Yes, the Atlanta Braves have been on an insane tear. Since June 1, they’re 63-24. That’s a 117 win pace.

Over that time, the New York Mets lead has gone from 10.5 to 0.5. The two teams are tied in the loss column. That’s even with the Mets taking nine of the 16 games between the two teams.

Over that same stretch, the Mets are 53-34. That’s a 99 win pace for a team who should win over 100 games this season.

Many want to make the point if the Braves win the division, you have to tip your cap. It’s the World Series champions playing at a bear historic pace.

This is a clear distortion of what has happened. Moreover, it’s a complete distortion of what will happen if the Braves win the division.

Certainly, the Braves pace has been absurd. Despite all that, the Mets entered the month of September with a three game lead. It’s didn’t take a week for the Mets to give it all back.

No, it wasn’t the Los Angeles Dodgers who helped knock down the Mets. That would’ve been understandable. The Dodgers are the best team in baseball.

The Mets not only came out of that series with the three game lead, but they also beat the Dodgers two out of three times. What did the Mets in was the Washington Nationals.

The Nationals will lose 100+ games, and they took two out of three from the Mets. That includes a game where Patrick Corbin of all pitchers shut the Mets down.

The Mets followed these two inexplicable losses by getting blown out by the Pittsburgh Pirates to start the series. The Mets lost their lead because they were manhandled by the Nationals and Pirates.

That is the correct way to phrase it. The Mets blew it. They had a three game lead and gave it back because they were non-competitive against the Nationals and Pirates.

Looking deeper, their schedule is still a joke. Aside from a three game set in Atlanta, the only series they have against a team with a winning record is in Milwaukee. The Brewers are 14-20 since trading Josh Hader.

If the Mets lose the division it’s because they can’t beat the Miami Marlins, Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates, a reeling Brewers team, Oakland Athletics, and Washington Nationals the way they should.

Also, the Mets have a three game set in Atlanta.

Looking at the complete picture, this isn’t about the Braves run. If the Mets took care of business last week, the two teams wouldn’t be tied in the loss column.

If the Mets don’t win the division, it’s because they didn’t beat up ok their ridiculously easy September opponents. That’s solely on the Mets, and that’s why, if they don’t win the division, it’s completely on them.