Just Mets

The Mets lost to the Yankees on Friday night, ending their 11-game winning streak by getting mauled by the Yankees offense and out-pitched on the mound by Michael Pineda.

It was bound to happen. They can’t win everyday. And, even if they win 110 games in 2015, there are going to be days they get bombed.

And on Friday, they got bombed by the Bronx Bombers.

They got whipped. Nothing fancy, nothing to cry about, nothing to hang their heads over. It’s a situation they can easily turn the page with, and move on.

The Mets remain confident, despite their 11-game winning streak coming to an end on Friday.

“It’s just one loss,” Michael Cuddyer said late Friday. “We’re still 13-4.”

Sure, but nevertheless, Saturday’s game against the Yankees serves as an early test for these Mets.

The Mets haven’t had a game like that this year. They’ve typically been on the positive end of these drubbings over the first 17 games of the season. So, how does the team respond to a flat loss on Friday, which ended such a glorious, early season run? How will they be able to turn the page and remain consistent? Will they be able to sustain and hold the fort while they wait for their injuries to heal now that their wave died down a bit on Friday?

It’s certainly going to be fascinating to see how this young team responds in the near-term now that they’ve been faced with a dose of reality (and that is, even good teams lose baseball games).

The starting rotation is designed to prevent losing streaks, and this afternoon, their ace Matt Harvey will be tasked with just that after their longest winning streak in 25 years just came to an end.

It’s a big start for the Mets ace. He’s coming off a rough start against Miami last Sunday, he’s dealing with some ankle issues, and instead of continuing a winning streak like he has in his previous two starts, he’s assigned the duty of preventing consecutive losses.

What’s more, he’s tasked with tying a series and forcing a rubber game in an effort to win their fourth consecutive series tomorrow. And, it’s against the Yankees in their ballpark. Despite an attempt on my part to downplay the significance of the Subway Series, it is, in fact, significant in the end.

But, that’s why he’s the ace, and these are the moments he talks about flourishing in.

Losing is never acceptable, but in a way, the way the streak ended was a best-case scenario. It wasn’t a dramatic 3-2 loss in the Yankees last at-bat. They didn’t blow a big lead and lose, either.

They got bombed in a pure manner by the Yankees – close the door, move on, and win the series.