Good Morning Mets Fans! 3.5 Games Up!

If you're happy that those pesky Nats are gone from Shea raise your hand...thought so...me too.

The cellar dwellars from the nation's capitol brought their hitting sticks with them for this two-game set, but thankfully, so did the Mets.

Last night it was a wild and woolly slugfest that resembled a spaghetti western...guns blazing, shoot outs, knock down, drag out baseball.

The Mets young gunslinger, Mike Pelfrey, brought a .22 caliber pistol and left his .45 at home. Though he has pitched way above expectations this year, Big Pelf didn't have it last night.

Pelf was roughed up for 5 runs and 8 hits over 5 innings. He walked one and didn't manage a strikeout against a free swinging team.

Aaron Heilman came on to protect a 7-5 lead and he was not sharp. Jerry Manuel later claimed that Heilman has had knee tendinitis all year.

True or not, it's one more reason to love Jerry Manuel--he protects his players and doesn't leave them hanging out to dry.

"His knee has been barking a little bit," Jerry Manuel said after the game.

Brian Stokes, who has pitched really, really well for the Mets also brought a pea shooter--he gave up a 3-run jack to let the Nats climb back to within a run, but thankfully it didn't matter because a few in the Mets posse brought enough firepower to put down an Army.

David Wright had perhaps his finest game as a Met--4 for 4 with 4 runs scored and 3 RBIs. He hit a big homerun in a crucial spot and made several sparkling plays in the field...his defense in 2008 looks better than it did last year when he won his first Gold Glove.

DW, who has struggled at times with men on base, looks like he is back on the ball and ready for a big two week push to the playoffs. He's been working hard in the cage to get his timing back down.

"The at-bat that I drove in the run wasn't necessarily a great at-bat ... but you get the results. All of a sudden you get it in your head that you can relax a little bit," said Wright, who came in hitting .214 (6-for-28) for the month. "One of the biggest problems I've had with runners in scoring position is that it's been in my head that I'm putting too much pressure on myself."

Jose Reyes surpassed Mookie Wilson as the Mets all-time steals leader. Reyes had two more hits last night and leads the NL in hits with 184 and multi-hit games with 58.

The Mets speedster is on a mission to have a big month. "I didn't have a big September last year, so this year I think is the year," said Reyes, who singled and promptly swiped second in the third inning, giving him 282 steals, breaking Mookie Wilson's all-time Mets record in just six seasons. "I don't have to worry any more about what happened last year because we're still in good position now. So I think it's going to be a big September this year, not just for me but for everybody."

"I got on base three times (Wednesday night) and it's always good when I get on base," Reyes said. "I make something happen."

Carlos Beltran is on fire....how hot is he? In September he is hitting .419 with a .486 OBP and a .774 slugging percentage.

He went 5 for 9 against the Nats with 4 RBIs, 2 doubles and a homerun. This is the Carlos Beltran fans love. He is hitting, hitting with power, driving in big runs, and is 100% locked in at just the right time.

We said last month that Beltran looked poised for a big September and he is proving us right...and then some.

So the Big Four in the lineup are all clicking on all cylinders--Reyes, Wright, Beltran and Delgado....that is as good a four hitters in a lineup as anyone in baseball--they combine power, speed, average and excitement in a way that no other team can match. Toss in Ryan Church and what he's capable of, along with Fernando Tatis and his knack for the big hit, and you have a very, very potent lineup.

Joe Smith got the win last night with 1 1/3 stellar innings of relief--he has not let in a run in his last 15 outings. Luis Ayala closed out the game for his 6th save and it was another W for the books.

With the Phillies loss the Mets extended their lead to 3.5 games and they are on a mission to get this thing done.

Take a breath my friends...it's getting exciting!

Enjoy your coffee!

Here's a look at the standings and the remaining games:

2008 NL Standings
East	W	L	PCT	GB	RS	RA	EXPW	EXPL	DIV	WC	POFF
New York	82	63	.566	-	724	636	91.7	70.3	88.4	1.9	90.3
Philadelphia	79	67	.541	3.5	707	616	88.1	73.9	11.6	9.5	21.1
Florida	74	72	.507	8.5	683	712	81.9	80.1	0.1	<0.1	0.1
Atlanta	64	82	.438	18.5	677	703	71.0	91.0	0.0	0.0	0.0
Washington	56	90	.384	26.5	582	737	62.5	99.5	0.0	0.0	0.0

2008 Remaining Schedule
vs. Team	PCT	H	A	Tot
ChiCubs	.600	4	0	4
Florida	.507	3	0	3
Atlanta	.438	3	3	6
Washington	.384	0	4	4
TOTAL	.476	10	7	17