the All-Star break, the New York Mets were in third place with a 46-40 record and only 4.5 games  behind the NL East-leading Nationals. However, the Mets' second half has gotten off to a terrible start with a 1-9 record so far to lower the Mets' total record to 47-49. This currently puts them 9.5 games back of the Nationals in the division and 5.5 games back of the Pirates and Dodgers in the wild-card race.

The Mets currently seem to be in the midst of a free-fall downward spiral. Their starting pitching, which was the backbone of their success in the first half, is starting to falter. The Mets bullpen was already the worst unit in baseball, but now they are even worse, and their relievers seem to be giving up runs every time they make an appearance. Aside from Tim Byrdak and Bobby Parnell, there really isn't another reliever whom the Mets can trust.

Offensively, David Wright and Ike Davis have been hitting well, but Lucas Duda and Kirk Nieuwenhuis ...

Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - MLB By Shale Briskin