There is way too much focus on the wrong things with the New York Mets right now. The real problems aren’t this series against the Atlanta Braves.

We did and should’ve expected more from Jacob deGrom and Max Scherzer. Don’t worry. We’ll see them dominate in the postseason.

Sure, Starling Marte is on the IL. This is the same Mets team who can put Jeff McNeil in right field. They also traded for Tyler Naquin and his prowess against right-handed pitching. They were built for this potentiality.

Sure, the Atlanta Braves have played great baseball since June 1. Since that date, they’re 76-32 (.704). That’s a 114 win pace.

Guess what? None of the aforementioned factors should matter one bit. The Mets being in second right now is only about the Mets.

Lost in all of this is the Mets have blown a 10.5 game lead, a historical rarity. One classic example of this was the 1951 Brooklyn Dodgers, and we found out the New York Giants were cheating like the Houston Astros. That includes Bobby Thompson’s Shot Heard Round the World.

Put that aside. Over the same timeframe, the Mets have played .577 ball, which is a 93 win pace. Put another way, the Mets have theoretically played well enough to win.

Except, well, they haven’t.

Remember, the Mets entered September with a three game lead and the easiest finishing schedule in all of baseball. Because of that, this series never should have mattered.

It does because the Mets have played terribly. They are a combined 2-6 at home against the Washington Nationals, Chicago Cubs, and Miami Marlins. That’s a four game swing in the record for a Mets team down one in the standings.

Some will make this all about the Braves as if the Mets didn’t:

1. Once had a 10.5 game lead

2. Have a three game lead entering the month

3. Have the easiest closing schedule in baseball

4. Go 2-6 at home against the Nats, Cubs, and Marlins

Don’t take these people seriously

— Mets Daddy (@MetsDaddy2013) October 2, 2022

They’re 12-10 against teams with a losing record this month. That’s a .545 winning percentage. Entering this month, the Mets were 41-14 (.745) against teams with a losing record.

This Mets team should’ve had the NL East wrapped up about a week ago. That’s not hyperbole. The schedule was that bad, and this Mets team is that good.

When a team this good can’t be teams that bad, it’s on them. When they blow leads because they can’t beat bad teams, it’s on them. Saying otherwise is an outright lie, and that lie needs to stop now.