When you've won the first two or three games in a series - get the sweep

That topic was the subject of a spirited discussion I had with someone earlier this season. It was when the Yankees won the first two games in Boston in July and then got blown out big time in the series finale.

I was disappointed in seeing them fall in the series finale based sorely on the concept that when you've won the first two game of a three-game series, you should always go for the kill or in this case the sweep.

Starting with that game, the Yankees are 17-19 .500 and the Red Sox are 21-12 Obviously the Red Sox talent is better and younger and so on, and it's possible that getting swept by the Yankees at home would have been inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.

The point of this is to address what the Mets did Wednesday in Milwaukee. Knowing full well that they had won the first two games on the strength of their bullpen as well as timely hitting and knowing that a blowout would give those guys essentially two days off before the big showdown with the Phillies, they didn't mess around. They went for the kill and did it early, scoring six runs in the first inning.

That's what good teams do. Obviously an ideal world would see a team win 9-2 every day but that's not reality. What is reality is being able to come out with a "let's not screw around" attitude when a sweep is nine innings away. That's what separates the elite from the pretenders.

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The Yankees have had eight chances to sweep a three or four-game series this year and had done so six of seven times before the Boston series. They have chance number nine Thursday in Tampa Bay.

The Mets have had nine chances and taken care of business six times.

The Red Sox have had 12 opportunities and done it nine times.

The Rays have had 16 chances and accomplished it nine times

The White Sox have had 10 shots and finished the job nine times.

The Twins have had 11 chances and done it seven times.

The Angels are an exception as they've been successful with six series sweeps in 13 opportunities. That is countered by a series record of 30-9-6.

The Phillies have split their eight opportunities. Three of those losses have been to Washington and Pittsburgh.

The Cubs have had 13 opportunities at the sweep and finished 10 times.

The Brewers have had 11 opportunities and taken care of business 10 times

The Diamondbacks are 2 for 6 with a chance at the sweep.

The Dodgers are 7 for 11 with the chance at the sweep.