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Mets: Uh oh. We're here. We're at the moment many of us have been silently bracing for, the moment where you start to look at the Mets' lineup on a daily basis and wonder how they can possibly keep this up. With names like Rottino, Quintanilla and Valdespin making up the bulk of the lineup it's sometimes difficult to even be certain what team this is you're watching. Now, in fairness, these Mets weren't exactly embarrassed this weekend at Yankee Stadium -- losing two tough-luck games on Saturday and Sunday -- but the mismatch was still readily apparent. Those villainous Yankees announced their bad intentions on Friday by pummeling Johan Santana in Friday night's series opener. Santana has once again become a source of great stability for this Mets team, a steady warrior whose presence on the mound inspires confidence. So the sight of Johan struggling so mightily served as a helpful omen that the weekend could be a long one.

After a three-game sweep, the Mets find themselves in dangerous waters as they head into series with Tampa Bay and Cincinnati. Having now lost six of their last seven games, a rough stretch against the Rays and Reds could very well sink their season. Johan Santana and R.A. Dickey's brilliance have covered up a lot of sins so far in 2012, but there's only so much of the heavy lifting David Wright's bat can do. Hopeful Mets fans may have looked to Ike Davis' two Sunday doubles as an encouraging sign, because the re-emergence of a productive Davis may well be the only thing that could halt this demoralizing slide. This Mets team has been such a fun story to date, but they're reminding us just how long these baseball seasons can be, and how often fast starts turn into very long summers.

Monday, June 11 7:10 PM MLB NY Yankees at Atlanta 8:00 PM NHL New Jersey at LA Kings Tuesday, June 12 7:10 PM MLB NY Mets at Tampa Bay 7:10 PM MLB NY Yankees at Atlanta Wednesday, June 13 7:10 PM MLB NY Mets at Tampa Bay 7:10 PM MLB NY Yankees at Atlanta 8:00 PM NHL New Jersey vs. LA Kings Thursday, June 14 1:10 PM MLB NY Mets at Tampa Bay Friday, June 15 7:10 PM MLB NY Mets vs. Cincinnati 7:05 PM MLB NY Yankees at Washington Saturday, June 16 7:15 PM MLB NY Mets vs. Cincinnati 1:05 PM MLB NY Yankees at Washington Sunday, June 17 1:10 PM MLB NY Mets vs. Cincinnati 1:35 PM MLB NY Yankees at Washington

Yankees: There was a time earlier this season when Yankees haters had that glimmer of hope that maybe this year's Bronx Bombers just weren't going to fire. Despite all their firepower, there was just something about this team that seemed almost defective. But after a three-game sweep of the cross-town rival Mets, the Yankees have won six of seven, have moved within a half game of first place in the AL East and have shown to everyone that, yeah, they'll be just fine. There may well come a year sometime in eternity when the New York Yankees simply aren't any good, but wish all we want, this isn't that year. While the Yankees are once again finding their power strokes, with guys like Cano, Rodriguez and Teixeira starting to warm up, the pitching has been equally impressive. Andy Pettitte has regained a form few thought he could still find and Phil Hughes appears to be finally rewarding the team's long time patience with him. After a complete-game win over Detroit, Hughes followed it up with another impressive outing in a Saturday win over the Mets. New York has been waiting on Phil Hughes for what seems like forever, but at 25-years-old he may have finally arrived. The Yankees will stay in the NL East with tough upcoming series against Atlanta and Washington, but the odds are they'll probably do just fine.

Devils: I think everyone's been so busy ignoring the Stanley Cup finals that they haven't bothered to notice that it just got very interesting. When the Kings blew out New Jersey in Game 3 to go up 3-0 in the series, it was suddenly easy to forget just how close the first two games had been. After stepping up in Game 4 with a 3-1 win to keep their hopes alive, the Devils stunned LA with a Game 5 win that sent the series back to Los Angeles where the Kings will once again try to finish this thing off. I won't pretend to tell you I know how New Jersey has managed to force their way back into this thing, but it may be worth our time to see for ourselves. Game 6 is Monday night. I recommend it.