So maybe it was premature to declare total confidence in the Mets way back … uh, when we had a three game lead and um, 17 to go. It wasn’t that carelessly losing games to Washington and Atlanta wasn’t expected — we’re good at that, actually — it was that I wasn’t counting on Milwaukee concurrently failing to record even a single loss over a four-game series in Philadelphia.

That series, which cost the Brewers a lame-duck manager, might have done even more damage to the Mets by changing the whole complexion of the race. A split or even a single win there would have given the Mets ample room to flail away while burying the Phillies just deep enough to bring the pressure on them.

As it is, we’re now left needing to match or exceed the Brewers over the final six games to avoid a one-game playoff in which we’d pitch… Pedro on short rest? Brandon Knight? Jon Niese?

Help us, Fonzie, you’re our only hope.