Just another day at the ballpark for the 2008 Mets. You know, 17 Hits, 10 Runs, a David Wright Homerun, strong outing by Pedro, 8-0 lead early.....and Billy Wagner on in the bottom of the 9th with the ballgame riding on his final pitch to Jayson Werth, the go ahead, and potential game winning, run for the Phils. Of course this was the same Jayson Werth that took Wags deep in the bottom of the 9th on Sunday to force extra innings.
Nervous, sweaty, irritated, unable to sit, here's the pitch from Wags--game over!
Crazy scoring day....went something like this:
8-0 Mets, and then...
10-1
10-2
10-3
10-5
10-7
10-9
Game Over...just like they draw it up in the manual. It was a wild ride! The Mets are now 45-44, and 2.5 games back in the NL East. With each game the club looks tighter, hits better, and shows a lot of the fight we expect from playoff caliber teams. The Mets, as has been reported on SNY, have a dugout full of chatter--pitchers now stay on the mound and hand the ball off to each other--it's a team with camaraderie, and that means something. Guys want to pick each other up. For those of you that have played sports, you know how good it feels to play ball with guys you like on a team with energy and kinship.
A lot of encouraging signs last night, none more so than Pedro Martinez, who looked like, well, Pedro Martinez. Pedro was more on top of the ball last night in his delivery. That translated into a lot more bite on his breaking pitches and more swings and misses. Pedro fanned 6 in 5 1/3, though he did look a little gassed in the 6th after running the bases and hitting an RBI single in the top half of the frame.
Is Pedro back? Maybe not all the way back, but I will say "Pedro is now here in 2008" and has a little ways to get back to 100%, but he's getting there. I think even he'd agree with that.
"My confidence is still an issue," Martinez said. "Without a doubt, this personal slump isn't over yet. I still have a lot of work to do."
The other encouraging sign from last night was the continued resurgence of the Mets offense. The Mets reached double digits in hits for the seventh time in nine games and now have 88 hits and 50 runs in their past seven contests.
"Maybe we're seeing the ball better," said center fielder Carlos Beltran, "we're getting on base and everything is starting to click."
The Mets can also point the finger at one Mr Professional Damion Easley as a reason for their resurgence---the guy is hot--no that's an understatement--they guy is so hot that he can turn sand into glass by waving his magic bat over it. Yeah, that's better.
How hot? Well he batted .340 in June, which was apparently just a tuneup for July.
Yup, he is 14 for 30 in July--a ridiculous .467. He has started all 7 games in July and is positively locked in on every at-bat. That puts pressure on the opposing pitcher, that moves runners along, that helps your teammates, that scores runs, that gets you to middle relievers quicker, that helps a lineup click....that is hot!
David Wright drove in 4 runs last night and now has 70 RBIs on the year. David Wright is not an All-Star...yet. He's in second place in the last man voting--I kind of hope he stays there.
Jose Reyes had two more hits, 2 more runs scored, and a stolen base last night...he now has 111 hits on the year, 66 Runs Sored, and 32 Stolen Bases....Jose Reyes is not an All-Star.
I was re-examining the Mets remaining schedule last night, and my eyes popped--they literally popped--in fact I had to take a break and put them back into their sockets.
The Mets have played 49 road games and only 40 home games. This means they have 41 home games remaining, and only 32 road games. Moreover, they don't have any more long road trips left, and they are done visiting the West Coast.
If you are a loyal reader (and I know you are) you'll remember how much I bagged on MLB for sending the Mets to the West Coast three times in June, with two of the trips occurring with one Mets 3-game homestand in the middle--ridiculous.
Well dear readers, let me say now that the brutal June schedule may have been a blessing in disguise, though it also may have contributed to Willie's dismissal, but that is pure supposition.
So what road games are left?
4 in Cincy
6 in Fla
3 in Houston
7 in Wash
4 in Pitt
2 in Philly
3 in Milwaukee
3 in Atl
Not bad--not bad at all. Did I mention the other thing in the Mets favor? 9 days off--yes, 9 off days--a ton by baseball standards. Seems as if the Mets first half schedule didn't allow for those "off day" thingies very often, so they load them up in the second half (when you need them the most).
So let's recap--the Mets are 2.5 games out, they only have 32 road games remaining, they don't have any more brutal road trips, Pedro is pitching better, the offense is clicking, Damion Easley can turn sand into glass with his bat, and David Wright and Jose Reyes are not all-stars.
Enjoy your coffee my peeps! Two young guns go tonight--Big Pelf against the amazing Tim Lincecum--could be a great one!
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