Mission Possible: Beating our Division

After sweeping the Nationals at home, the Mets are just an hour away from bringing that swagger and conifdence to Philadelphia. With first place on the line, the Mets have everything they need to climb into that position, if not tonight, then sometime this weekend.

Our offense is coming around, the bullpen is getting better, Jose Reyes is smiling again, Jimmy Rollins is at his uncle’s funeral, and the defense isn’t half bad. Most importantly, just the ace we need, Johan Santana, is pitching. And Cole Hamels is due to give up a run. Hamels went 13 straight innings without giving up anything. That, and Carlos Beltran pretty much owns him.

Speaking of Carlos Beltran, I really liked that he told Jose Reyes to dance and smile again. It doesn’t matter what the other team thinks, especially when you’re the home team (It may be suggested that Miguel Olivo was actually out of line, and not Reyes). If Jose Reyes dancing around is what this team needs to win, then I want Jose Reyes dancing around and doing handshakes with everybody. And when Pedro returns to the team, it’s gonna be like old times.

Hopefully, until then, the Mets can continue on their success. Granted, it was the Nationals and they are batting horribly in their last couple of games. However, gaining that confidence was something they needed. The Mets need to beat their division. You can do great in the Central, the West, and in Interleague play, but it is more than likely that the deciding game will come from within our division. That’s pretty much why we always end up playing Atlanta in the first week of the season. If we falter against teams like the Marlins and the Nationals, there may be troubles for the New York Metropolitans down the road.

Tonight is a night where it is imperative that the offense comes through for Johan, especially since Citizens Bank Park is hitter friendly. Ya gotta believe, Mets fans. Ya gotta believe.