Brodie Van Wagenen expressed confidence in the New York Mets shortly after the former agent was hired for his first general manager job in the offseason.

"I wasn't shy in the offseason, but they came and got us," Van Wagenen said before New York visited Miami for its first game after the All-Star break. "I think that now we view ourselves as the underdogs."

The Mets began the weekend series against the Marlins with a 40-50 record, good for fourth place in the division, 13½ games behind NL East-leading Atlanta.

"We are incredibly disappointed with both of those results in the standings," Van Wagenen said. "This season has not gone the way we wanted. It certainly hasn't gone the way our players have wanted and most importantly it hasn't gone the way our fans want."