Seems Like It's Always Sweep or Be Swept For The Mets

On Saturday night, the Mets fell to the Cincinnati Reds, 4-1.  It put the Reds in position to sweep the series from the Mets today.  This is coming on the heels of the Mets' three-game sweep of the Rays, which immediately followed the Yankees' three-game sweep of the Mets last weekend.

Should the Mets lose to the Reds in the series finale today, it would be the seventh three-game series of the season to end in a sweep of the Mets or a Mets sweep of their opponent (three sweeps of the Mets, four sweeps for the Mets).  What makes this more interesting is that this is only the 17th three-game series the Mets have played this season (they've played a pair of two-game series and a trio of four-game series).  Almost half of the Mets' three-game series have ended in a sweep for one team or the other.

It doesn't just end there.  Out of all 22 series the Mets have played this year (including the five series of two or four games), the vast majority of them have had one team or the other looking for a sweep entering the final game of the series.  Here's a look at all 22 series.  You'll notice very few occasions in which no sweep was possible entering the final game of the series.

• April 5-8:  Mets take first two from Braves; Mets win finale to sweep series
• April 9-11: Mets and Nationals split first two games (no sweep possible)
• April 13-15: Mets take first two from Phillies; Phillies win finale to avoid sweep
• April 16-18: Mets and Braves split first two games (no sweep possible)
• April 20-23: Mets and Giants split first two games (no sweep possible)
• April 24-26: Mets take first two from Marlins; Mets win finale to sweep series
• April 27-29: Mets and Rockies split first two games (no sweep possible)
• April 30-May 2: Astros take first two from Mets; Astros win finale to sweep series
• May 4-6: Mets and Diamondbacks split first two games (no sweep possible)
• May 7-9: Mets take first two from Phillies; Mets win finale to sweep series
• May 11-13: Mets and Marlins split first two games (no sweep possible)
• May 14-15: Mets take first game from Brewers; Brewers win finale to avoid sweep
• May 16-17: Reds take first game from Mets; Mets win finale to avoid sweep
• May 18-20: Blue Jays take first two from Mets; Mets win finale to avoid sweep
• May 21-23: Mets and Pirates split first two games (no sweep possible)
• May 24-27: Mets and Padres split first two games (no sweep possible)
• May 28-30: Mets and Phillies split first two games (no sweep possible)
• June 1-4: Mets take first three from Cardinals; Cardinals win finale to avoid sweep
• June 5-7: Nationals take first two from Mets; Mets win finale to avoid sweep
• June 8-10: Yankees take first two from Mets; Yankees win finale to sweep series
• June 12-14: Mets take first two from Rays; Mets win finale to sweep series
• June 15-17: Reds take first two from Mets; result of finale to be determined later today

Of the 22 series played by the Mets this season, only nine have entered the final game of the series with no sweep possible by either team.  The last time the Mets participated in a series in which this was the case was back in May against the Phillies.  Today's series finale against the Reds marks the fifth consecutive series in which one of the combatants can potentially sweep the series entering its final game.

During the 2012 season, it seems as if it's the Mets have always been in a sweep or be swept position, especially recently.  Let's hope that after today's series finale against the Reds, the "be swept" does not turn into a "sweep" for Cincinnati.