pizza and dogs because obviously.

He can be followed on Twitter at @Matt2Clapp (also @TheBlogfines for Cubs/MLB tweets and @DaBearNecess for Bears/NFL tweets), and can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.