Dodgers spoil Pedro's no-hitter, shutout, and win.

And just like that it was over. The Dodgers won again, leaving the Mets with little but their dignity (their health having fallen by the wayside last week).

How do the Mets' postseason chances look now? In a word: ugly. The Braves have all but wrapped up their Nth division title, and no fewer than four games and four teams stand between our boys and the wild card spot.

All the same, it's still possible, and let me get something off my chest right now: the Mets, while technically (okay in every sense) the NL East's fifth place team, are grossly misrepresented by the "last place" moniker.

Their record is 7th in the league. The fact that four of the six teams ahead of them are in their division shouldn't be held against them. Quite the opposite, they've won more games than the Cubs, Padres, Dodgers, and six others, despite playing a significantly harder schedule!

Moreover, if you look at Expected W-L records, the Mets and Astros are tied for the league's third best record and the wild card.

Call the Mets a last place team if you must. It's undeniably true. But bear in mind they may be the best last-place team in baseball history.