Paranormal Mets Continue Hot Streak

Interesting observation from one of the Fox announcers during the Mets' 9-6 reduction of the Giants.

The biggest competition in the NL East is going to be themselves.


Carlos shows he's now happy to get his trousers dirty, even when he doesn't need to slide, like in the 9th inning yesterday.

And when you watch them play like they've played so far in San Francisco you realise that when they ARE playing to their potential offensively, when the top of the order is getting on base as you would expect, creating terror and excitement on the base paths, and the middle of the order is hitting with those men on base as they should, this is in essence, an offensive juggernaut.


Beltran, Sheffield and Wright combined for 9 hits, 6 runs and 6 RBIs all by themselves.

When you see Santana bunting runners forward in the 5th, even with a 3-run lead, you see what is different about these new Mets - they keep applying the pressure over and over and over again. And that is the primary reason they are winning as they are: aggression.

The Mets had scored 11 runs for Santana whilst he was in the game, over his first 7 starts. Yesterday they had 7 by the 5th inning alone.


No pitcher's duel on Saturday

Perhaps the biggest story yesterday was the three runs the Mets tagged Randy Johnson for in the first inning. Not that they scored the runs off Johnson necessarily (although that was impressive) but that they SCORED runs and scored them early in support of Johan Santana, something they haven't done all season.

And when they Mets played their usual wretched defence in support of Santana to help him give up three runs and let the Giants back in the game did the Mets hang their heads or yell at Santana for not throwing a complete game shut out? No, they just put their heads down and scored more runs for him.

In San Francisco, the Mets are baseball gods.

How smart does Omar look now (despite the battering he's taken during the slow start) for signing Gary Sheffield. Remember what a head-scratcher that was? And whilst Omar wouldn't have known that The Magical Murph would field left field like a circus clown and he wouldn't have known the Carlos Delgado was going to end up with major hip problems, Sheffield's presence in the batting order is massive right now.

Come to think of it, like Sheffield, the guy who is banging away as he has replaced Delgado, Fernando Tatis was another old gem re-polished by Omar and brought from obscurity to excel.

Bottom line, the Mets have been fun, fun, fun to watch lately.


Not even Castillo can cool himself off - the Mets have stolen 13 bases in 3 games.

Remember Jerry Manuel's little game in Spring Training, contemplating using Luis Castillo as the lead off hitter in lieu of Jose Reyes? In Castillo, who magically no longer moves like a pensioner and may well be a co-contestant with Sheffield for NL Comeback Player of the Year, the Mets no only have a competent lead off hitter to replace the "injured" Reyes, but one who runs with intelligence, who doesn't seem like he's out of control and too stupid to grasp the game.

And whilst Reyes' "calf" is still dodgy and he missed another game the question must be ringing in Jerry's head about what to do about Reyes' baseball stupidity. After all, a dodgy calf won't allow you to sit him forever so hopefully this time off has calmed him down a bit. You can't put him on the DL for "stupid", can you now?

How ironic that whilst the Kenny Albert and Eric Karros, the broadcast team are in the middle of Hall of Fame accolades for Santana, he gives up a homer run to Aaron Rowand in the 6th? Or that Alex Cora dropped a fly ball to let the Giant's rally continue? What happened to Santana yesterday? Clearly the shock of the level of run support was destabilising.

The Mets won yesterday DESPITE themselves.

How many errors yesterday ladies and gentlemen? Too many errors, that's right.

You'd have to have an awfully limited post season pool to envision the Mets winning a World Series with a Little League defence.

Sure, they're hot now at the plate but once they cool down the defence is still going to be rubbish, the starting pitching and middle relief questionable and the same old woes will likely return.

So enjoy it now, this little run, whilst the Mets batters are hot. When they cool, you'll probably see the same old version of the same old Mets all over again.