BY MATTHEW FALKENBURY
EDITOR

Stats in His Mets Career

900 Games, .287 BA, 71 HR, 369 RBI, 81 Triples, 329 Stolen Bases, 1096 Hits.

His Mets Moment

It really is something special to watch a player come through the minors, come to the Majors and become the superstar caliber player that he was supposted to be when the scouts talked about him.

Jose Reyes is the guy that makes a stadium rise with an extra step on his lead from first, for every triple he claps his hands and points and had a handshake for each player after they hit a home run. His smile, his laugh and his cannon for a right arm has given Mets fans the best shortstop the franchise has had since Buddy Harrelson.

Much like his partner on the left side of the infield, his greatest Met moment hopefull hasnt come yet. But in the 2006 National League Championship Series, with the Mets facing elimination at Shea Stadium in Game 6 and taking on Cardinals Ace Chris Carpenter he got the Mets off on the right foot and helped them survive for another day.

The Mets had John Maine, an inexperienced pitcher on the mound facing the 2005 NL Cy Young Award winner and ace Chris Carpenter and things were bleak after Tom Glavine was not able to beat Jeff Weaver in game 5 after the Mets tied the series behind Oliver Perez.

Maine loaded the bases in the top of the 1st with 2 outs, but got out of it when Scott Rolen flew out to Right Field and the Mets would send Jose Reyes to the plate looking to get something going and get the 56,000 fans at Shea Stadium going crazy as well.

On the 3rd pitch that Carpenter threw, Reyes hit a high drive to deep Right Center Field and got the Mets on the board with his first career Post-Season Home Run. The crowd went Wild and the Mets were in the lead and they never looked back.

Maine pitched into the 6th and the Cardinals never had the lead as the Mets forced Game 7 with a 4-2 victory. Reyes had once again sparked the Mets to a win with a first inning run and it couldnt have happened at a better time.

Jose Reyes and his future is always up for debate among Mets fans but as long as he is a Met, this moment could be and hopefully will be passed, but this was the moment that Mets fans can look back to and know this is when he announced his presence with authority.

And helped to lead the Mets to the lead early and to another Win, this time with their backs against the Wall.

Fast Facts

Was signed as a 16 yr old and was playing in Kingsport as a 17 yr old and batted .250 in 49 Games.

Hit his 1st home run against the Anaheim Angels and it was a Grand Slam.

Played 2nd base during the 2004 season after the Mets signed Kazuo Matsui.

On August 15th 2006, In a loss to the Phillies, Reyes hit 3 home runs at Citizens Bank Park.

Was the Cover Athlete for MLB 2K8.

The Mets All Time Leader in both Stolen Bases and Triples, passing Mookie Wilson each time.

Other Players of Note to Wear Number 7 as a Met
Ed Kranepool (1965-1979), Hubie Brooks (1981-1984, 1991), Kevin Mitchell (1986), Clint Hurdle (1987), Juan Samuel (1989), Todd Pratt (1998-2001)

At the end of the day, there is no question in my mind that Jose Reyes is the Greatest Met of All Time to wear Number 7.

Previous Best: #1 Mookie Wilson, #2 Bobby Valentine, #3 Bud Harrelson, #4 Lenny Dykstra, #5 David Wright, #6 Wally Backman

Coming Up Tomorrow, The Best Met Player Ever to wear Number Eight.

The Mets are going for the road sweep in Pittsburgh this afternoon. First pitch will be at 1:35 p.m. and delivered by Pirates lefty Zach Duke. The Mets own lefty Johan Santana will take the hill for New York. As usual, the Sunday afternoon tilt will be broadcast by both WPIX Channel 11 and WFAN.

By the way, Rod Barajas got picked up by the Dodgers. Huzzah. Jesus Feliciano is back in the majors as a result, and he’ll be playing for the Mets.

New York Mets Lineup
1. Jose Reyes, SS
2. Angel Pagan, LF
3. Carlos Beltran, CF
4. David Wright, 3B
5. Jeff Francoeur, RF
6. Ike Davis, 1B
7. Henry Blanco, C
8. Ruben Tejada, 2B
9. Johan Santana, P

Although Chris Carter was swinging the bat well, Jerry Manuel has removed him from the lineup in favor of Jeff Francoeur. Carter has not had the chance to hit vs. a lefty with the Mets, but with Buffalo, he was 10/27 against them… why not give the guy the opportunity (is Jerry is afraid to hurt Frenchy’s feelings)? Josh Thole is another lefty absent from the lineup, but it’s a day game after a night game, so that makes sense. We all love Hessman, but I’m glad Davis is getting the chance against Zach Duke.

Interesting Fact/Trend: Before last night, PNC park was one of two ballparks that David Wright had at least 30 ABs in and had not hit a home run. Of course, that did not count the All-Star Game. He’s got the monkey off his back anyway, and the only remaining 30 AB/no-homer park is Nationals Park.

Pittsburgh Pirates Lineup
1. Andrew McCutchen, CF
2. Jose Tabata, LF
3. Neil Walker, 2B
4. Garrett Jones, 1B
5. Pedro Alvarez, 3B
6. Lastings Milledge, RF
7. Ronny Cedeno, SS
8. Chris Snyder, C
9. Zach Duke, P

It’s the same lineup as last night, except our old friend Lastings Milledge replaces Ryan Doumit in right field.

Interesting Fact/Trend: All 12 of Andrew McCutchen’s home runs this year have been sad solo affairs in which he only gets to high five the on-deck batter. Moving him down in the lineup would make sense to manager John Russell… if he had another player on his roster fit to lead off.

On The Bump:

Zach Duke (5-12, 5.33 ERA) takes on Johan Santana (10-7, 2.97 ERA) in a match-up that should favor the Mets. We all know how that usually works out. Still, the Mets should feel good after winning two in a row on the road. Duke’s rough season is the result of a wicked 14.5% home run to fly ball ratio (compared to 10% last season when he had a 4.05 ERA) as well as a .345 BABIP. That HR/FB rate is even more alarming considering PNC Park’s pitcher-friendly nature. Look for David Wright to go deep again.

Meanwhile, Johan is having the second half we all hoped he’d have and he’s quieted talks of his accelerated decline. The strikeouts are back, with at least 6 in each of four August starts, including a couple of double digit dandies vs. Atlanta and Colorado. He’s also sporting a 1.64 career ERA at PNC Park. Yummy.

Daily Stache’s Keys to the Game:

1. Score early again – This should be the key to every game, but it is especially so now that Santana is on the hill and the Mets have been scoring early with relative frequency. They’ve scored first in the last six games. Jose Reyes might have something to do with that.

2. Get Reyes around – Jose Reyes doesn’t have everything to do with it. They say “as Reyes goes the Mets go” but since the All-Star break, Reyes was the Mets best hitter, and… they didn’t score much at all. That’s because everyone else stunk. Now that Wright has come around, the scoreboard is getting a workout thanks to Reyes actually crossing the plate.

3. Just keep pitching – The Mets might be able to establish a respectable winning streak if their great pitching keeps up during this brief offensive renaissance. The Mets 3.25 staff ERA since the break is third best in the majors behind Oakland and Atlanta.

BY SCOTT ILOWITE
STACHE WRITER

What is it about “You”-ston? Every single time the Mets take a trip to the “Juice Box”, I need 3 Grande Mocha Frappuccino’s  just to make it though these extra-inning marathons. We figured to get good starting pitching with R.A. Dickey and Brett Myers on the hill. 

Both pitchers were as advertised. Myers went 7 innings and gave up 2 runs, while Dickey lasted 8.1 innings, but was yanked after serving up the game tying solo homer in the bottom of the 9th to Geoff Blum. 

Unfortunately, in the 12th inning, David Wright led off with a howitzer into centerfield, but immediately slowed up and had apparently injured himself. He almost walked to 1st base.

When he reached 1st, he immediately turned around and walked back to the dugout.  After the game, Jerry Manuel told reporters that David was just not feeling well. He said that he had a queasy stomach and felt a little light headed.

Bobby Parnell came in for the 11th and 12th innings and threw the best 2 innings of his career. 

He hit 100mph. Then 101mph. Then 102mph on the radar gun. He threw straight gas. It was really impressive. The Mets haven’t really had a flame throwing reliever other than Armando Benitez or Billy Wagner in recent memory. So it was nice to see that. Even Keith Hernandez had to sit back and let some compliments fly .

Twice, Ike Davis came up with the bases loaded in extra innings. The first time (in the 10th) he grounded into a fielders choice, but on a hanging breaking ball from Gustavo Chacin in the 14th inning, he hit it deep enough to right field for Jose Reyes to shake the dust off. Reyes scored to give the Mets a 3-2 lead. 

Manny Acosta came in to try to nail down his 4th career save, and looked great.  He got 3 easy ground ball outs to lock it down.  I wish I could make it sound more exciting, but Carlos Lee, Chris Johnson and Geoff Blum looked like they just wanted to go home.

Turning Point: When Jose Reyes stole 3rd base in the bottom of the 14th inning. That put pressure on Chacin, the Houston pitcher who walked Hessman (who came in for Wright) and then Brad Mills had Chacin load the bases with a INT Walk to Carlos Beltran. Ike followed with his sac fly to give the Mets the lead for good. 

Game Ball: I’m going to cut it in half. One half goes to Jose Reyes for getting on base 5 times tonight and single handedly creating the game winning run. Reyes was on base all night. He went 4 for 6 with a triple, a walk and stole 3rd base twice. And as usual, he just collected dust out there on the bases. The other half goes to Bobby Parnell. The kid just flat out brought it tonight. 2 innings of work with 3k’s and he topped 100mph at least 8 times in the 2 innings. Psssssst! Jerry! Here’s your closer!!!

Next Game: Tomorrow night Pat Misch gets his second start of the season for the Mets and faces off againt Bud Norris.  First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 EST

I wonder if those anti-smoking ads they play during Mets game — the ones with the clogged aorta — are meant to make Mets losses look better by comparison. Maybe they’re just there to remind us to change the channel during commercial breaks. I have no idea.

The Mets lost 4-3 tonight behind another good second half start by Johan Santana. If not for Hunter Pence, Santana might have had another shutout going. And if not for Francisco Rodriguez, the Mets would be less of a joke. Unfortunately, Rodriguez is here to embarass the Mets and Pence is there to ruin Santana’s evening.

In the first inning, after Fernando Martinez gave the Mets a 1-0 lead with a single up the middle, Santana allowed the first two Houston batters to reach base. Pence was the third Astro up, and he hit crushed a hanging change-up over the left field wall for a 3-1 lead.

Though it would be fitting, Nelson Figueroa could not hold the Mets down in this game. The Amazins would strike right back in the 2nd inning when Santana feigned a bunt attempt with a runner on first and one out. Instead, Santana chopped a hard ground ball past the drawn-in third baseman. The risky play set the table for a very mildly exciting Jose Reyes RBI ground out.

Figueroa exited after five, but the stubborn Mets would not allow him to achieve victory. David Wright struck with a solo shot deep into left field to start the top of the 8th and even the score. Wright had been going through a prolonged RBI slump, and it was nice to see him break out of it when the Mets were not losing 10-0.

In the bottom of the 8th, Pence regained the lead for Houston with his own solo home run. The blast doomed the Mets to another road loss and sent them below .500 once again.

Turning Point: Obviously, it was Pence’s second home run that changed the game for the worse. Going into the bottom of the 8th, the Mets had all the momentum. Wright had just tied the game and Santana was still on the mound. So much for that.

Game Ball: Santana gets it because he probably goes all the way if the Mets could score more against Figueroa and friends. Reyes had a decent game, but did nothing outstanding. It was just another mediocre game all around for everyone. Jeff Sullivan from M’s blog Lookout Landing shares my thoughts when I say sometimes baseball just isn’t a lot of fun.

Next Game: R.A. Dickey gets another crack at a no-hitter after coming a Cole Hamels 6th inning single from the first one in Mets History start against Houston’s Bud Norris tomorrow night at 8:05 EST.

Let’s go Mets.

He's back

Just when it looked like the Mets would finally put their dream lineup together, it appears that Jose Reyes is still not comfortable swinging left-handed and will sit out the Mets opener vs the Giants and righty Tim Lincecum. The good news is that not only is Carlos Beltran finally returning, but swingaholics Francoeur and Barajas will be joining Reyes on the bench, allowing New York to still field a strong lineup.

Pagan will lead off and play right field, then Cora at second, then Wright, Beltran, Davis, Bay, Thole, Tejada and R.A. Dickey.

Of course, no one really knows how ready Carlos Beltran is to play tonight, which is his first major league game in over a year. His stats from rehab look pretty solid, and he’s been playing full games in center field, but Beltran hasn’t hit a home run or stolen a base yet in 14 games. I’m confident, however, that that fact will only make Beltran’s first home run first stolen base of the year so much more exciting.

Against the Mets stand the San Francisco Giants, a fellow wild card contender. Although they’ve been anchored by pitching all year (3.50 ERA is 3rd in the majors), surprisingly awesome seasons from Aubrey Huff and Andres Torres as well as the recent contributions from phenom Buster Posey have made their offense more formidable than preseason projections thought. Now if only Pablo Sandoval would produce like he’s supposed to.

Tonight, it’s AAA knuckleballer R.A. Dickey vs. Cy Young winner Tim Lincecum. Let’s go Mets.

Will this current core be the future core? (PHOTO BY ICON/SMI)

In the last part of the series on leadership in the New York Mets club house, we will look at several player options. Those options include Carlos Beltran, Jason Bay, Jeff Francoeur, Rod Barajas, Ike Davis and Jose Reyes. We have reviewed Johan Santana, David Wright and Francisco Rodriguez.

Now, moving on, let’s further examine the rest of that list, starting with Carlos Beltran. Beltran was brought in to be the playoff-tested veteran. He was supposed to bring experience and leadership to a young core to push them over the top. He has brought the experience, but he never has brought that leadership the team sought.

Too often, his mouth has written checks that his abilities couldn’t cash. That has gotten his reputation into poor standing in both the league and the club house. Then, his health became an overwhelming issue. It still is. A leader, as previously stated, must be both on the field and produce.

He has not been both at the same time for a few years. The franchise is still desperately holding on to hope that he will magically heal and become the leader they envisioned him to be. He is only getting older and slower. It most likely will not happen.

Another player recently brought in for such a role, was Jason Bay. Bay is far too quiet for this role and far too new to the team and city to take on such a position. He is still relearning the National League and his own ballpark.

He has yet to truly produce in New York and so he had his own struggles to be concerned with before he can convince anyone that he can help them with their struggles. Even if he didn’t have these productivity issues, he is not the fiery type that is needed to be the unquestioned leader.

The next one is fiery however. Jeff Francoeur is the epitome of fire and passion. He is the man a teammate wants in the trenches along side of them. But he is also, too emotional and too passionate to be the sole leader.

He can help be an enforcer, but not the main leader. He as the emotion and the mouth to be a leader, but he often loses his grip on that emotion. A leader must have control of himself before he can take control of a team.

Rod Barajas has been well underrated and unnoticed in the offseason hoopla that surrounded the Mets’ need for a catcher. In the talk of the team signing every available player over 35 to fit the mold and the pursuit of Benjie Molina, Barajas was lost in the shuffle. He was signed as a last desperation move.

It was a stroke of luck on the part of Mets GM Omar Minaya. Skill had nothing to do with this acquisition. Minaya was simply desperate after he was embarrassed that Molina shunned him publicly by taking a hometown discount in San Francisco.

This lucky move has paid dividends already for the Mets. Barajas has had multiple big hits and moments of productivity. He has performed well above expectation, but while he is the present, he is not the future. That distinction goes to Josh Thole.

Thole is widely regarded as the next great hitting catcher and is expected to take that role for many years to come. Barajas, though productive, is just a bridge to the future. Therefore, he can not be a long-term leader. Thole will need a few years to grow into the role, if he develops the brashness and the production, he could fit the bill. Time will tell, but for now he needs seasoning.

We continue, to Ike Davis. Davis has been the young gun. The player that everyone adores. He is the real deal. So much in fact, that he pushed the opening day first baseman to the bench or the minors. The first baseman I speak of is last year’s golden boy, Daniel Murphy.

Davis is so good, that Murphy conceded and admitted that Davis belongs as the starter. Davis has shown the heart and hustle as the newest face of the franchise and has captured the collective hearts of the fans.

The problem with Davis, however, is that he lacks the experience to be the leader at this time. He may be able to in the future, but for now, he must show that he can respond to the adjustments that the rest of the league will inevitably make against him. He is a welcomed addition to both the lineup and the club house, but as of now, not a leader.

Finally, we come to Jose Reyes. Reyes is a very important component to the Mets franchise. I have him last on this list for a purpose. He is one of the first names that come to mind when thinking of a leader for the team, however, he is the greatest example of the biggest problem with this team. Identity.

Leadership is only forged after identity is established. When a player has an identity, they have confidence and confidence brings leadership. Reyes has had a headline filled off season that continued into the first few weeks of the regular season as well. He has yet to truly find his role on the team.

Is he a leadoff hitter or a number three hitter? This is an important question to ask. Essentially it is a question of whether or not he is the table setter or the meat of the lineup? Is he better to the team at starting rallies or continuing them?

We all know what Reyes is capable of doing on the field. The problem is that Mets manager Jerry Manuel knows this too and is still undecided on how to properly utilize him after almost a year of having him as a weapon at his disposal.

That indecision has hurt Reyes and his production. Therefore, it has hurt his role on the team. If a player is not only undecided on his role to the team, but is uncomfortable as well, it is impossible to expect him to lead. How can he lead with so many other issues? Reyes cannot lead until he is settled and comfortable with one role, whatever that role may be.

So, therefore, he can’t be the leader because Manuel is holding him back from being it. He certainly has the ego, the energy experience and the mouth to be the leader. But until he is assigned a role and is allowed to stay in it to allow himself to get comfortable, he cannot be a leader. He will just be a follower.

Here lies the essential problem with the Mets. They have too many potential chiefs but no one capable or willing to stand out to lead the tribe. All of them are followers that aspire to lead to an extent. That’s not leadership, that’s called aspirations.

No team has ever won based on aspirations. Teams need bonafied leaders in the trenches with them. Then the rest will follow suit and fall in line. That is what history has proven. Going back to my very first example of leadership, George Washington.

Washington, like so many others, took control of the confused and directionless troops around him. Only when there was unity and true leadership on the field of battle, did victory emerge as a byproduct.

It was only under true leadership that this group of colonies prospered into a nation. It will only be due to unity from true leadership that this slightly above average team of followers that we call the New York Mets will prosper into a contender and a champion.

When the Mets were down, Barajas lifted them back up

BY AARON YORKE
STACHE WRITER

Rod Barajas is a weird guy. On one hand he is an unapologetic free-swinger who makes Francoeur look patient and who looked absolutely terrible striking out on three pitches in his first at-bat. On the other hand, he is a constant home run threat and a great secret weapon to have at the bottom of the lineup. Just when pitchers think they can relax and lay a strike in there, Barajas is there to hit it out of the park.

That’s just what happened when Fransisco Cordero tried to make Barajas the third out of the 9th inning tonight. The hefty backstop’s big fly put the Mets up 5-4 and on their way to a victory of the same score.

In the post-game press conference Jerry Manuel said something interesting (for a change). He noted that even though Maine struggled to reach 90 MPH on the radar gun again, the Cincinnati sluggers were constantly behind on his heater. I’m not sure what to make of this. It’s not like Maine’s breaking stuff is so good that its enough to make his fastball seem quicker. Maybe his heater had a little more movement on it tonight.

I know he struck out at least one batter with a beautiful fastball that ran up and away from a lefty, fooling him into swinging. No matter what his secret is, John Maine turned in a very nice start with six Ks and two walks in six innings pitched. He gave up a couple of runs: one on a Brandon Phillips homer in the first and one when Francoeur bounced a throw past both Wright and Maine when trying to catch Jay Bruce going from first to third on a Ryan Hanigan single.

On the mound for the Reds to start the game was Bronson Arroyo, a righty who has owned the Mets since transferring to the National League. Arroyo’s golden locks and strange leg kick were no match for Mets magic in the first inning, as the Amazins opened the game with three straight singles to take a quick 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, after Reyes hit the third single, Wright followed a Bay groundout with an ill-timed (aren’t they all?) GIDP to deny the Mets a crooked number.

The fourth inning would grant Wright redemption as he blasted an 0-1 changeup all the way into the left field’s upper deck to knot the game at 2-2. If Wright’s home runs in Philadelphia meekly suggested that his power outage last year was an aberration, tonight’s bomb announced Wright’s return with authority. It was quite a sight to behold.

With Maine holding the Reds to just two runs, the Mets were able to take the lead in the 6th. Luis Castillo started things with a lead-off walk and Reyes followed with yet another big hit; a double down the right field line that put runners on second and third. A Jason Bay sac fly and a Francoeur two-out single gave the Mets a 4-2 advantage. Like an unfortunate amount of Mets leads, however, this one was not meant to last.

Fernando Nieve got the first two outs in the 8th inning, but then allowed Joey Votto and Scott Rolen to homer consecutively to stunningly tie the game at four. Like Nix’s dramatic home run the night before, Rolen’s just barely snuck over the wall. I’m guessing it was still enough to damage the confidence Nieve had built up over his past few outings.

Since there is no one really good enough to be designated the permanent set-up man, I suppose Jerry will use his gut and instinct to determine who gets the 8th from here on out. As dubious as that sounds, it’s as good a method as any at this point.

Enough of the gloom! You know how this one ended. Barajas went super deep and the Metsies won. Frankie closed the door 1-2-3 in the 9th and the losing streak is over. The Mets will try to build on this at 12:35 pm tomorrow afternoon. Jon Niese will take to the hill against Cincy’s Johnny Cueto. Both guys were born in 1986. Let’s go Mets.

Laynce Nix just barely got it outta there

It’s frustrating being a Mets fan. OK you already knew that, but tonight was just another good example. Here we are in year five of Oliver Perez, and some of us are still holding out hope that he can become a dependable major league pitcher. Meanwhile, good ole Mike Leake comes along, fresh out of Arizona State and already looks like mid-rotation material. Maybe finding a fourth dependable starter isn’t supposed to be this tough. Maybe it would be easier if Oliver Perez wasn’t going home and swimming around in cash Scrooge McDuck style every night.

To be fair, Oliver Perez wasn’t that bad tonight. In fact, he was pretty good. It was pleasant to see him settle down after giving up a lead-off home run to Drew Stubbs. He may not have allowed another run had Joey Votto’s 5th inning ground ball found its way into Jose Reyes’ glove. It was a ball it looked like Reyes should have gotten to, but it slipped right under him for an RBI single that gave Cincinnati a 2-1 lead. Of course Perez should never have been in position to give up the run, but he walked Leake earlier in the inning to give Cincy a chance.

That’s what drives me crazy about Oliver: Even in his “good” starts, he walks too many opponents and gives them a chance to win. Tonight was particularly bizarre because every time Oliver struck out a batter, he seemed to walk one soon after as though trying to make up for his success. We’ll see if he can build off of this start, but I’m really tired of playing this good Ollie/bad Ollie game. If only Tobi Stoner didn’t stink.

There’s always a little hope to be found in every loss, and tonight was no exception. Jose Reyes ripped a couple of line drives tonight. His two-out RBI double in the 6th was particularly satisfying. Jenrry Mejia’s fastball has so much movement that it often looks like a super-charged slider. Fernando Nieve pitched two very strong innings before giving way to Pedro Feliciano and Manny Acosta.

Despite all that, a loss is still a loss no matter how few inches Laynce Nix’s 11th inning home run cleared the right field wall by. The Mets will get up and try again tomorrow night against the Reds. John Maine will try to pitch well for the second time in a row, but on the other side is Met killer Bronson Arroyo. This one could get ugly. Let’s go Mets.

Takahashi came to the rescue yet again

BY AARON YORKE
STACHE WRITER

The Mets employed Zombieland’s rule #2 today versus Los Angeles. Johan Santana and the ensemble shut down the Dodgers in the afternoon with a 4-0 shutout, and then the orange and blue crew finished the job at night with a 10-5 thumping. That means it’s now six in a row for the Mets. It’s safe to say things have been going swimmingly for the past week.

In the opener, Johan Santana continued the theme of awesome Mets pitching by getting out of an early jam and then continuing to have another really good outing. Super Johan didn’t make things look exceedingly easy, but as we learned from Big Pelf on Sunday, not all shutouts are pretty. Johan struggled through six innings, throwing 115 pitches in the process. All three of his walks came in the second inning, but he got out of it by striking out his counterpart Hiroki Kuroda with the bases loaded. In the third, Reed Johnson blasted a triple to center with only one out, but Johan escaped trouble again with an Andre Ethier line out and a Matt Kemp ground out.

The Mets loaded the bases for themselves in their half of the second, but only got one run when David Wright came home on a wild pitch. In the fourth, Jason Bay crushed a Kuroda offering over the big wall in left for his first dinger of the season. The Mets got some insurance runs when Jon Link of Zelda fame relieved Kuroda in the 7th and allowed the Mets to load the bases. Ramon Troncoso was brought in to try to keep things close, but Luis Castillo greeted him with a ground ball single through a drawn-in infield to score a couple and wrap things up.

That was pretty much it for the early game. It was a pleasantly boring affair for the Mets. They got one hit each from eight different players. Fernando Nieve pitched the 7th and 8th innings and was pretty decent. Pedro Feliciano finished off LA in the 9th, which was a good move, because the Mets might have needed Franky Rodriguez in the nightcap.

Don’t worry, they didn’t.

The Mets really opened up on the Dodgers in the late game. It started in the bottom of the first as Jose Reyes greeted Dodgers knuckleballer Charlie Haeger by singling to drive in Angel Pagan from second base. Jason Bay followed with his third triple of the year and was later plated by an Ike Davis sac fly. The 3-0 lead was safe for a while, but then Oliver Perez suffered a complete meltdown in the top of the 4th. As it always does, the trouble started when Oliver Perez walked Andre Ethier to lead off the inning. Then Matt Kemp singled, and the runners advanced to 2nd and 3rd on a wild pitch. When the dust finally cleared Ollie had walked Haeger on four pitches to load the bases in a 3-2 game.

The game started to turn back in the Mets favor when Hisanori Takahashi was brought in to mercifully end Ollie’s reign of terror. Although Takahashi started his own outing by walking Reed Johnson to tie the game, he didn’t do anything wrong for the rest of the night. After striking out James Loney to end the fourth, Takahashi pitched three more innings with five Ks and two hits allowed. In the 7th the Dodgers scored off of Takahashi on a “single” that absolutely positively should have been scooped up by Luis Castillo at second, but because he’s old, the ball got through him. I’d be more upset if the game wasn’t effectively over at that point.

While the beast from the East was busy bewildering the Dodgers with his change-ups and curveballs, the rest of the Mets began to bludger the LA bullpen. After Haeger walked Pagan and Castillo to start the 5th, Joe Torre had had enough and lifted him for Troncoso, who succeeded in retiring Reyes and Bay. That brought Wright to the plate with two outs in a tie game and runners on 1st and 3rd. Our beleaguered hero came through with a clutch single to give the Mets a 4-3 lead, but my favorite part of the game was when Ike Davis followed with a beautifully stroked double into the left-center field gap. It’s still to early to tell, but that was a “wow, this kid can REALLY hit” moment. It was really exciting to watch.

Davis’ double gave the Mets a 6-3 lead, but they weren’t finished. The rally continued in the 6th, when Blanco, Pagan and Castillo loaded the bases on Troncoso before Torre relieved him with lefty George Sherrill. With one run already in, Wright came up again with two outs. This time the bases were loaded, and Wright responded by ripping a line drive into the opposite field gap to score all three runners. The monkey now off his back, Wright had no problem motoring around to third for a triple.

Wow what a night. David Wright eased some of the doubters with three hits and four RBI. Ike Davis had a huge three-RBI double. Pagan and Castillo each walked twice. Pagan and Reyes each scored three runs. Takahashi rescued another Mets starter. How long until he replaces Maine or Perez in the rotation?

By the way, the Phillies just fell to San Franscisco. That means the Mets are in first place. Hooray. They’ll try to keep it that way in a matinee tomorrow at 1:10 EST versus the Dodgers again. John Maine will try to be effective against rookie John Ely, who came from the White Sox in the Juan Pierre trade. Ely will be making his first major league start. You know what that means. Let’s go Mets.

Is Johan pitching in a must win game

FRANK GRAY
STACHE WRITER

The first week of official major league baseball action is almost over. In this first week, there have been a few pitchers flirting with no hitters. There have been a few hitters with multiple home run games. There has even been an incident of a home team creating controversy with promoting ticket sales for fans of a rival.

In this week, locally, the New York Mets have had a lackluster week at best. A roller coaster of extremes to be sure. They lost two games to the division rival Florida Marlins. But are in position to take their first series of the season against the Nationals. In the words of Meatloaf ‘two out of three ain’t bad’. That’s what the Mets are hoping for after a week of uninspiring baseball.

Opening day was a splendid experience, as I’m sure the fans who crossed the gates on Monday would attest to. The combination of staff ace Johan Santana and capitalizing on mistakes, led to an exciting win. The night opener was an entirely different story. John Maine was horrific. His ineffectiveness was the catalyst to an embarrassing loss.

By the third game, the fan base was beginning to feel slightly uneasy. A gutsy performance by Jonathan Niese was ruined by missed opportunities, cold bats and extra innings. Another loss, but the fan base was hopeful. His performance revealed that he could pitch well at the major league level. That was the biggest question going into the game for some.

By game four, the fans were starting to feel the moans of seasons past, as word was spreading of a potential injury to Luis Castillo. The revelation sparked debate after debate of whether to keep youngster Rueben Tejada with the club, or cut Frank Catalanotto. Even questions arose whether to demote Fernando Tatis to the minors.

Mike Pelfrey answered some of the questions surrounding him. He had a solid performance and took advantage of an explosion of power by Jeff Francoeur and Rod Barajas who combined for four home runs, a pair each, to earn the win. The fifth game was a lot closer than the score would indicate, as Oliver Perez once again struggled to find the strike zone.

A late game rally was thwarted with good defense by the Nationals and poor clutch hitting abilities by the Mets. The return of Jose Reyes from injuries after nearly a year’s absence and a much heralded off season was uneventful. The record after five games now stands at 2-3. Hardly impressive to say the least, however it is still a hopeful position to be in.

They are a game under the benchmark of .500 and have shown inconsistencies in every facet of the team at different points of the week. The team has shown some fight and some grit, but some lack of focus and some lack of fundamentals. The fans are also showing some lack of patience already. I must admit, I have been one of those fans this week. But with cooler heads now prevailing, I am able to properly evaluate the situation and report damage control.

There are several pieces of good news. First, staff ace Johan Santana pitches tomorrow. Second, there is no rain, so far, in the forecast. Finally, they are playing the Nationals. This is a team that is already weaker than most in the league, who during Saturday’s game had to replace their captain, Ryan Zimmerman, at third base due to a slight twinge he felt in his hamstring, according to WFAN’s game broadcast.

This all adds up to a win. If Johan can be as sharp or even better than he was on opening day, they may even flirt with a no hitter. Then, I think the fans would forgive the entire results of the season, should those results be a poor showing. Either way, a win on Sunday would accomplish two things.

One, it would bring them back to an even record and avoid an early hole in the standings. I realize that it is far too soon to discuss standings, however, when the injured Beltran and Murphy come back to help, how far down will they be? Standings must be at least mentioned because, contrary to popular belief, you can lose divisions and playoff spots in April just as much as you can in August and September.

Every game is important. Particularly those against divisional opponents. A record with 7 to 10 games down by the end of April, could lead to a deeper hole than they are capable of climbing out of immediately. The earlier the hole, the more time they will have to dig out of it, but they would have to play at an even higher level to make up the ground they’ve lost. Even in April and May. If the start is bad enough, they may be sellers in July’s trade deadline.

Second, a win on Sunday, could build confidence as they prepare to go out on the road. The team will be embarking on a six game road trip that will take them to both Colorado’s era inflating Coor’s Field and the devastating offense of the Cardinals in St. Louis. Both teams are an enormous challenge, in a young season, for a team who’s pitching rotation has so many questions. Especially with the ace, Johan Santana, projected to pitch only one of those road games.

They will have a travel day on Monday, which will be a little amount of time to rest up and prepare for the grind that is to come. On Tuesday, the team will have to have the type of confidence they need to succeed in their division and in the National League. They can possess such confidence and develop that needed swagger with a win.

It can be a second start. It all starts with Johan. A .500 record in week one will be better than several teams have and a decent start to a season that has already started with such turbulence. Buckle up Mets fans, it’s been a bumpy week.