Weekend Series Begins Nicely But We Know Where It All Will Lead

Hands together for Fernando Nieve. Two unexpected starts, two unexpectedly effective performances. Victories even. Good news what with Maine disappearing for longer than the front office had unrealistically expected.


Another King of Obscurity rises to the challenge

You have to admit, as much fun as it is propping up Omar as the punching bag for our collective frustrations, Nieve is another one of the occasional gems that surface stocking up the farm club with rejects and has-beens and nobody-wants-to-bes. He was plucked from obscurity but emerges not once, but twice to save the Mets after gutting performances with a brilliantly pitched victory. That's what an ace on the staff does.

The ace will back out there today trying to prove he hasn't lost his stuff already.

Big night for Mr Nowhere Man.

As for Friday night's victory, led in part by Brian Schneider's unexpected three-run blast, which may be indicative that perhaps like Church and The Magical Murph, the dry spell is almost over and a miraculous little burst of hitting competence is in foreshadowed.

That would be remarkably good timing considering we're now clearly in the David Wright low tide right now - three Ks last night, each one as inept as the last. I think when he senses that Wright is spinning off into another one of his spells of somnambulism, Jerry should drop him down to 9th in the order, firstly because he's absolutely useless at the plate during these spells and secondly, perhaps for comedic value, recognising how pathetic Wright becomes, worse than a pitcher, when he's off. Seriously though, I'm ready to predict that once he rides out this most recent slump, the homerun stroke will finally be regained and he'll go back to a little more consistency. How's that for wishful thinking?

Bobby Parnell, our hero of yesteryear, our set-up saviour, where the fuck have you gone? How about 0-2 and a 9.53 ERA in June, that's where! I'm wondering what the issue is here, too much too soon, burn out, injury?

Well, shock of shocks, Feliciano managed to get his one guy out and Sean Green struck out the side in the 8th after some painful deliberation. You get those two miraculous events happening in one night and chances for victory are good.


excitement for the relief was justified

And Frankie Boy eliminated the aftershocks of that first legit blown save with a quiet 9th.

Not a bad go for the Mets - of course the last time Nieve saved the Mets with a glorious outing they went out the next day and let the Yankees beat the piss out of them 15-0, with Johan on the mound so well, surprise, Johan is on the mound again tonight so we can finally see if there's anything to his ruckus about a devastating injury or if we can all exhale and wait for the victory to be brought to us.

For one night anyway, one night only folks, nothing to get excited about all the stars aligning properly not only for a Mets victory but the Phillies getting bitch-slapped by the O's even worse than they did to us.

The best you can hope for with these clowns is one night.

Lastly, bye bye, Fmart, hope to see you back up here again in September ready to sizzle. Hello Nick Evans after a long pause and concerns you'd lost your hitting stroke forever. Now it feels like 2008 all over again.


just don't give him the bat with the hole in it, David.