The Mets are eight games back of the Braves in the loss column, so essentially they need to make up eight games in the standings over the final third of the season. If we disregard the Phillies' role in all of this for a moment, here's what the Mets will have to do based on certain Braves outcomes.
| If Braves Go | Mets Must Go |
|---|---|
| 46-8 | 54-0 |
| 40-14 | 48-6 |
| 35-19 | 43-11 |
| 30-24 | 38-16 |
| 27-27 | 35-19 |
| 25-29 | 33-21 |
| 20-34 | 28-26 |
| 15-39 | 23-31 |
Even if the Braves only play .500 ball for the rest of the season, the Mets will have to be 16 games over .500 just to tie them for the division lead (again, assuming 'that the Phillies don't exist). They've played exactly .500 ball through the first two-thirds of the season (while the Braves have played .570 ball).
The Wild Card race is looking even more bleak for the Mets, as they're also eight games back there with the added bonus of having five teams to leapfrog. Even the eternal optimist just committed harakiri.