There's another word for "almost wins."

I like to call them "losses."

"You think the Mets would like that 11-10 game with the Nationals back?

I sure would."

Yeah, it was a tough loss at a time when people were actually paying close attention to the Mets.

Who are the Mets chasing for the second wild card? As of this morning, they are chasing the Cubs, Brewers, and Phillies.

So let's give the Mets back The Game they Shoulda Won.

What, Pedro Strop never blew a save this season? The Cubs never left bases loaded in the late innings of a close game? If the Mets get a couple of their Shoulda Wons back, they're still three games behind the Cubs, because the Cubs got their Shoulda Wons back, too. These are the rules I just made up in Imaginary League Baseball.

I'll bet the Phillies would have 115 wins this season if they could get credit for all the games they shoulda won.

Great teams don't always win close games. The Astros lost an impossible walkoff to the Orioles in a game where Verlander started. The difference between the Astros and the Mets is the other 161 games.