The see-saw battle has begun. The series has been split, and now the Mets and Phillies will go at it one more time in front of the raucous crowd at Shea next week. Expect the stadium to be rockin’ for the entire three game set, and expect the Mets (and Phillies) to be extremely pumped up for September baseball. But don’t lose sight of the old adage, “don’t you dare look ahead.”

The Mets begin a crucial three game series in Florida with the pesky Marlins, while Philadelphia has an even bigger four game set with the Cubs at Wrigley. The Mets have a chance to nail the Marlins coffin shut, while Florida is the caged animal in the corner. The Cubs have the best record in the National League, and will surely be looking to keep things rolling, while the fightin’ Phils continue to play solid baseball, and have finally tasted what it was like to be on top-briefly.

No doubt about it, there will be some scoreboard watching going on this weekend.  But the Mets and Phillies cannot lose sight on the teams they are playing. If that happens, the Cubs will continue to roll, and the Marlins just might get back into the race. Fans must also expect the unexpected. Remember how much trouble Washington has given Philly? After a tough series with the Cubs, Philly heads to D.C to deal with the lowly Nats. Anderson Hernandez again anyone?

The Mets aren’t the only ones looking for playoff baseball. Every team in that wild card hunt is chasing Milwaukee and they play host to the Mets; The Brew-Crew team that even though they are the current wild card holder, has a better record than our New Yorkers. We can talk Mets-Phillies all we want, but don’t lose sight of what’s ahead.

We are under thirty games now, about to hit September baseball. We can again rehash bullpen issues, and who isn’t hitting. We can talk about which prospects are and are not making the jump to the big club. And we can sit and ponder trades the Mets should have made to help the team.  Or we can acknowledge that our team is in the middle of a tremendous pennant race, and enjoy the remaining days of an electrifying baseball season.