The New York Mets took a 3-0 victory over the Minnesota Twins last night, behind a pair of home runs from Jose Reyes and Asdrubal Cabrera. Yoenis Cespedes also added an RBI single, to aid a vintage Bartolo Colon start. Colon who has shown no sign of aging this season has been nothing short of remarkably consistent, despite being depending on coming into the season as insurance for the rotation until Zack Wheeler was ready. Since the All Star Break, the 43 year old veteran has posted a 7-3 record with a 2.96 ERA.

With the San Francisco Giants defeating the St. Louis Cardinals again last night, the Mets have added two games to their lead in the NL Wild Card race over the past two days. There are multiple challenges that still lie ahead for the Mets, but the challenges aren’t considered as difficult as their opposition’s. Regardless there is still plenty of work left to do before the Mets can punch a ticket to the postseason, and that includes winning the next two games against the Twins as the Cardinals and Giants continue to battle one another.

There isn’t a hotter pitcher for the Mets to send to the mound tonight, as Seth Lugo will make his sixth career start. Lugo has posted a 4-1 record thus far with a 2.27 ERA as a starting pitcher and has shown no signs of slowing down. The Mets will look to him to continue to build on their Wild Card lead over the Cardinals, which something we would’ve been hard pressed to say back on August 19 when they were 5.5 games behind the Cardinals.

The Mets look like a hungry and focused bunch with their eyes set on an October 5th Wild Card play-in game, and with only fifteen games remaining every game counts down the stretch. But I don’t think we need to remind this team, who has fought through consistent adversity all season long, that they hold their own destiny in their hands. One game at a time is the continued approach, as there is no need for us to get ahead of ourselves just yet. But it truly is an exciting time to be a Mets fan!

The New York Mets lost a tough one to the Washington Nationals earlier this afternoon by the final score of 1-0. Ultimately they lost their final series of the season to the Nationals by two games to one, but there is still plenty of optimism surrounding the club as they head back to New York.

First and foremost the Mets didn’t lose any ground with today’s loss as they still hold the second Wild Card position, and are a half-game behind the Giants for the first Wild Card spot. The Mets are also entering the softer part of their schedule for the remainder of the season, while the Giants and Cardinals still have challenges laying ahead including an upcoming four game series against one another beginning tomorrow. On Friday, the Mets will welcome the Twins followed by the Braves and Phillies for their final homestand of the season. While the odds are certainly in the Mets favor, I’ve learned never to count my chickens before they hatch thanks to 2007 and 2008. But I still believe in our odds and the Mets could certainly place some distance between themselves in the race this weekend as the Cardinals and Giants will beat up on each other.

With the Mets not playing a team over .500 the rest of the season, unless Miami were to improve their record by the time the Mets play them, the baseball Gods are certainly providing the Mets with a golden opportunity. If Jay Bruce also begins hitting their odds of making the playoffs would be even better, but thats another issue for another day. The fact of the matter is the Mets hold their own destiny after the roller coaster of a season they have endured. And quite frankly today nobody is complaining including manager Terry Collins.

“We’re still right where we are. We’re going home in the Wild Card hunt,” Collins stated after this afternoon’s contest. “Our fans should be excited. It’s the last homestand. … We caught up a lot in the last couple of weeks. We’ve got ourselves right where we need to be. Yeah, today’s tough when the other two teams lose. But they’re saying the same thing.”

I’d bet many Mets fans feel the same way you do Terry.

Injury Updates:

• Starting pitcher Robert Gsellman is dealing with a labrum tear of an unknown degree in his non-throwing shoulder. The injury has finally become news due to the fact that Gsellman is not swinging a bat. Doctors will wait until the offseason to determine if his shoulder needs to be operated on, so the injury should have no affect on his 2016 status.

• Infielder Wilmer Flores is apparently dealing with another injury in addition to his neck discomfort. Flores has reportedly been also suffering from a wrist injury that he suffered with his neck injury on a home plate collision back in Atlanta last Saturday. Flores has been unable to swing a bat and will have his wrist looked at by doctors in New York tomorrow.

• Steven Matz threw a 20-pitch bullpen session in Port St. Lucie today according to Terry Collins. The Mets are currently considering piggybacking both Matz and Jacob deGrom (who also threw today) on Sunday against the Twins. That plan will only come to fruition if both players receive clearance after today’s sessions.