John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

It is down to crunch time for the 2022 New York Mets, to say the least. With 11 games left to play, the Mets division lead is a game and a half.

The Mets are 95-56. They could win 100-plus games and still not even have an NL East pennant to show for their success with the way the Atlanta Braves have played.

In order for the Mets to take the division and secure a playoff bye, it starts with beating the Oakland Athletics. The Mets are coming off a day of rest following a tough loss Wednesday, looking to get back in the win column.

Chris Bassitt kicks off series against former team:

Things get going for the Mets in this three-game series with Chris Bassitt tonight. Bassitt, who is 14-8, going for win 15, is doing so against the team he spent 2015-21 with. Aside from his poor outing against the Chicago Cubs on September 12th, Bassitt has been magnificent as of late. He has recorded seven wins in his last nine starts. The Mets will need another stellar outing from Bassitt tonight.

In game two of this three-game set, Jacob deGrom will take the hill for the Mets with his 2.32 ERA. Max Scherzer will go for the final game of this series with his 2.15 ERA.

Simply put, against a 55-95 baseball team and the Mets’ top three pitchers going, this is a series the Mets have to sweep to help their chances of winning the NL East.

After this series with the Athletics, the Mets get a day off before two at Citi Field with the currently 61-89 Miami Marlins, another team they should take care of business against. Which then leads to the Braves series. The regular season concludes with three at home against the worst team in baseball, the Washington Nationals.

Aside from the matchup with the Braves, the Mets are set to compete against three of the bottom six teams in baseball at the moment. Defeating teams they are significantly better than takes some pressure off of the Braves series. It starts tonight as the Mets should sweep the Athletics.

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
NBA Finals path clears for Celtics with devastating Pacers injury update
PGA Tour golfer Grayson Murray dies at 30
Yankees' Hal Steinbrenner under fire over Juan Soto comments
Rays place outfielder on 10-day injured list
Former NFL QB brutally rips Denver Broncos head coach Sean Payton
Mets' Kodai Senga diagnosed with triceps inflammation, shut down
Watch: Luka Doncic hits game-winning three-pointer as Mavs take 2-0 lead over Wolves
Rangers outlast Panthers in Game 2 to even series
Yankees star Juan Soto has eyebrow-raising comments on upcoming free agency
Bears defender shares advice he gave QB Caleb Williams after 'frustrating' day
NCAA settlement might make college athletics more competitive
Jets QB Aaron Rodgers insists focus has been football, not politics
Heartbreak for Heim, Honeycutt as Sanchez wins Truck Series race at Charlotte
Draymond Green shares tone-deaf take on fines from NBA
USWNT coach Emma Hayes instilling right mindset ahead of Olympics
Winnipeg Jets officially name head coach
Injury bug bites Orioles again as another starting pitcher lands on IL
Lonzo Ball shares eye-opening details about his knee injury
Hurricanes general manager steps down, leaving front office in flux
Travis Kelce echoes Patrick Mahomes in response to controversial kicker