MIAMI _ Chaos lurks on the horizon, threatening to turn the end of the season into a torture chamber. In what already has been a grueling battle for the National League's two wild-card spots, the possibility of a three-team tie still exists. It is a headache that the Mets would do well to avoid.
The only preventative measure is to keep winning.
So, after beating the Marlins, 5-2, on Wednesday night, the Mets could breathe a sigh of relief after slicing their magic number for a playoff spot to three. A loss by the Cardinals on Wednesday night would reduce the number to two, meaning that the Mets could clinch as early as Friday in Philadelphia.
After dropping a series opener here that was rife with raw emotion _ it was the Marlins' first game since Jose Fernandez died in a boating accident _ the Mets found the resolve under difficult circumstances to refocus on the race at hand.
Jay Bruce and James Loney homered for the Mets, who have won five of their last seven games. Meanwhile, rookie right-hander Seeth Lugo powered through early trouble, holding the Marlins to two runs and five hits in 5 1/3 innings.
Jeurys Familia extended his single-season franchise record by nailing down his 50th save, becoming only the 13th big leaguer to reach that plateau.
By taking two of three, the Mets strengthened their position against the Giants and Cardinals entering the season's homestretch.
After an emotionally-draining series, the Mets will have a scheduled off day on Thursday. On Friday, they begin a regular season-ending three-game set with the Phillies.
The Mets began the day a half game ahead of the Giants for the top wild-card spot, with the Cardinals 1 { games back. Both the Giants and Cardinals will be in action on Thursday.
Lugo, 26, continues to appear unfazed by pitching in games with heavy implications. Even on Wednesday, when the former 34th-round pick looked to be on the ropes early, he buckled down to pitch into the sixth.
Martin Prado bashed a two-run homer to give the Marlins a 2-0 lead in the first inning. But in the second, Loney sent a towering two-run drive to right field. It came on a night in which he was a last-minute addition to the lineup because Lucas Duda experienced soreness in his back.
Lugo helped his own cause in the fourth, poking a two-out double off Jose Urena just inside the first- base bag, before scoring on a double to the gap by Jose Reyes.
Bruce padded the lead in the fifth with a two-run homer, his second long ball in as many days, and a sign that he may yet salvage what has been a miserable tenure with the Mets.
For Lugo, fatigue has been a consideration of late. After establishing a career-high 136 innings last season, the right-hander is already at 137 1/3 innings. That total would only climb if the Mets get into the playoffs, with Lugo set to play a prominent role in a rotation missing Matt Harvey, Jacob deGrom and Steven Matz.
"Seth might be getting a little bit on the tired side," pitching coach Dan Warthen said before Lugo was pulled after only 82 pitches.
Of course, there is plenty of reason to be protective of Lugo (5-2), who lowered his ERA to 2.67 while helping the Mets to win for the seventh straight time in his starts.
As it stands, a three-team tie is unlikely, but not yet ruled out.
Such a situation would force the Mets to play a tiebreaker game against the Cardinals on Monday, which would be Lugo's next scheduled start.
A victory in that game would send the Mets to the wild card. A loss would force another game on Tuesday against the Giants, which would be the Mets' final shot to make it to Wednesday's wild-card game.
Of course, the Mets would rather avoid that October madness.
