The Mets had last night off. They are 34-34, 2.5 GB in the NL East. The rest of the division looks like this:

Philadelphia: 36-31
Florida: 37-32
Atlanta: 32-36, 4.5 GB
Montreal: 22-45, 14 GB

Philadelphia and Florida are tied, with the Phillies in front by percentage points.

Let's see if the Mets can break through that .500 barrier again tonight, and stay above it. It seems like whenever they get this close they go in the tank for a few games. To stay in the race, they need to take a couple of these upcoming series.

Tonight begins another crucial stretch for the Mets. The schedule goes like this:
vs. Cincinnati for 3 games, then at the Yankees for 3 games, then at Cincinnati for 3 games, and vs. the Yankees for 3 games. After that, it's a 7-game stretch before the All-Star break, with 4 games at Philadelphia and 3 at Florida.

Just to look at who the Mets are chasing - the Marlins during that span play the Braves (home and away), the Devil Rays (home and away), and Pirates. That Devil Rays series, by the way, isn't looking like a cakewalk anymore.

And the Phillies play Montreal (home and away), at Boston, vs. Baltimore, and vs. Atlanta.

The Mets need to stay at or above .500 by the All Star break. Then they'll need to be taken seriously in the NL East, if they're not already. It's only going to take about 90 wins to win the division. The Mets have as good a shot at doing that as anyone.

As a result of that - another deal is on the way. The Mets WILL trade for a pitcher. And I have a feeling that any deal the Mets make will include Ty Wigginton. He's hitting great right now, and his trade value only increased when he showed his versatility by playing about 20 games at second before Jose Reyes came back. With David Wright lighting the minors on fire, there's no more room for Wigginton. I would be very surprised if he doesn't go in a deal for a pitcher.

WRIGHT WATCH: I did not go to Pawtucket to see David Wright play last night, but I did catch one at-bat on TV. (He walked.) Wright went 1-3 last night with a double and that walk. He's hitting .345. And there'll be a chance for Wright to get some nationwide exposure on Sunday, July 11th in Houston. Wright was named to the All Star Futures Game. The game features a U.S. vs. World format, with players from all teams' minor leagues participating. The Mets also have a pitcher on the World team - Yusmeiro Petit, who pitches for Single-A Capital City. The game will be televised on ESPN2...but I'm not sure exactly when.