Good Morning Mets Fans!

It's a team thing.

We'll add some accolades to the Carlos Delgado worship brigade a bit later on--he's earned it--but let's talk a little about the team yesterday.

• 8 Mets, every non-pitching starter, had a hit
• 6 Mets scored runs
• 5 Mets had RBIs
• 5 Mets had a multi-hit game
• 4 consecutive relievers held the opposition to only one total hit and no runs
• 3 Mets had homeruns

Ollie Perez started the game and pitched poorly. He had a very good fastball, but his slider was way off, and he couldn't get settled down after the Nats started hitting.

The Nats seem to hit Ollie well and last night was certainly no exception. He only lasted 3.1 innings and was charged with 7 earned runs.

"Today I didn't do my job," Perez said. "Good fastball, bad slider."

Nelson Figueroa allowed all his inherited runs to score, further adding to Ollie's total. I'm a fan of Nellie the person, and not a fan of Nellie the pitcher.

It just seems like the bad teams hit Ollie well--he has a 7.07 ERA against below-.500 teams this season. Luckily, none of those teams will make the playoffs.

But let's get to the good stuff, like Joe Smith pitching 1 2/3rds sparkling innings to get the win after it looked like the Mets bullpen was bent on giving the game away. Smith came in and shut them down.

Joe Smith has lowered his season ERA to 3.67 and has not allowed an earned run in his last 14 appearances. He is 2-0 in September with a 0.00 ERA and stands 6th in the NL in appearances....and he is 24 years old!

"Their pitchers also had problems getting the outs until they got to Smith and finally Ayala," Washington manager Manny Acta said. "Smith was the key. He stopped us."

So much good stuff--how about Carlos Beltran and the run he's on?

Beltran is hitting .385 in September after an August of .303. His power stroke is back, he is hitting in clutch situations, he's running, playing a sparkling centerfield, and there is no question he wants to get back to the postseason and put on a show.

Belran's blast last night, to go along with a double that banged high off the fence, was a key hit for the Mets. His 2 RBIs gave him 100 on the year, 5th in the NL, to go along with his 103 runs scored. So much for Beltran having an "off year"!

Jerry Manuel, who will most certainly be brought back as Mets Manager, seems to have settled on a lineup.

If you've been paying attention you've surely noticed that the "playoff push lineup" is Ryan Church and Fernando Tatis as the corner outfielders and Damion Easley at second base. Church bats second, Tatis 6th, and Easley 7th.

This is really the most potent group the Mets have offensively and will get better when Ramon Castro returns Friday to start against lefty's.

Ryan Church is back to form--he had another homerun last night, and he really seems relaxed at the plate. When he initially came back his timing was off and he was lunging at the ball. No longer. He is 4 for his last 9.

And there was Delgado...the Big Man...the thumper in the middle.

In his last 2 games he has 4 homeruns that traveled about 1,700 feet. In his last 13 games he has 4 multi-HR games. How about a .423 batting average, .483 OBP, and 1.000 Slg % in September?

He is 3rd in HRs and RBIs in the NL, absolutely an MVP candidate and is driving the club forward each and every day in his quest for a ring.

We'll close this out, just as the Mets did, with Luis Ayala, who earned his 6th save in 7 attempts with the Mets.

As my good friend Ira said last night, "where would the Mets be without Luis Ayala?"

Amen.

The Fightin' Fish beat the Phillies, so the Mets stand 2.5 games up with 18 left to play. It's a pretty simple mathematical formula from here on out called "just win baby!"

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Washington (56-89)	0	0	2	5	1	0	0	0	0	8	12	1
N.Y. Mets (81-63) «	0	2	3	2	0	3	0	0	x	10	14	1

Player of the Game

New York

C. Delgado	AB	3
	R	3
	H	3
	HR	2
	RBI	3

Good Morning Mets Fans!

There are wins, and there are WINS!

Last night was a WIN!

The Mets demonstrated a huge amount of intestinal fortitude and resiliency in coming back from a 3-1 deficit to beat the Phillies 6-3.

It was a breathtaking, exciting win that left no doubt that these 2008 Mets will fight and claw and work with every ounce of strength until the end.

"This was a huge, huge win for us simply because of the way we lost last night," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "We could've afforded to (lose), but the way we lost last night, you never know where that's going to lead you."

The unabashed star of the game, Carlos Delgado, swatted two long flies and drove in 3 runs to continue his amazing production since June.

Delgado has 57 RBIs in his last 56 games and a .303 batting average and .991 OPS since the all-star break.

"He's been amazing," said Mets Manager JerryManuel. "When he hits we simply win because he just carries us."

How good has Delgado been? Since June 27 he leads the NL lead in home runs (19) and RBI (58).

Moreover, Delgado is talking and acting like a leader, heaping praise on his teammates, going out to the mound, playing a solid first base, and being the rock his club needs him to be.

"It shows that we have a lot of character and a lot of guys with short-term memories," said Delgado, who continued his remarkable hitting turnaround since late June. "We were able to put [Tuesday] night behind us and come back and play. That's important."

Delgado wasn't alone in shining for the first-place Mets. Rookie Daniel Murphy, who had been in an 0-16 mini-slump, had a clutch double in the 8th to score Beltran. His hit gave the Mets the lead for good. That he hit the double off of closer Brad Lidge was particularly sweet for the hard working Murphy.

It was one of those moments that get lost a bit in a 162 game schedule. After Carlos Beltran stole second, the Phils intentionally walked Ryan Church to get to "the Kid".

Manager Jerry Manuel could easily have pinch-hit for Murphy there--tie game, one of the best closers in baseball on the mound, and Murphy in a slump. But Jerry stuck with Murphy and the young hitter paid his manager back in spades.

“I feel very confident in him,” Manuel said later. “He’s a good young hitter. I never thought about pinch hitting for him or anything like that. He's a big part of what we're doing."

Murphy has been leaning on Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado and Damion Easley for advice--three pretty good role models. He spoke about Easley and some recent advice.

"'Murphy, come here,' " Murphy recalled Easley saying. "When you're scuffling, you just try to feel that swing, Easley told him. "Then what you do is you just try to unhook that train you've been dragging for along the whole time."

Consider the train unhooked.

Brian Schneider followed Murphy and promptly blooped a single to short leftfield to plate two more.

6-3 Mets and they never looked back.

The bullpen relieved starter Johan Santana and put zeros on the board--Brain Stokes, Pedro Feliciano, Joe Smith and Luis Ayala combined for 1-hit ball over 3 innings. Stoked got the win and Ayala got the save.

Santana didn't have great stuff, but he did hold the hot hitting Phils to 3 runs in 6 innings.

The Mets now get a day off before heading to Florida. Another day in which they hold onto to first place in what has become an incredibly exciting season in Met Nation.

This is why they play the games--this is why we're Mets fans--this is what baseball is all about!

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
N.Y. Mets (74-60) «	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	4	0	6	13	0
Philadelphia (73-60)	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	6	0

Player of the Game

New York

C. Delgado	AB	4
	R	2
	H	3
	HR	2
	RBI	3

New York Mets
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jose Reyes, SS	5	1	3	0	0	0	0	.306
Luis Castillo, 2B	4	0	1	0	0	0	1	.257
David Wright, 3B	5	0	0	0	0	2	2	.291
Carlos Delgado, 1B	4	2	3	3	1	0	0	.263
Carlos Beltran, CF	5	1	3	0	0	0	3	.273
Ryan Church, RF	2	1	1	0	2	1	1	.307
Daniel Murphy, LF	4	1	1	1	0	1	4	.328
Endy Chavez, LF	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.270
Brian Schneider, C	4	0	1	2	0	1	3	.254
Johan Santana, P	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	.131
a- Nick Evans, PH	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	.261
Brian Stokes, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.667
b- Damion Easley, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	.270
Pedro Feliciano, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Joe Smith, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Luis Ayala, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	37	6	13	6	3	6
a-struck out for Santana in the 7th
b-hit into fielder's choice for Stokes in the 8th
Batting
2B - Daniel Murphy (3, Lidge)
HR - Carlos Delgado 2 (30, Kendrick, Seanez)
SH - Luis Castillo (7)
RBI - Carlos Delgado 3 (93), Daniel Murphy (13), Brian Schneider 2 (31)
2-OUT RBI - Carlos Delgado 2 (36), Daniel Murphy (6), Brian Schneider 2 (11)
SB - Carlos Beltran (19, 2nd base off Lidge/Coste), Ryan Church (2, 2nd base off Kendrick/Coste)
Team LOB - 8
Fielding
DP - Castillo-Reyes-Delgado, Castillo-Reyes-Delgado

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Johan Santana	6	5	3	3	3	6	2	2.70
Brian Stokes (W,1-0)	1	1	0	0	2	0	0	3.18
Pedro Feliciano (H,18)	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	3.94
Joe Smith (H,15)	0.1	0	0	0	0	0	0	4.01
Luis Ayala (S,2)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	5.37
IBB - Utley by Brian Stokes
Pitches-Strikes - Johan Santana 106-67, Brian Stokes 18-8, Pedro Feliciano 12-7, Joe Smith 1-1, Luis Ayala 10-6
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Johan Santana 5-6, Brian Stokes 2-0, Pedro Feliciano 1-1, Joe Smith 1-0, Luis Ayala 3-0
Batters Faced - Johan Santana 25, Brian Stokes 5, Pedro Feliciano 2, Joe Smith 1, Luis Ayala 3

Good Morning Mets Fans!

Some games just get the juices flowing, and last night's thrilling come from behind victory over the Braves was certainly one of them.

Ollie Perez started for the Mets and didn't have his best stuff. He gutted it out and only gave up 3 runs in 6 2/3, but he also walked 5 and gave up 7 hits. Still, he battled all the way, and the Braves scored all 3 of their runs in the third inning.

The old Ollie might have imploded early on, but this "Post Peterson" version did everything he could and somehow managed to put up a bunch of zeros for his team before exiting in the 7th with runners on first and third and one out, and the Mets on the wrong side of the score in a 3-2 game.

"I was all over the place," said Perez, "but the guys picked me up."

Newly acquired Luis Ayala had his "welcome to the Mets moment." It was a huge spot--one where the Mets bullpen hasn't always succeeded in recent times.

Taking the ball from his countryman, Ayala immediately knocked down Omar Infante with his first pitch. He mixed in a plus fastball with his signature sinker and got both Infante and Brian McCann to hit short popups. Absolutely changed the entire feel of the game. The Braves went from poised to extend their lead, to frustration and tightness.

The Shea faithful rewarded the newcomer with a thundering, and well-deserved, ovation.

"That probably kind of changed the momentum right there," Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. "To hold them right there probably was the turning point in the game."

The bullpen was efficient the rest of the way. Aaron Heilman pitched the 8th, and Scott Shoeneweis took his turn in the 9th in the "closer by committee" lottery. He had an outstanding inning.

"It was nice to be on the other end of one of those games," Schoeneweis said. "Somebody else's bullpen gave it up and ours didn't. Amazing how that works sometimes."

After Heilman held the Braves in check, the Mets stormed out in the 8th and opened the floodgates. The surging first-place Mets loaded the bases twice and did something they haven't done often with the sacks full this year--they delivered.

Carlos Delgado had the big hit--a smoked opposite field double that banged loudly off the fence and plated two.

Mr. Professional , Damion Easley, added to the fun after Fernando Tatis was intentionally walked. Easley hit a solid line drive single that plated two more. Ramon Castro joined in the fun with an RBI double.

All told the Mets scored 5 and pulled victory from the jaws of defeat---a championship caliber 8th inning effort.

"Good teams win these kinds of games," said Delgado. "They find a way to battle back and win these games. You're not going to win them all, but it's nice when you do."

It was a thrilling, scintillating, pump up the players and fans type of win, and it kept the Mets 1.5 games up on Philly and stretched the lead over the fading Fish to 4.5 games.

Of course it wasn't all good news for the Mets (is it ever?)...the inflammation in closer Billy Wagner's elbow is getting worse, not better, and he is shut down indefinitely. His teammates realize how important he is, but they also believe in themselves and their ability to get the job done.

"This is about picking each other up," Delgado said. "Billy's a big part of our bullpen, but we've got to do what we can do until he comes back."

Enjoy your coffee!

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Atlanta (56-70)	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	3	9	0
N.Y. Mets (69-57) «	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	5	x	7	8	0

Player of the Game

New York

C. Delgado	AB	4
	R	1
	H	1
	HR	0
	RBI	2

New York Mets
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jose Reyes, SS	2	1	0	0	3	0	0	.303
Nick Evans, LF	3	1	2	0	1	0	1	.276
Endy Chavez, PR-RF	1	1	0	0	0	0	3	.270
David Wright, 3B	2	1	0	1	1	2	1	.291
Carlos Beltran, CF	4	1	2	0	0	0	0	.275
Carlos Delgado, 1B	4	1	1	2	0	1	2	.255
Fernando Tatis, RF-LF	3	1	1	1	1	0	0	.294
Damion Easley, 2B	4	0	1	2	0	1	2	.262
Ramon Castro, C	3	0	1	1	1	0	0	.263
Oliver Perez, P	2	0	0	0	0	1	1	.122
Luis Ayala, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
a- Daniel Murphy, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.419
Aaron Heilman, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
b- Argenis Reyes, PH	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	.272
Scott Schoeneweis, P	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	.000
Totals	30	7	8	7	7	5
a-grounded out for Ayala in the 7th
b-lined out for Heilman in the 8th
Batting
2B - Carlos Delgado (25, Ohman), Fernando Tatis (11, Reyes), Ramon Castro (6, Tavarez)
SF - David Wright (9)
RBI - David Wright (96), Carlos Delgado 2 (81), Fernando Tatis (37), Damion Easley 2 (37), Ramon Castro (24)
2-OUT RBI - Fernando Tatis (8)
Team LOB - 7
Fielding
DP - Wright-Reyes-Easley

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Oliver Perez	6.1	7	3	3	5	3	0	3.93
Luis Ayala	0.2	0	0	0	0	0	0	5.71
Aaron Heilman (W,3-7)	1	1	0	0	1	0	0	5.48
Scott Schoeneweis	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	2.98
IBB - Jones by Oliver Perez
Pitches-Strikes - Oliver Perez 114-66, Luis Ayala 8-4, Aaron Heilman 20-11, Scott Schoeneweis 14-10
Ground Balls-Fly Balls - Oliver Perez 7-8, Aaron Heilman 1-2
Batters Faced - Oliver Perez 30, Luis Ayala 2, Aaron Heilman 5, Scott Schoeneweis 4

Game Information

Good Morning 1st Place Mets Fans! 10 in a Row!

Pitching? Who needs pitching? Just get 6 straight hits in the 9th inning...that will work!

The Mets started the second half just the way they ended it--with a win--a big win.

Johan didn't have good stuff and allowed 5 runs in 4 innings, but ringmaster Jerry Manuel sprinkled a little more pixie dust on the team and brought out the Mets Magic for the 10th time in a row.

"It was a tough day, trying to battle the weather (86 degrees) and everything," Santana said. "I was trying to get into a groove. I wasn't able to get anything going."

That was OK though, because our good friend Mr Momentum made his daily appearance.

"You know momentum is one of those strange things, you can't identify it until it's over," Manager Jerry Manuel said. "I guess we still have it, I can say that." He then added, “They showed it’s going to take a lot to knock them out.”

And make no mistake, this was a big win, a statement win, and the players agree. David Wright said, “I think this was our most impressive win because Johan obviously didn’t have his best stuff and the bullpen got hit around a little bit.” And they did it--again--10 in a row with contributions from numerous players.

Does it seem like the Mets players take turns playing hero?

Last night was no exception--on a night that seemed like it might not go the Mets way, David Wright, Fernando Tatis, Carlos Delgado and Damion Easley made sure the winning streak would stay intact.

Fernando Tatis has a knack for the big hit and he is swinging a great stick right now--all Mighty Mouse did was go 3 for 4, raise his season average to .306, hit a homerun and a double, and drive in 3 runs. His double down the leftfield line in the 9th plated the Mets 10th and final run of the evening. For the month Tatis is batting over .400 with 4 HRs and and a 1.286 OPS.

Fernando Tatis...Hero.

Carlos Delgado, who we've been hyping here at NY Sports Dog for continued good hitting and a big second half, had a huge game. He started the scoring with a homerun that cleared the ballpark and landed into the river--a mammoth blast. You'd think he would've been happy with that, but no, Carlos got greedy and had two more hits, including a clutch 9th inning opposite field single that put the Mets ahead. Delgado finished with 3 RBIs to bring his season total to 55. He looks so solid at the plate right now and his season OPS+ is up to 113.

Carlos Delgado...Hero.

David Wright "does what he do"...he is a second half machine and 2008 is no different. He came up in the 9th, 1 out, Mets down two runs, man on first thanks to a clutch pinch-hit single by the ultra-scrappy Argenis Reyes, and he blasted a low slider over the leaping Ken Griffey, Jr to tie the game. It was one of "those hits" that send lightning bolts all over Mets Nation and is the reason we love this kid--he is off to a Hall of Fame career, and just may be the second best homegrown player ever to wear a Mets uniform. (tip of the cap to Tom Terrific)

David Wright...Hero.

Mets fans know that this game was played on the one month anniversary of Willie Randolph's firing....the Mets struggled, in fact they blew three leads before the dramatic comeback. In the end they won, and they are now 18-9 under "interim" manager Jerry Manuel.

Jerry is not an interim manager. Oh sure, he has that moniker now, but the fact of the matter is that this is now Jerry's team. During the 9th inning of the SNY telecast Keith Hernandez said, "Jerry has made every right move tonight, he is getting it done." I couldn't agree more.

My good friend "tom talkin" from bigblueinteractive said, "You don't change anything during a winning streak"...I agree...I would also like to see the Mets quietly ink Jerry to a 2-year deal at some point over the next few weeks.

Enjoy your coffee as you grin over these standings!

National League East
Team	W	L	Pct.	GB	Home	Road	East	Cent.	West	L10	Strk
N.Y. Mets	52	44	.542	-	28-18	24-26	18-16	7-8	18-14	10-0	W 10
Philadelphia	52	44	.542	-	27-23	25-21	17-14	17-12	14-7	5-5	W 1
Florida	50	45	.526	1½	26-20	24-25	19-14	11-10	15-11	6-4	L 1
Atlanta	45	50	.474	6½	30-18	15-32	16-19	9-16	12-8	5-5	W 2
Washington	36	60	.375	16	20-30	16-30	14-21	11-19	3-10	2-8	L 2

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
N.Y. Mets (52-44) «	0	0	0	2	2	2	0	0	4	10	14	1
Cincinnati (46-51)	0	0	0	5	0	0	3	0	0	8	12	1

Players of the Game

New York C. Delgado AB 4 R 2 H 3 HR 1 RBI 3

Cincinnati E. Encarnacion AB 5 R 2 H 3 HR 1 RBI 1

New York Mets
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jose B. Reyes, SS	5	0	0	0	0	2	2	.298
Endy Chavez, RF	3	0	0	0	0	1	2	.265
David Wright, 3B	5	1	2	4	0	1	1	.284
Carlos Beltran, CF	4	2	1	0	1	1	2	.267
Damion Easley, 2B	5	1	2	0	0	1	1	.289
Carlos Delgado, 1B	4	2	3	3	1	1	1	.254
Fernando Tatis, RF	4	1	3	3	1	1	0	.306
Brian Schneider, C	3	1	0	0	1	1	4	.250
a-Ramon A. Castro, PH-C	1	0	0	0	0	1	2	.282
Johan Santana, SP	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	.128
b-Nick Evans, PH-LF	4	1	1	0	0	1	4	.229
Marlon Anderson, PH-LF	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.200
Argenis Reyes, PH-2B	1	1	1	0	0	0	0	.316
Totals	41	10	14	10	4	11	19
a-Struck out looking for B Schneider in the 9th.
b-Singled for J Santana in the 5th.
BATTING
2B - F Tatis (6)
HR - D Wright (18); C Delgado (18); F Tatis (5)
RBI - D Wright 4 (74); C Delgado 3 (55); F Tatis 3 (22)

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Johan Santana	4.0	6	5	5	3	2	2	3.10
Carlos Muniz	1.1	2	0	0	0	2	0	4.41
Pedro Feliciano	0.2	1	0	0	0	1	0	2.80
Aaron Heilman	0.2	1	3	3	2	0	0	4.97
Scott Schoeneweis	0.1	1	0	0	0	1	0	2.63
Duaner Sanchez (W,4-1)	1.0	1	0	0	0	1	0	3.48
Billy Wagner (S,23)	1.0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2.25

Good Morning Mets (Mike Pelfrey) Fans! 9 is Fine!

What a display of pitching from our young ace in the making--8 innings of no-run baseball that can be described in one word: Dominating.

He has now won his last 6 starts in a row.

Every pitch was working, he was hitting 95-97 on the radar gun, and no one looked comfortable against him in the box. The Mets didn't field a ball in the air until the last out of the 6th inning....Pelfrey was that good.

He has taken the city by storm, and the Shea faithful rewarded him with ovation after ovation and chants of "Pel-Frey" as he finished the 8th inning before walking off to applause not seen around here since Dwight Gooden made Flushing his own personal cheering section.

There was absolute electricity (and a TON of noise) in the air at Shea, and Big Pelf responded to the moment by finishing in style. His curtain called was very well deserved...there seems to be a real mutual admiration society building between Big Mike and the Mets fans.

"I saw Lastings Milledge get a curtain call. It's something I always wanted to do. It was awesome. They started chanting, [Ramon] Castro looked at me, said 'Get out there.' I wasn't going to say no."

"He's been dominant against any team we play," the aforementioned Castro said of Pelfrey, who is 6-0 with a 2.56 ERA in this personal six-game winning streak.

"The few guys that made it to first [base] said this guy's absolutely nasty," Carlos Delgado said with a smile.

Over his last 9 starts (since his last loss) his stats are incredible: 6-0, 59.2 innings, 53 hits, 41 Ks, 21 BBs, 15 Earned Runs, 2.26 ERA, 1.239 WHIP, and, most importantly, the Mets are 8-1 over that span.

And he is getting better--let's look at his last three starts:

3-0, 22 IP, 14 H, 1 ER, 16 K, 2 BB, 0.41 ERA and a Cy Young-like 0.727 WHIP.

"I don't think I knew what to do, otherwise I would've taken advantage of it," Pelfrey said about the fans demand for a curtain call. "That felt awesome when they started chanting. I just looked around and needed one guy to say boom and I'm gone."

The Mets are now 51-44 and a half game back of the Phils in the NL East. It is only a matter of time before they put the competition in the rearview mirror and become the chased vice the chaser.

Carlos Beltran and Carlos Delgado combined for 900 feet of homeruns and 5 RBIs. Beltran's blast came in the first inning and the Mets never looked back. Delgado's blast was an absolute moon shot that had Jon Miller of ESPN positively delirious.

Jose Reyes, you know, the guy who is not an All-Star, drove in a run for the 5th consecutive game.

How good is Reyes in 2008? Well, he is the first player EVER to have more than 20 doubles, 10 triples, 10 homeruns and 30 stolen bases before the break.

Joe Smith, the other 24 year old pitcher on the team, closed out the 9th in fine fashion to continue the bullpen's scoreless streak, now at 19 2/3 innings on this homestand.

On the year Smith has a minuscule 1.070 WHIP. Moreover, MLB is batting .206 against him with a .294 OBP, .324 slg %, and a .618 OPS.

So here we are, at the break, with the Mets playing like the best team in baseball. They are 17-9 under "interim" manager Jerry Manuel, and all the signs for a great second half are there.

The schedule is favorable, Ryan Church is due back on Saturday, the team is playing loose and confident, and we are seeing our young players step up in a big way, while our older players are having the years we thought they'd have. Guys who we thought would be role players are pulling their weight and then some. A special kudos to Carlos Delgado for turning his season around and becoming the boomer in the middle we need, and to Damion Easley for being a solid professional who gives 110% on every play while coming up with key hit after key hit. Senor Titties? We love ya!

I could go on and on...Heilman, Castro, Schoeney, P2, Happy Endy, Johan, Schneider, Maine, etc....they are all doing their job and much more.

Mets Magic!

Enjoy your coffee my friends...you've earned it.

Scoreboard
Final	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Colorado (39-57)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	7	0
N.Y. Mets (51-44) «	3	1	0	1	2	0	0	0	x	7	11	0

Players of the Game

New York M. Pelfrey IP 8.0 H 6 ER 0 BB 0 K 5

New York C. Beltran AB 4 R 1 H 3 HR 1 RBI 3

New York Mets
Hitters	AB	R	H	RBI	BB	SO	LOB	AVG
Jose B. Reyes, SS	3	0	1	1	1	0	1	.302
Nick Evans, LF	3	1	2	1	0	0	0	.226
David Wright, 3B	3	1	0	0	1	0	4	.282
Carlos Beltran, CF	4	1	3	3	0	1	0	.268
Damion Easley, 2B	4	1	0	0	0	1	2	.286
Carlos Delgado, 1B	4	1	1	2	0	1	1	.248
Fernando Tatis, RF	4	1	1	0	0	0	0	.292
Ramon A. Castro, C	4	1	2	0	0	1	0	.286
Mike Pelfrey, SP	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	.125
Totals	30	7	11	7	2	4	8
BATTING
HR - C Beltran (15); C Delgado (17)
RBI - J Reyes (43); N Evans (3); C Beltran 3 (66); C Delgado 2 (52)
SF - N Evans (1)
S - M Pelfrey 2 (6)

New York Mets
Pitchers	IP	H	R	ER	BB	SO	HR	ERA
Mike Pelfrey (W,8-6)	8.0	6	0	0	0	5	0	3.64
Joe Smith	1.0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2.97