Is there any doubt that Johan Santana is worth every penny? Last night, against the Mets main rival, Santana dominated the hard hitting Phillies en route to his second win of the year.
His amazing effort included 10 strikeouts and catapulted the Mets back to the top of the NL East. In his 4 starts as a Met, the lefthander has only walked 4 batters in 27 2/3 innings, while striking out 28. His WHIP is a stellar .867--this means he is allowing less than 8 baserunners per 9 innings pitched.
His ERA is a solid 3.25, but it could be, and should be, better. Part of that can be attributed to the bullpen. Aaron Heilman, who continues to struggle, allowed two inherited runners to score on a homerun by Philly pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs.
Still Santana is soaring. His athleticism, desire, focus, and control gives the Mets something they haven't had in a while--a #1 no-kidding, opponent fearing, stopper. Seaver, Gooden, Santana...it's a short list.
| Last 4 Games (Season Game Log) | Season to Date | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | Opponent | Score | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | K | W | L | SV | IP | ERA | ||||||
| Apr 18 | @ PHI | W 6-4 | W | 7.0 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 27.2 | 3.25 | ||||||
| Apr 12 | MIL | L 3-5 | L | 6.2 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 20.2 | 3.05 | ||||||
| Apr 6 | @ ATL | L 1-3 | L | 7.0 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 14.0 | 1.93 | ||||||
| Mar 31 | @ FLA | W 7-2 | W | 7.0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 7.0 | 2.57 | ||||||
| Total | 27.2 | 20 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 28 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3.25 | |||||||||
| Pitching | ||||||||||||||||||
| Last 3 years | G | GS | W | L | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | K | ERA | WHIP | BAA | ||||
| 2006 | 34 | 34 | 19 | 6 | 233.2 | 186 | 79 | 72 | 24 | 47 | 245 | 2.77 | 1.00 | .216 | ||||
| 2007 | 33 | 33 | 15 | 13 | 219.0 | 183 | 88 | 81 | 33 | 52 | 235 | 3.33 | 1.07 | .225 | ||||
| 2008 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 27.2 | 20 | 11 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 28 | 3.25 | 0.87 | .196 | ||||
| Career | 255 | 179 | 95 | 46 | 1336.1 | 1088 | 511 | 478 | 149 | 368 | 1409 | 3.22 | 1.09 | .220 | ||||
Billy Wagner continued his perfect season last night with his 3rd save of the year in a ballpark that has been less than friendly to the Mets outspoken closer. Perhaps the most encouraging signs about Wagner this year is his efficiency. He is getting it done with a minimum of pitches, throwing only 69 pitches in his 6 appearances in 2008, 49 for strikes.
| Last 6 Games (Season Game Log) | Season to Date | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Date | Opponent | Score | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | K | W | L | SV | IP | ERA | ||||||
| Apr 18 | @ PHI | W 6-4 | SV | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6.0 | 0.00 | ||||||
| Apr 17 | WAS | W 3-2 | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5.0 | 0.00 | ||||||
| Apr 16 | WAS | W 5-2 | SV | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4.0 | 0.00 | ||||||
| Apr 11 | MIL | W 4-2 | SV | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3.0 | 0.00 | ||||||
| Apr 10 | PHI | W 4-3 | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2.0 | 0.00 | ||||||
| Apr 2 | @ FLA | W 13-0 | - | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.0 | 0.00 | ||||||
| Total | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0.00 | |||||||||
In a game where several key players came up big, David Wright was the undisputed offensive star, stroking 4 hits and drawing a walk to reach base safely in all 5 plate appearances. Wright seemed totally locked in on Philies ace Cole Hamels, and seemed to frustrate the lanky lefty with each at bat. DW is now leading the NL in RBIs with 17 and is well on his way to a monster season.
I keep wondering what Wright's true ceiling is, and judging by the way he has looked out of the gate this year, he still has a ways to climb....500 HRs? 600 HRs? 3,500 hits? He is 25 years old and has 149 doubles, averaging over 40 a season.
To put that in perspective the major league record for doubles is held by Tris Speaker with 792. If DW can average 42 doubles a year for the next 15 years he will own the record. Possible? Yes. Probable? Who knows. It just goes to illustrate the point of how good a player the Mets have here.
All-time Top 10 in Doubles:
| Rank | Player (age) | Doubles | Bats |
| 1. | Tris Speaker+* | 792 | L |
| 2. | Pete Rose# | 746 | B |
| 3. | Stan Musial+* | 725 | L |
| 4. | Ty Cobb+* | 724 | L |
| 5. | Craig Biggio (42) | 668 | R |
| 6. | George Brett+* | 665 | L |
| 7. | Nap Lajoie+ | 657 | R |
| 8. | Carl Yastrzemski+* | 646 | L |
| 9. | Honus Wagner+ | 640 | R |
| 10. | Hank Aaron+ | 624 | R |
How about Ryan Church in the 2 hole! 3 more runs scored last night, 2 more hits, another walk. Memo to Willie: You HAVE your #2 hitter (and his name doesn't rhyme with Bastillo).
Jose Reyes gave us all a scare last night when his head collided violently with Eric Bruntlett's knee. Reyes, who appeared dazed and confused for several minutes, gamely stayed in the contest and scored one pitch later on David Wright's triple.Jose Reyes = Gamer.
OK Mets fans, enjoy your coffee! Ollie against Moyer today in what should be a great one.
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