Aug 23, 2025; Cumberland, Georgia, USA; New York Mets manager Carlos Mendoza (64) on the field during the game against the Atlanta Braves during the seventh inning at Truist Park. Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Three important things to watch for the Mets down the stretch in September

Originally posted on New York Mets on SI
By Nick Ziegler | Last updated Aug 31, 2025 6:00 PM ET

Despite a terrible start to August, the New York Mets are still comfortably in a playoff spot right now, and the team should be pleased about how they have played of late.

A recent series sweep of the Philadelphia Phillies has once again proven that the Mets can play with the best teams in the National League. However, they have had some disappointing losses along the way as well, including losing three of four to the Miami Marlins this weekend.

As August comes to an end, the final month of the year is closing in for New York, and they will be looking to build momentum heading toward the playoffs. Fortunately, with some improved play of late, they have seen improvements in some areas that were struggling.

Now, with the pitching staff and lineup both starting to click a bit, the Mets are positioned well for a strong September. As the calendar flips over to the new month, here are three key things to watch for.

Can They Chase Down the Phillies?

As of now, the lead that Philadelphia holds on New York is a significant one, but it’s not impossible to overcome. Ideally, winning the division would be better than having to mess around in the Wild Card Round, but the Mets will need some things to go right for that to happen.

With one more series against the Phillies this year, another couple of wins would go a long way toward helping them hop them in the standings. Furthermore, how Philadelphia will navigate the rest of the campaign without their ace Zack Wheeler will be something to monitor.

Does Soto Stay Hot?

One of the reasons for the offense getting hot is that the star of the Mets has heated up as well. Overall, the season for Juan Soto has been a bit lackluster for his standards and certainly has been a letdown from his fantastic 2024 campaign.

However, the slugger has performed extremely well in August, and that should be an encouraging sign of things to come. Over the course of the month, Soto slashed .277/.435/.574 with 10 home runs and 22 RBI. Those are the types of numbers that New York was hoping to see from the slugger, and he is starting to deliver.

Can the Young Arms Carry Them?

Quite possibly the biggest storyline for the Mets of late has been the franchise deciding to call up two of their young arms, Nolan McLean and Jonah Tong. McLean has been nearly flawless in his three starts and has quickly emerged as a potential playoff starter.

Tong has just made one start in the majors so far, but he looked impressive as well. With the starting rotation having some issues overall in the second half, the emergence of the two talented arms is important if New York is going to make a run. Brandon Sproat could also be knocking on the door of the big leagues as well.

This article first appeared on New York Mets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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