Maine Outduels Prior, 1-0

No, not a new bizarre Mets torture ritual rather a celebration following Jose Valentin's two-out 10th inning game-winning RBI single off Chicago Cubs pitcher Glendon Rusch to give the Mets a 1-0 victory.

So, here were the Mets sitting on a three game losing streak like an ostrich egg, the irredeemable Cubbies having humiliated them twice in a row and Mark Prior throwing a no-hitter through 5 2/3 innings - who comes to the rescue?

You might argue it was John Maine. The same John Maine who may have magically pitched his way out of the starting rotation with the return of Pedro Martinez. Willie would not guarantee Maine a start on the upcoming road trip.

""We'll see," Willie said with cryptic glee, "He needs to solidify a spot."

Hmmm. Solidify? He pitched a shutout against Houston Friday, allowing just four hits and needing only 98 pitches. Yesterday, he threw 118 pitches, allowed three soft singles struck out seven and allowed a mere three hits. Looks pretty bloody solidified to me.

Although he might look like a hair consultant and might have pitched only one inning outside of Shea, according to reliable sources, surely his performance has been more impressive than that of Mike Pelfrey over the last month.

But wait, all of this is irrelevant anyway. They'll all be shuffling out to the bullpen once the Mets acquire The D Train. According to CNN's John Heyman, who never seems happy with the Mets, the MUST trade for Dontrelle.

And if Heyman were Omar Minaya, according to Heyman, he'd make this suggestion: offer Lastings Milledge, Aaron Heilman and Phil Humber to the Marlins for Dontrelle Willis.

(Personally, I think this hysteria about needing a third starter, a superstar, a name, an anybody who isn't nobody, is rubbish. Look at the Astros last year. They had three starters and look where it got them. Would the jackals stop howling if we had Petitte (of last year, not this year), Clemens (of last year, not this year) and Roy Oswalt (ditto)? Sure they would and then they'd whinge about how we need insurance against Lo Duca's certain late season swoon as his body breaks down, inch by inch, how we need a superstar second baseman like second baseman cum left fielding superstar bat Alfonso Soriano, etc. etc.)


No, David Wright is not trying to squeeze a few more shutout innings out of John Maine's head rather appears to be attempting to congratulate him after seven shutout innings of work...

And if you think this tough love for Maine was limited to David Wright, listen to what Manager Willie said of his sixth inning mound visit to Maine:

"I just got in his face and challenged him to finish up strong," Randolph said. "I gave him a little kick and he responded well."

Sweeter still perhaps was that Valentin's game-winning hit came off of former Met Glendon Rusch, he who was 19-24 with the Mets. That's the guy we traded the irrepressable Dan Murray for. That's the guy traded to the Brewers with Alex Ochoa and Lenny Harris to get Jeromy Burnitz, Jeff D'Amico, Mark Sweeney and Lou Collier. How strange the spinning wheel of GM wheelings and dealings especially in the light of the deadline coming up.

What we have in hand is the end of the losing streak, the beginning of a winning streak and the Atlanta Braves looming on the immediate horizan like the Death Star:



The Jones Boys, a rejuvinated Edgar Renteria, Adam LaRoche, hitting .419 since the All Star break, Francouer, Tim Hudson (thankfully, Smoltz pitched last night,) and oh so much history to make up for.

Fox's Dayn Perry thinks the The Mets should rest their starters.

"They're on pace for 97 wins this season, they hold the largest division lead in all of baseball (11-and-a-half games ahead of the second-place Braves), and the folks at Baseball Prospectus give them a 99.1 percent chance of making the playoffs. If common sense carried the day, the Mets would use these comfortable straits to concentrate on doling out rest and otherwise getting — and staying — healthy over the final two months of the season."

Tell that to the Braves.