Juan Lagares and Daniel Murphy homered to pick up Dillon Gee, and the bullpen came up with a superb effort with four perfect innings to give the Mets a 4-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs Sunday at Wrigley Field. The victory gave the Mets their first series victory since they beat Washington, April 19-21, at Citi Field.

RECORD: 17-24, 4^th NL East

ON THE MOUND: Dillon Gee gave up three runs on eight hits in five innings for the no-decision. … Scott Rice was superb in relief retiring six straight hitters. … The Mets also received a strong one-out showing from Greg Burke and Bobby Parnell worked the ninth for his sixth save. … The Mets’ bullpen retired 12 straight hitters.

AT THE PLATE: Inserted in the leadoff spot, Murphy hit a go-ahead homer in the eighth. … Lagares hit a game-tying, two-run homer in the seventh. He had two hits in the game. … The Mets had six hits in the game and struck out seven times.

BY THE NUMBERS: 15-for-29: Murphy’s hot streak.

THEY SAID IT: “Everything comes to a head at some point.’’ – GM Sandy Alderson when asked if there was a limit to Ike Davis’ slump after saying sending him so

ON DECK: Shaun Marcum is scheduled to open the Mets’ three-game series against Cincinnati, beginning Monday at Citi Field.

On Sunday, Bobby Parnell notched his sixth save of the season, recording the final three outs of the Mets’ 4-3 victory over the Cubs.  With the save, Parnell now has 20 in his six-year career with the Mets.  Now that may not seem like much, but it does give Parnell a special title.

Tell me, my fellow Mets fans.  Do you know which homegrown Met has the most saves in team history?  That would be Tug McGraw, who had 86 saves in a Mets uniform.  (Jesse Orosco, who had 107 saves in Flushing, made his major league debut with the Mets, but was originally drafted by the Minnesota Twins and made his professional debut in their minor league system.)

McGraw is followed by Roger McDowell (84 saves), Neil Allen (69 saves), Randy Myers (56 saves), Doug Sisk (33 saves), Bob Apodaca (26 saves), Danny Frisella (24 saves) and Parnell.

Did you notice that all of the homegrown relievers ahead of Parnell pitched for the Mets exclusively in the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s?  When Randy Myers was traded for John Franco after the 1989 season, that began a nearly quarter century stretch in which the Mets went with closers whom they traded for or signed as free agents.

First it was John Franco (acquired from Cincinnati).  Then it was Armando Benitez (acquired from Baltimore).  Benitez was followed by Braden Looper (free agent signing), Billy Wagner (free agent signing), Francisco Rodriguez (free agent signing) and Frank Francisco (yup, another free agent signing).  During that 20-plus year stretch, homegrown pitchers were used to close games primarily when the incumbent closer needed a day of rest or was on the disabled list.

So since the departure of Randy Myers following the 1989 campaign, which homegrown pitchers have registered the most saves for the Mets?  Here is the top three list:

1. Bobby Parnell (20 saves)
2. Anthony Young (18 saves)
3. Aaron Heilman (9 saves)

The only homegrown pitchers to record at least ten career saves for the Mets since Randy Myers’ last season in New York are Anthony Young and Bobby Parnell.  Young is also the only homegrown closer since 1990 to record an individual season of more than seven saves when he saved 15 games in 1992 – the same year he began his major league-record 27-game losing streak.

Bobby Parnell has been given the closer duties by manager Terry Collins.  He is the first homegrown pitcher since 1989 to earn that responsibility out of spring training.  And he is now the team’s all-time saves leader for homegrown pitchers since that year.

The Mets have not developed many closers over the past quarter century, choosing to bring in closers from other teams.  Bobby Parnell is finally getting a chance to become the next Tug McGraw, Roger McDowell or Randy Myers.  If he succeeds, he stands to join those pitchers as the best homegrown closers in franchise history.

Our ninth inning savior has finally arrived!  And his name is Bobby Parnell.  It sure is nice to see a familiar face on the mound in the ninth inning instead of a recruit from another team.

This is a scene that very few homegrown closers have been able to repeat.

Daniel Murphy had four hits and Jon Niese pitched a gem as the New York Mets beat the St. Louis Cardinals 5-2 to salvage the final game of the series and avoid the four-game sweep.

The Mets got on the board in the third when Jordany Valdespin ignited a two-run rally with a perfect drag bunt in the third and then scored when the red-hot Murphy lined double to score Spin and then came around to put the Mets up 2-1 after David Wright drove him home with a single to right.

After another double by Murphy in the sixth, the Mets would score two more runs on an RBI-double by Wright and a sac-fly by Lucas Duda. Catcher John Buck broke out of slump with an RBI-single in the eighth for the Mets’ fifth run.

Meanwhile on the mound, the Niese we used to know was back and he was dealing. After allowing 15 runs in his last two starts, Niese worked on his mechanics and rediscovered his fastball and curve, using both pitches to great effect to silence the Cardinals offense. The southpaw tossed 7.1 innings, allowing just two runs on six hits while walking two and striking out three. It was great to see him bounce back and hopefully this is the beginning of something good for Niese.

Niese gave way with two on and one out in the eighth inning, but in came Brandon Lyon, who induced an inning-ending double play to escape any damage. Bobby Parnell closed it out in the ninth to earn his fourth save of the season.

Ike Davis continues to struggle and went 0-for-5 with four strikeouts to earn the golden sombrero. Davis is hitless in his last 22 at-bats and his batting average is at a four-week low of .157 for the season. Terry Collins says he’s sticking with him.

The Mets now head to Chicago for a weekend series with the Cubs. Matt Harvey will oppose Edwin Jackson in a 2:20 PM matinee. Lets Go Mets!

PRETTY IN PINK?

The Mets were beaten by the Pittsburgh Pirates by the score of 3-2 this afternoon in front of a nicely packed Mother’s Day crowd at Citi Field.

Matt Harvey started and while he pitched good enough to win, he wasn’t at his best and he seemed to rely mostly on a variety of breaking balls and off-speed stuff rather than his usual 95-98 mph fastball. He tossed seven innings and allowed two earned runs on five hits, two walks and an uncharacteristically low four strikeouts. He is now winless in his last four starts. Despite Harvey not having his A-Game, a couple of clutch hits could have made the young right-hander 5-0.

Terry Collins unveiled his revamped lineup which was an epic failure today. In fact, the Mets offense has piled up 28 strikeouts in the last two games. After the game, Collins said that was “because his guys are trying to hit homers.”

Collins is committed the following four at the top of the lineup going forward and emphasized that “Ike Davis is our cleanup hitter, end of story.”

Ruben Tejada: 0-for-3

Daniel Murphy: 1-for-4

David Wright: 0-for-3

Ike Davis: 0-for-4

The math is ugly as they combined to go 1-for-14. Hope they do better tomorrow…

Mets were outscored 21-7 during the last three losses to the Pirates. Today they only mustered four hits including a home run from Lucas Duda, his eighth longball of the season. But get this… Eight home runs and only 12 RBI in 102 at-bats this season. Still, that’s better than Ike davis who has just 9 RBI in 110 at-bats with 39 strikeouts. When he struck out in his final at-bat, you could hear the boos as far away as Staten Island.

This team is not hitting and the Mets ranks 13th in the NL with a .234 batting average and last in the league with 264 hits. If Gary Cohen tells me one more time about how they rank 5th in On-Base Percentage and walks, I think I’m going to chuck my remote through the TV.

Daniel Murphy and John Buck have returned back to planet earth after orbiting around the planet for four week in April.

The bullpen was ineffective and Scott Rice took the loss. Bobby Parnell struggled through 1 1/3 innings allowing three baserunners. He might be unavailable tomorrow after throwing 30 pitches.

Defensively, Juan Lagares made this incredibly sick, sick, sick, catch in centerfield that had to be seen to be believed. It was the highlight of the game for the Mets. He dives forward with his outstretched glove, the ball bounces off the tip of it, and he refocuses and catches it again before it hit the ground. Wow…

This was a disastrous homestand for more reasons than one, and the Mets now find themselves at 14-20 and buried in fourth place in the NL East. They set sail for St. Louis to face the hottest and winningest team in baseball on Monday. The Cardinals have won nine of their last nine led by Carlos Beltran who leads the team with nine home runs and 23 RBI while posting a .308/.341/.558 batting line. Jeremy Hefner (0-4. 4.63 ERA) will oppose Lance Lynn (5-1, 2.72) and try to stop the bleeding.

UH OH, HERE COME THE MIGHTY METS…

Starting Lineup

1. Ruben Tejada, ss
2. Justin Turner, 2b
3. David Wright, 3b
4. Lucas Duda, lf
5. Marlon Byrd, rf
6. Ike Davis, 1b
7. Anthony Recker, c
8. Juan Lagares, cf
9. Shaun Marcum, rhp

Game Notes 

New York collected its fourth walk-off win of the year last night. The Mets are tied for second in the majors with the Giants with their four walk-off victories. Cincinnati is first with five such wins. The Mets last three wins at home have come in walk-off fashion.

Desperate to help Ike Davis emerge from his season-long funk, Collins said he wrestled with the decision to bench his first baseman Thursday against left-hander Jeff Locke. Then Davis went ahead and came through anyway, hammering a tiebreaking double into center field in the seventh inning after entering as part of a double-switch.

Mike Baxter for the second time in three days delivered a walk-off RBI single, this time against Pittsburgh Pirates closer Jason Grilli, and the Mets won 3-2 at Citi Field on Thursday night. The Mets’ last three home wins have come in walk-off fashion.

Juan Lagares had a stellar leaping catch at the wall on a shot off the bat of Andrew McCutchen for the final out of the top of the ninth. That allowed Bobby Parnell to pick up his fourth win of the season to go with three saves. “He gets better jumps and routes to balls than Matt,” one Mets official said, contrasting Lagares with Matt den Dekker. “He makes it look easier. Matt makes up for his not-so-good jumps with his speed. But Juan is much better than people think.”

Jon Niese downplayed manager Terry Collins‘ assertion that he has been pitching with stiffness in his lower back, saying he felt “a knot” in his back after his last start, but that it did not affect him as he gave up seven runs over four innings Sunday in Atlanta.

Left-hander Pedro Feliciano has been placed on Class A St. Lucie’s disabled list with food poisoning. Feliciano missed time late last month with the issue, but returned to the mound for three more appearances before landing on the DL. He has been pitching for St. Lucie since Opening Day in an attempt to strengthen his surgically-repaired left shoulder.

The Mets are hosting Banner Day with fans of all ages parading on the field showing their homemade banners professing their love for the team tomorrow prior to the Mets-Pirates game. Edgardo Alfonzo, WFAN’s Josh Lewin, SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt, and 92.3 NOW Morning Show host Ty Bentli will serve as judges. Registration begins at 10 a.m. in the Bullpen Plaza. Banner Day was a Mets tradition from 1963 to 1996 and returned last year as part of the Mets 50th Anniversary celebration.

Game Preview

For the second time in three days, the Mets had a walk-off victory last night and for the second time in three days, the offensive hero at the end of the game was Mike Baxter with Bobby Parnell picking up the win. The Mets look to make it 2 in a row and 3 of 4 tonight as they take on the Pirates and Wandy Rodriguez behind Shaun Marcum.

Shaun Marcum has yet to have a break out game as a Mets pitcher, maybe that will change today. On the season he is 0-2 over three games and two starts while allowing 8 ER over 10 innings of work. Last season he was 1-1 against the Pirates while posting a 0.75 ERA (only 1 ER over 12.0 innings). The Pirates have the following numbers against the Pirates:

McCutchen 2-14, 2B
Jones 4-10, 2B, HR
Alvarez 4-14, 2 2B
Tabata 4-11, 2 2B
Barmes 1-11, 2B
Inge 1-8
Martin 1-8, HR

The Mets bats will try to break out vs Wandy Rodriguez tonight. You want to know how good the Mets offense was at the beginning of the season? The Mets offense is still 3rd in the National League in runs scored (even with the last two weeks). Wandy is 2-2 over 6 games and 31.1 innings with a 4.02 ERA. In his last three starts, he has allowed 13 ER in 15.1 innings of work. He was 2-0 against the Mets last year in as many games posting a 2.77 ERA. The Mets have the following numbers against him:

Byrd 7-28, 2 2B, 2 HR
Wright 7-24, 2 2B, HR
Buck 3-9, HR
Davis 0-7
Tejada 5-7, 2 2B
Turner 2-7, HR
Murphy 0-3

Let’s Go Mets!

GET YOUR METS TICKETS HERE!

Frank Francisco

Terry Collins said he would first like to see how Francisco responds after back to back appearances on Sunday and Monday before the team makes plans to activate him from the disabled list.

Either way, there’s no question that Bobby Parnell will continue on as the team’s closer after Francisco returns.

“Parnell has done a good job,” Collins told reporters.

This isn’t really surprising as we’ve been saying it’s Parnell’s job no matter what since spring training. If Francisco didn’t know that already, he does now. This is Parnell’s bullpen.

“He’s just asserting himself as the leader of the bullpen and the guy you want in the ninth inning,” team captain David Wright said. “No question, there’s a different mindset for him.”

Parnell was angry during one game during the recent road trip when he was bypassed in a save situation, and he let Collins know it.

“When it comes the ninth inning and it’s a save situation or a close ballgame, in my head, that’s my inning,” he said. “Every one of us down there can pitch in that inning. Every one of us is capable of doing that. But since Day 1 of Spring Training, in my head, I’ve thought, ‘That’s my inning.’ I want to be out there.”

Parnell has come a long way and for a while I didn’t think he’d be able to handle the role. But his tenacity on the mound has made me a believer.

Wow, this was a great game for the Mets who just beat the Atlanta Braves 7-5 in extra-innings at Turner Field tonight. I hope you caught all the action because it was one of the best games and biggest wins of the season for the Mets. Jordany Valdespin once again sparked the big inning and continues to make Terry Collins look like a fool whenever he’s out of the lineup. More on him later.

Shaun Marcum made his second start for the Mets and had a very uneven performance, lasting just 4.1  innings and allowing three runs on six hits and three walks. His ERA is now 7.20 for the season and he needs to start stepping up his performance real quick. LaTroy Hawkins relieved Marcum and aside from letting one inherited runner to score, he gave the Mets 1 2/3 effective innings of relief. At this point the score was knotted at three after five.

The Mets got two of their first three runs on another John Buck homer – a two run shot in the first inning and his tenth big fly of the year. In the second inning, Lucas Duda belted his sixth homer of the season and he seems to be heating up again.

Things got dicey for the Mets in the seventh when Scott Atchison allowed two walks and a run to give the Braves the lead. Then after the Mets tied the game again in the eighth, Brandon Lyon gave the lead right back again after coughing up a solo home run to Braves catcher Evan Gattis in the bottom of the inning to put the Braves up 5-4.

Enter the captain David Wright who hit an absolute bomb off one of the best closers in the game, Craig Kimbrel, in the ninth inning to tie the game at 5-5. It was Wright’s fourth homer of the season and this one was as clutch as you can get.

The Braves tried to mount a walk-off win in the ninth after a leadoff double, but in came closer Bobby Parnell who slammed the door with some major league heat and kept Atlanta from scoring to send the game into extra innings.

In the the top of the tenth inning, El Dramatico – Jordany Valdespin  - ignited the a two-run rally with a clutch pinch-hit walk. Spin then takes off for second base and gets in safely to get himself into scoring position. Ruben Tejada follows up with line-drive RBI single to plate Valdespin with the lead run and put the Mets up 6-5. Daniel Murphy would follow that up with an RBI single to give the Mets an insurance run.

Jeurys Familia came in to close it out and notched his first big league save after mowing down the heart of the Braves lineup with a scoreless 1-2-3 tenth inning.

It was an amazing game with lots of excitement from start to finish. The Mets refused to lose and they got some clutch performances at the plate and out of the bullpen which was great to see. Valdespin is the most exciting player on the team and is always making things happen!

Valdespin Races Home To Score The Winning Run In The 10th Inning!

Kristie Ackert of the Daily News had a nice piece yesterday about Bobby Parnell and his being the closer of the 2013 New York Mets.

Parnell was called in to close out the ninth on Monday in the series opener against the Marlins and failed to shut the door, leading to a 15-inning affair and an eventual loss. Due to the fact that the Mets young closer threw two innings and 35 pitches, Terry Collins opted for Brandon Lyon to try to stop the bleeding following Jeremy Hefner’s terrific outing. Wednesday, Parnell was out there to slam the door and hand the Mets a hard-fought victory.

Parnell “wasn’t happy” about the decision to not be called in to close on Tuesday but “understood”.

“He’s protecting me and I understand that,” Parnell said.

Collins decided it would be best to err on the side of caution rather than calling on him Tuesday after throwing so many pitches the day prior.

“I am just not gonna blow this guy out,” Collins said. “He had some elbow (issues), nothing serious, but a year ago we did this and his elbow came up sore for a while. It’s just too early.

I completely agree with Collins on his decision not to push it too far with Parnell. It is also nice to see that Parnell understands the fact that his manager is looking out for him long term. Bobby Parnell is the future of this organization out of the ‘pen and there is no reason to overwork him, especially so early in the season.

Hard throwing pitchers such as Parnell put so much force into every pitch, that if overused can cause serious damage. Just look at Neftali Feliz of the Texas Rangers, who is still recovering from Tommy John surgery. The ability to throw 100+ takes a great deal of energy, and can take a toll on the body. The craft is rare–granted, becoming less rare–and should be used by a manager properly as Collins has, and not abused.

It is good to see that Terry Collins is thinking long-term and not just in this single season. It’s difficult for a manger to not use his best tool out of the bullpen in a key situation like what occurred Tuesday, but what is most important is the future and the longevity of the younger players like Parnell, and I am glad Collins recognizes that.

When you glance at this morning’s Mets pitching leaders, you see two names that belong in Matt Harvey and Bobby Parnell. Each of them have been nothing short of phenomenal in their roles of closer and staff ace. But just below them is a name nobody expected much from this season – that is unless you read my preseason feature on Scott Rice – the 31-year old rookie who has become a cult figure here on MMO.

The left-handed reliever has performed at a level unseen by a southpaw since Perpetual Pedro was in his prime during the Omar Minaya legacy.

Rice has been a Godsend in the bullpen both for his effectiveness and reliability, but more than that he’s been the bullpen’s most durable reliever, leading the team with 16 appearances and 14.2 innings pitched. For a Mets bullpen that is ranked 29th in the majors with a 5.09 ERA, Rice along with Parnell have given the team their all and have been the most steadfast performers in an otherwise ill-performing bullpen.

Gone already are Greg Burke, Josh Edgin and Aaron Laffey. Brandon Lyon and Robert Carson may soon be the next to go. Jeurys Familia who I felt earned a job out of Spring Training, is finally here and so far the early results have been encouraging.

But getting back to Rice, Mike Kerwick of The Record had a great profile of him this morning on NJ.com. He goes back to his formative years and gives some more backstory to what has already been one of the better storylines to this Mets season.

“He’s been terrific,” said Mets manager Terry Collins. “Extremely durable. When you talk to him, this is what he’s been waiting for his whole life, this opportunity.”

Kerwick shares a fascinating story about Rice that only furthers my respect for this unique player who toiled in the minors for 14 years before finally making his major league debut this season with the Mets. Most players would have quit and hung up their spikes after eight or nine years, but Rice remained determined and set on making it to the majors against all odds.

Rice bounced around – five major league organizations, 18 minor league teams – before he finally caught on with the Mets last month. He threw his first major league pitch on April 1, almost 14 years after he was drafted.

In the darkest moments of those 14 years, Rice would place calls to his father. Dennis knew a thing or two about watching a baseball dream implode. Rice’s father blew out his shoulder years ago, back when he was a middle infielder for the University of Southern California.

“He’s the main reason why I kept playing,” Rice said. “At times I hated it. But he kept pushing me, telling me, ‘Hey, you’ve got to get out there, you’ve got to keep doing this, you’ve got to keep doing that. You’ve got to make these phone calls to teams.’

Rice was very instrumental in the 7-6 win against the Marlins that put an end to the team’s six-game losing streak, the longest such streak in two seasons.

With the Mets barely holding on to their one-run lead, Collins turned to Rice to get a critical out with the tying run on third in the eighth inning. Rice came in and induced an inning-ending grounder from the pesky leadoff hitter, Juan Pierre. Once again, Rice rose to the occasion without breaking a sweat.

“He’s been very, very good,” Collins said. “He realizes when he keeps the ball down and throws strikes, he gets ground balls. So far we’ve caught them.”

There haven’t been too many great bright spots to the Mets’ season thus far, but Scott Rice is certainly one of them, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.

After the disappointment of the Omar Minaya Era, which was highlighted by bad contracts – but at least he was signing people – the Mets were promised a new day with the hiring of Sandy Alderson as general manager.

Alderson vowed things would be different, and to be fair, they have been as worse as different.

“Be patient,’’ Alderson said, telling us it takes time to scuttle a team and rebuild with youth. Three years into the Alderson regime and the Mets still don’t have a bullpen, don’t have a major league outfield, the back end of their rotation is patchwork and there’s little depth.

Remember, Alderson was brought here – at the suggestion of commissioner Bud Selig – to get the Mets’ financial house in order. To that degree, he’s done well, shedding the Mets of the contracts of Oliver Perez, Luis Castillo, Francisco Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran.

Alderson got prospect Zack Wheeler for Beltran, but little else other than a fresh feeling for the removal of Perez and the others. After this season, he will be done with the contracts of Johan Santana and Jason Bay, the two remaining contracts given out in the Minaya Era. But, make no mistake, they were done so with the blessings of the Wilpon ownership.

To date, none of Alderson’s draft picks are producing on the major league level. Few of his trade acquisitions outside of John Buck have contributed, and the Mets remain the mess that prompted the management changes in the first place.

The only real difference is the Mets are losing with a lesser payroll. Is that really progress?

If you’re a Mets’ fan this morning, you have to feel betrayed by what you saw the first month of the season, especially with what has happened during this last series losing two games to the lowly Marlins. You feel betrayed because you bought into Alderson’s promises of better times to come and the spending during the winter of 2014.

Tuesday night might have been the worst loss of the season.

After the Mets received eight scoreless innings from journeyman pitcher Jeremy Hefner – penciled in as a Triple-A starter going into spring training – their bullpen again collapsed. That’s three blown saves in two games.

It is easy to blame that one on third base umpire Tim McClelland’s blown call, but that’s only part of the reason why they lost.

They lost because their offense continues to be pathetic. While the onus has fallen on Ike Davis’ woes, he’s not the only one. The Mets had only one hit in their last 21 at-bats with runners in scoring position going into yesterday’s finale. The offense is dormant, and a lot of that stems from the fact they have no outfield.

Building a team is acquiring depth, but Anthony Recker had three bad plays in the ninth inning that led to the unraveling. Recker took accountability, saying he should have caught the pitch that turned into a passed ball; should not have made the throw to third, which became necessary in his mind because of the passed ball; and should have blocked Brandon Lyon‘s wild pitch.

Recker was stand-up about his performance, but he’s a Double-A catcher performing in the major leagues. He’s here because the Mets did such a poor job of building their bench.

And, why was Lyons in the game to begin with?

Bobby Parnell is the closer and should have gotten the ball at the start of the ninth. That was the formula, so why did manager Terry Collins deviate?

He said he didn’t want to burn out Parnell. Damn it, what are you saving him for, the World Series?

If he’s the closer, then he needs to go two or three games in a row like closers often do. That he threw two innings the night before is avoiding the issue. Either Collins has faith in Parnell or he doesn’t. Parnell should have gotten the ball.

The Mets are making too many mental mistakes, not executing with runners on base and keep missing opportunities to tack on runs and lengthen their lead. Maybe it’s because Collins doesn’t have the right pieces, and if that’s the case then it falls on the front office.

Why do you think the Mets don’t post their line-up until moments before first pitch during the Marlins series? It is because Collins didn’t know what pieces he’d have and if they’d fit.

Collins couldn’t rest David Wright, who has a stiff neck and played in all three games.He also has to figure out where Ike Davis would do the least amount of damage. Davis batted seventh in the last two games, quite simply, because he has little other options on this level.

It is Alderson’s responsibility to give Collins those options. It is Alderson’s responsibility now that streamlining the budget has been addressed, of putting a representative team on the field.

So far, he hasn’t.

Thoughts from Joe D.

Three years in and as John states we’re still losing but now doing it with a smaller payroll. The inability to build a better bullpen than the ones we had and complained about in 2009 (3.89 ranked 11th) and 2010 (3.59 ranked 9th) were pointed out in a recent comment thread. The Mets have been ranked 29th and 30th since that time. Even when our best option Bobby Parnell takes the mound, it’s no sure thing. We have no sure things in that pen.

However it may be the outfield that is the biggest indictment on this front office. I say that because it used to be one of the top producing outfields in the National League even with the misadventures of Jason Bay. Who wouldn’t gladly accept the production of a Bay, Beltran and Pagan outfield over anything we’ve seen this year and last? Is it safe to say that Collin Cowgill is clearly not the player he was portrayed to be? The gritty, balls-to-the-wall center fielder who was going to solve all our leadoff woes in the lineup? The outfield is a mess and what compounds the issue is the continuing folly of not giving Jordany Valdespin a full 20-25 game shot at everyday play rather than the selective drips and drabs of playing time he currently gets.

Congratulations to Ike Davis and Lucas Duda for being among the team leaders in walks – 33 bases on balls between the two of them. – and yet only 8 RBI each from them to go with them. Not exactly what you’d expect from your number four and five hitters. Valdespin has outproduced them in far less playing time. It may be time to ship Ike Davis to the minors and platoon Duda at first with my second-cousin Josh Satin. Duda nearly cost the team yesterday’s win with yet another misjudged fly ball that flew over his left shoulder and allowed two runs to score.

The backend of the rotation is an enigma. You never know what you’re gonna get and the team is something crazy like 3-14 when one of them pitches. But that should come as no surprise after our biggest free agent signing of the offseason was Shaun Marcum who already has missed a month and lasted only four innings in his Mets debut. He’ll try to redeem himself tomorrow against the the first place Braves.

While we’re visiting Turner Field, we’ll get to see Justin Upton and his MLB leading 12 home runs and .722 Slugging up close and personal. He’s the outfielder that apparently couldn’t hit outside of Chase Field and was labeled a bust. Zack Wheeler for that 25 year old bum? No freaking way. After only one month, his 2.2 WAR is already higher than the Mets outfield combined. No not this year’s, silly, last year’s.

Hey… there are a two bright notes in Matt Harvey and Jon Niese. Those two are definitely worth the price of admission although by the looks of it, the ballpark is still only half full when they are on the mound. And don’t forget John Buck who has been nothing short of amazing and is leading the league in RBI. However don’t grow too attached to him because as recent history dictates, leading the league in anything noteworthy is usually an indication that your time as a Met is drawing to an end. Although I must say it has been a joy to finally have a real catcher behind the plate. It seems like a century ago since we last had one in Paul LoDuca.

Don’t forget that we still have that one great constant in David Wright. He’s ours through 2020 and as long as he’s on the team the potential for something great happening is always there. Every time our captain takes the field he’s either extending or breaking a franchise record. How many teams can say they have a player like that?

So there’s your April break down so far. Are you having fun yet? Are you excited about May? I told you the Mets would get off to a great start in April because of all the below .500 teams they were slated to play. Piece of cake…

Depth? What depth?

Just call him Mr. Clutch or as our own Daniel Nelson likes to refer to him, “El Dramatico”. Yes, of course we’re talking about the incredible Jordany Valdespin who came off the bench once again and delivered another dramatic pinch-hit home run to help the Mets beat the Marlins 7-6 and salvage the final game of the series.

Valdespin continues to display an uncanny ability for rising to the occasion whenever the Mets need a big hit, and in the last two seasons, no player in baseball has delivered more pinch-hit home runs than El Dramatico.

His five pinch-hit homers last season set a franchise record, and only one month into the season he’s already launched his second big knock of the year.

The Mets were trailing by three when David Wright opened the sixth with a leadoff double. Marlon Byrd followed with an RBI single and after another Ike Davis single, Valdespin took reliever A.J. Ramos deep with three-run homer. It was incredible and even more so was watching Spin pumping his fist as he rounded the bases. It put the Mets up 5-4.

An inning later, the Mets would tack on two more runs thanks to a two-run double by John Buck who begins the month of May the much in the same way he ended April. Buck now leads the league with 27 RBI.

David Wright had a great game with a dazzling play at third base and he homered, singled, and doubled at the plate.

Dillon Gee started the game and delivered a very rocky performance in which he was tagged for four runs on nine hits and two walks. It could have been worse if not for some nifty plays in the field.

Things got dicey in the bottom of the seventh when Lucas Duda misplayed a fly ball by Justin Ruggiano off reliever Scott Atchison allowing two more Marlins run to score and make the score 7-6. But the bullpen held down the fort the rest of the way, and Bobby Parnell pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning to seal the victory and end the Mets’ six game losing streak. For Parnell it was his third save of the season.

This wasn’t a picture perfect win, but after a week of grim and disheartening losses, I’ll take it. After a day off on Thursday, the Mets will head to Atlanta to begin a weekend series with the Braves on Friday night at Turner Field. Shaun Marcum will make his second start of the season and will oppose the Braves’ Mike Minor at 7:05 pm.

I feel bad for all you die-hards who stood up till 12:45 AM like I did to watch the Mets lose to the Marlins 4-3 in 15 innings.

I’m dead tired so this recap will be a quickie…

After the Mets took the lead in the top of the 15th on a Lucas Duda double followed by a passed ball and then a clutch Ruben Tejada RBI infield single after they intentionally walked Ike Davis, I thought this game was over. Wrong…

Shaun Marcum blew the save and took the loss in the bottom of the inning with Justin Ruggiano scoring the winning run on a sac fly to Lucas Duda.

The Marlins tied the game in the bottom of the ninth against Bobby Parnell who now has two saves and two blown saves. A botched play by Collin Cowgill in center field, allowed the Marlins to put runners on first and third, with the lead runner coming home on sac fly a batter later.

Matt Harvey tossed a career high 121 pitches to get through 5.1 innings allowing one run on seven hits, two walks and striking out seven,

The Mets were 1-for-17 with runners in scoring position and left 28 men on base. Lots of chances to break it open, but a total lack of execution by everyone except you know who….

John Buck‘s two-run bomb in the fourth inning was the highlight of the game for the Mets. He matches a franchise record with his ninth homer of April.

The Mets (10-14) have lost five straight and are now a season-worst four games under .500.

This was just an awful loss. The Mets will go back at it with the Marlins again with Jeremy Hefner (0-2, 5.12 ERA) opposing right-hander Kevin Slowey (0-2, 2.43) at 7:10 p.m. Tuesday.

Hey on a positive note, we brought back our game chat sometime around the ninth inning and logged over 600 comments from 36 users in two hours. Not bad considering it came back without much fanfare.

Not happening. We are looking at a fifth straight losing season, and please, don’t delude yourselves into thinking the Mets will suddenly go on a spending spree this winter. Now that the Mets have substantially reduced their payroll and after this year will be finally rid of the contractual anchors of Johan Santana and Jason Bay, do you honestly believe they’ll be writing a lot of checks this winter?

Next year could be more of the same. After being swept over the weekend by Philadelphia, going 3-6 on their recent homestand and losers of nine of their last 12 games overall, all appearances have the Mets are packing it in before the All-Star break this season. I’m not saying the effort isn’t there, just the talent.

The weekend proved the Mets don’t need Arctic conditions to play their worst. Without Matt Harvey to protect them against the Phillies, the Mets had breakdowns with their rotation, bullpen, defense and hitting this weekend. It was as complete a sweep as can be.

* The Mets are 5-0 when Harvey starts and 5-13 when he doesn’t. He goes tonight at Miami against fellow phenom Jose Fernandez.

* The last two winters GM Sandy Alderson made rebuilding the bullpen the priority. However, this year’s nightmarish edition is the major league’s worst with an ERA nearing 5.50. It doesn’t even matter how close Frank Francisco is to returning as he proved he’s not the answer, either. Typical Mets. Their best reliever is closer Bobby Parnell and they can’t even get to him.

* Terry Collins said at the beginning of the season he wanted to use set line-ups. Twenty-three games later he has used 20 different batting orders/line-ups. That’s not even close to being stable.

* The outfield remains fluid, with something different each day. Jordany Valdespin provides a spark and then sits. Does anybody really think Juan Lagares is the answer? Collin Cowgill won the starting center field job coming out of spring training, but was sitting by the fourth game of the season and only has 47 at-bats.

* Ike Davis continues to flounder and look overmatched at the plate with half as many hits (13) as strikeouts (26). He’s on pace to strike out 183 times. He’s also on track to hit 28 homers, but drive in only 56 runs. Need I say he’s hitting less than .200?

With the way the Mets are playing, there’s no guarantee they’ll get better with three games in Miami. About the only encouraging thing you can come up with concerning this series is even if the Mets are swept, they can’t fall into the cellar behind the Marlins.

Ah, good times.

Hefner gave the Mets seven solid innings on the mound, allowing just one run on three hits and three walks while striking out three. He didn’t figure into the decision and left with the game knotted at 1-1. The Mets scored their first run on a sac-fly by David Wright in the sixth.

Andre Ethier broke the tie with an RBI single off Scott Rice in the ninth to give the Dodgers the lead and would be charged with another run when Juan Uribe drove in what would prove to be a valuable insurance run on an infield hit off Bobby Parnell.

Ike Davis made things a little interesting when he led off the ninth with a homer to pull the Mets within one, but the team went down quietly after that, losing the game and also suffering their first series loss at home this season.

Like yesterday, the Mets had many opportunities, but went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position. In a one-run game, that’s never good.

The Phillies come into town for a weekend series beginning on Friday night at 7:10 PM, when Dillon Gee (1-3, 5.95 ERA) opposes right-hander Kyle Kendrick (1-1, 3.28) for Philadelphia.

The walk-off grand slam by Spin was the first in 23 years when Kevin McReynolds last did it in 1991.

Matt Harvey started the game and didn’t have his best stuff as he searched for his fifth win of the season.

The Mets right-hander allowed three earned runs on four hits including Matt Kemp‘s first home run of the season. He walked one while striking out seven and still gets credit for a quality start. However it was the first time this season he didn’t last at least seven innings.

Despite the dramatic blast by Valdespin, the Mets were 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position and had plenty of opportunities to do some damage and avoid extra innings.

But what matters most is the win and this one was sweet.

Bobby Parnell got the win and pitched a scoreless tenth and the bullpen did a great job of keeping the Dodgers in check until the Mets offense rallied to win.

ODDS & ENDS

HARVEY STRIKEOUTS: Matt Harvey has 109 strikeouts in his first 15 career games…The only other Mets with more strikeouts in their first 15 games are Dwight Gooden (113) and Nolan Ryan (112).

HARVEY DOUBLES: Matt Harvey collected his third career double in the fifth inning…The three doubles over the last two years (2012-2013) are tied for third-most in the majors among pitchers…Stephen Strasburg, who has made 30 starts during that time, is first with five and Yovani Gallardo, who has made 37 starts, is second with four…Harvey’s double was also the first extra-base hit by a Mets pitcher this season.

EXTRA-INNINGS: The Mets improved to 1-1 in extra-innings while the Dodgers fell to 0-1 in extra frames.

COMEBACKS: New York rallied from a 3-1 deficit to win…It was the Mets third come-from-behind win of the year.

RUBEN TEJADA: Singled in the fifth inning to snap an 0-18 skid.

DANIEL MURPHY: Was 1-5 to extend his hitting streak to seven games…Hitting .333 (10-30) during the run, which dates to April 16 at Colorado.

BIG QUESTION: Why Terry Collins continues to keep Valdespin from playing everyday is still the big question. As I’ve said again and again and again, Valdespin is a catalyst… He’s a game-breaker… He’s electric… Wake your ass up, Terry!

Great Player… Great Moment… Great Game… Great Finish…

Most everything about the Mets these days is about the future. From Matt Harvey, to extending David Wright, to the trade of R.A. Dickey and protecting Zack Wheeler, we’re talking about 2014 and beyond.

Sure, it would be great to compete now, but 2013 is mostly for establishing the foundation. It is the development of Harvey and Jon Niese; giving Wheeler major league experience – while avoiding free agency for a year – and hope Ike Davis and Lucas Duda improve their offensive efficiency while still producing power.

This trend should extend to the bullpen, where Bobby Parnell, despite limited save opportunities, has performed in the role that should hopefully define his career.Manager Terry Collins told Parnell at the beginning of spring training he would be the closer if Frank Francisco were not ready. Collins should pull Parnell aside tomorrow at Citi Field – today is an off-day – and tell him he’ll have the job when Francisco returns.

Parnell spit the bit on previous chances, but is grasping the brass ring now. And, tightly. Parnell struck out two Washington Nationals in a perfect ninth Sunday to earn his second save of the season. Parnell is following up last year’s strong second half with a blistering start.

He has a strong traditional statistic in a 1.35 ERA – mostly overrated for relievers – with an even stronger new wave stat of a 0.45 WHIP.  He’s given up three hits and a run in 6.2 innings. He’s been virtually untouchable.

More to the point, he’s pitching the way the way the Mets always hoped.

Collins and GM Sandy Alderson saw that coming at the end of 2012, when with Francisco on the disabled list, Parnell went 3-1 with a 0.96 ERA and paltry .196 opponent’s batting average in 17 appearances.

The Mets might feel obligated to return Francisco to the closer role based on his $6.5-million salary, but they need to resist that temptation. It is not an obligation to return Francisco to the closer role, especially because it is anticipated he will not be re-signed this winter.

If Francisco were in the Mets’ future plans, I might think differently. Parnell, however, is expected to be here next season and beyond. The Mets – namely Jerry Manuel – have jerked around Parnell to the point of messing with his confidence. They must not do it again by changing his role.

Perhaps this is nothing more than a hot stretch for Parnell; perhaps it is the beginning of something special. We need the time to see.

We don’t know to what degree Parnell will develop. What we do know is Francisco will not be here next year and Parnell will. Parnell must stay in the closer role, and remain there in good times and in bad.

That’s the way to build for the future, which is now for Parnell.

Thoughts from Joe D.

I don’t think this will be an issue when the Mets activate Frank Francisco. Having the highest paid pitcher on your active roster doing mopup duty isn’t exactly an ideal situation. But that’s exactly the way the Mets should handle Francisco until he can work his way back into a more significant role.

I thought that Francisco two-year deal was an awful signing to begin with, but now that’s past and his $6.5 million is just something we’ll need to deal with and if it means ultimately eating it – so be it.

That said, I don’t think the money situation will keep Terry Collins or Sandy Alderson from doing what is best for the team.

I would be absolutely shocked if Parnell were to go back to a setup role when Francisco returns. I just don’t see that happening.

The New York Mets (9-8) bounced back from a disappointing 7-6 loss to the Washington Nationals on Saturday, and took the series with a convincing 2-0 win this afternoon at Citi Field. The team is once again, a game over .500 for the year.

Dillon Gee bounced back from a couple of brutal starts and tossed 5.2 innings, allowing just three hits and three walks while striking out six. All three walks came in the sixth inning, when Terry Collins called for LaTroy Hawkins to come in and get the last out of the inning.

This was by no means a dominating start for Gee, but it was certainly an improvement and a step in the right direction. One thing Gee did well was use his changeup very effectively, and he definitely had it working today. We’ll need to see more efforts like this from Gee before we can sit back and relax. I like Gee, but to me he is a solid number five pitcher who the Mets have slotted in the three slot.

The Mets got on the board in the second inning thanks to a 450 foot blast by John Buck of Nats starter Jordan Zimmermann. The Mets catcher launched a solo shot into the second deck in left field, otherwise known as “no-man’s-land” – or as Gary Cohen called it, “Bryce Harper Territory.”

Mike Baxter plated the second run when he lifted one to center field to score David Wright on the sac-fly in the fourth.

Live Blog From Citi Field Pressbox

Top First: It starts to rain right after the anthem and moment of silence for Boston and Texas. The weather isn’t Minnesota-Denver bad, but I thought there would be more people here for Harvey-Strasburg. Harvey strikes out his first hitter and gets out of the inning with a runner on second.

Bottom First: Jordany Valdespin leading off again. Glad to see Terry Collins running with this. Valdespin reaches on E6. Takes third on Daniel Murphy’s hit-and-run single and scores on wild pitch. Murphy takes third on fly ball and scored on John Buck’s RBI. That’s 20 RBI for him. Really is amazing. I like Murphy’s aggressiveness in advancing on fly to right.

Mets 2, Nationals 0

Top Second: A lot of attention in the press box on what’s going on in Boston. Harvey breezing. Fans Chad Tracy. A 1-2-3 second.

Bottom Second: Marlon Byrd doubles, but is stranded on third as Strasburg punches out Valdespin. That’s a wasted opportunity and you don’t get many off Strasburg. We’ll see if this haunts them later. Strasburg nearing 50 pitches already.

End Second: Mets 2, Nationals 0

Top Third: Strasburg doubles, but Harvey gets out of it by striking out Jayson Werth.

Bottom Third: Rain gone. Doc Gooden gets a nice ovation when they show him on the video board. He tweeted Harvey is the real deal. Looks like it. … Meanwhile, Boston PD has suspect cornered. That’s where a lot of the attention is. … Ike Davis strikes out for second time. Buck fans and another runner is left in scoring position.

End Third: Mets 2, Nationals 0

Top Fourth: Harvey finished the fourth with one hit and two walks and five strikeouts. He’s thrown 62 pitches, 41 for strikes. Everything is working for him tonight.

Bottom Fourth: There’s a steady falling mist again. Strasburg walked Duda, but set the next three hitters down. He’s settled down since the first, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks and five strikeouts. He’s pitching a good game, too.

End Fourth: Mets 2, Nationals 0

Top Fifth: A 1-2-3 inning for Harvey, Strikes out Suzuki swinging. They have apprehended the second suspect. Pressbox buzzing.

Bottom Fifth: Valdespin, Murphy, Wright go down in order. Just in – Brandon: Nimmo is 3-for-3.

End Fifth: Mets 2, Nationals 0

Top Sixth: Everyone watching the breaking news of suspect capture in Boston. Terrific job by law enforcement across the board. Boston can sleep easier tonight.… Harvey throws DP grounder started by Murphy, who is looking better and better at second. … Valdespin makes diving catch to end inning.

Bottom Sixth: Davis and Duda homer. Davis hit his to left and Duda’s went to center. … Crowd chanting “Harvey’s better.’’ Actually, pretty funny. … Strasburg already over 100 pitches, so this figures to be his last inning.

End Sixth: Mets 4, Nationals 0

Top Seventh: Harvey enters the inning with a two-hit shutout on 82 pitches. But, a walk and a couple of hits later and his shutout was gone. … Perhaps even more impressive was getting out of a bases loaded jam with no outs without giving up further damage. … Harvey finished with one run given up on four hits, three walks and seven strikeouts.

Bottom Seventh: Strasburg didn’t come out. He gave up four runs on five hits and two walks with six strikeouts in six innings. “USA – USA – USA -USA!” The crowd chants as news of arrest shows on scoreboard.

End Seventh: Mets 4, Nationals 1

Top Eighth: Big cheer when news on the scoreboard announced second suspect was captured. … Another cheer when Boston Police Department was saluted. … Scott Rice pitched a scoreless inning.

Bottom Eighth: Drew Storen now pitching and gives up leadoff triple to David Wright and two-run homer to Davis. … Duda added another homer, his fifth of the season.

End Eighth: Mets 7, Nationals 1.

Top Ninth: Sweet Caroline was played as Bobby Parnell threw his warm-up pitches. The Mets did it before, but it sounded better tonight. … Sweet, diving play by Murphy to get the second out.

Final: Mets 7, Nationals 1

Mets Starting Lineup

1. Jordany Valdespin CF
2. Daniel Murphy 2B
3. David Wright 3B
4. Ike Davis 1B
5. John Buck C
6. Lucas Duda LF
7. Marlon Byrd RF
8. Ruben Tejada SS
9. Matt Harvey RHP

Game Notes

No Surgery for Travis d’Arnaud! The Mets’ top prospect suffered a nondisplaced fracture of the first metatarsal in his left foot when he was struck with a foul ball in the sixth inning of Triple-A Las Vegas’ game Wednesday night. He has been placed in a walking boot and will miss approximately eight weeks, Terry Collins just said..

Shaun Marcum got through yesterday’s extended spring training game fine. Mets will try to get him to 80 pitches next time. He tossed four hitless and scoreless innings in an extended spring training game, struck out five.

Relievers Josh Edgin, Scott Atchison and Jeurys Familia combined to allow six runs in the seventh inning, and the Mets lost to the Rockies 11-3 Thursday afternoon at Coors Field. The Mets dropped to .500. Hopefully, Matt Harvey gives the pen a day of rest tonight. They need one.

New York had two games postponed on its recent road trip. They will play the Rockies at Coors Field on June 27 at 6:10 PM, and will make up its game against the Twins on August 19 at 2:10 PM at Target Field.

Game Preview

The Mets finally get out of Colorado and return home to Queens tonight to one of the most anticipated pitching matchups in a long time. The Mets entered Denver with a 7-4 record and were swept, dropping them down to a record of 7-7. While there is plenty of blame to go around, the bullpen, who saved the Mets in an earlier Laffey start at home and was strong at the start of the season, fell apart on the road. Anyway, Matt Harvey looks to keep his strong start going against Stephen Strasburg.

Harvey is 3-0 in first three starts with a 0.84 ERA over 22.0 innings. In that stretch he has allowed only 2 ER and only 6 hits while walking 6 and striking out 25 batters. He’s leading the league in WHIP, Wins, and H/9. He faced the Nationals once last year picking up the loss after allowing only one earned run over 5 innings of work while striking out 10 batters. The Nationals have the following numbers against Matt:

Desmond 1-2
Harper 0-3
LaRoche 1-3
Werth 0-2
Zimmerman 1-2, HR
Suzuki 0-2

The Mets will get a crack at the National’s phenom today in Stephen Strasburg who is 1-2 over 18.1 innings and 3 games so far this year while posting a 2.95 ERA. He has had two dominant games where he went 7 shutout innings 6 innings allowing 0 earned runs (2 unearned). He also had one start where he allowed 6 ER over 5.1 innings. He was good against the Mets last season holding them to one earned run over 13 innings and two starts, who have posted the following numbers against him:

Buck 2-9
Davis 3-8, HR
Tejada 1-8
Murphy 1-5
Wright 1-6
Byrd 1-3
Duda 0-2
Valdespin 1-3

Let’s Go Mets!

Check 213 Miles From Shea!

What a masterful performance by Mets right hander Matt Harvey today as the Mets won their second straight game against the Minnesota Twins by the score of 4-2 at frigid Target Field.

Harvey thrilled Mets fans as he took a no-hitter into the seventh inning until Twins first baseman Justin Morneau ruined it when he cranked a towering shot off Harvey that just barely hit the foul pole – ending the no-hit bid and the shutout.

What a great effort by @mattharvey33 who just gave us all a glimpse of the greatness still to come. #SimplyTheBest twitter.com/MetsMerized/st…

— Mets Merized Online (@MetsMerized) April 13, 2013

Harvey, who came into the game with a 2-0 record and a 0.64 ERA after a pair of dominating starts against the Padres and Phillies, had allowed just two baserunners, both 4-pitch walks, through 6 2/3 innings before Morneau’s home run. He improved to 3-0 and shaved his ERA to 0.82. He has allowed six hits and six walks while striking out 25 in 22 innings this season. Six hits in three starts – that is not a typo!

Harvey had it all working as he stymied the Twins offense working his fastball up and down the ladder and went eight innings allowing just the one run on two hits while striking out six and walking two.

There is no way that I ever make any plans whenever @mattharvey33 is on the mound. Nuh uh, won’t do it… LGM twitter.com/MetsMerized/st…

— Mets Merized Online (@MetsMerized) April 13, 2013

Bobby Parnell came into close the game, but it was far from a cake walk as he allowed two hard hits and a run before getting the final out and picking up his first save of the season.

Marlon Byrd got the Mets on the board with a towering home run in the fifth to break the scoreless deadlock and put the Mets up 1-0. The Mets would score three more runs after the homer and set a new team record with seven consecutive base hits. That’s all great and all, but this game was all about Matt Harvey.

Morneau got lucky… We need to come up with a nickname for this kid… He’s the real deal… Matt “THE REAL DEAL” Harvey !!! @mattharvey33

— Dwight Gooden (@DocGooden16) April 13, 2013

Wow… Just wow…

The Starting Pitching

Two words: Matt Harvey. Harvey has been stellar … actually more than stellar, he has been intergalactic. What has impressed me about Harvey is his poise and his fledgling ability to control the came by sheer force of will. No one wants to face Harvey right now, he is overpowering … that’s a scary weapon to have on any team. Need a win? He’s your guy. You can’t put a value metric on that. You aren’t getting swept if Harvey is pitching. If he’s pitching the final game and you’ve won the first two you’re probably looking at a sweep.  Never underestimate the power of a true ace. Matt Harvey really does remind me of Tom Seaver, and there really are some uncanny similarities.

Then there is John Niese, who has been outstanding. I continue to maintain that Niese’s curveball is one of the most underrated pitches in the major leagues. When he’s dropping that thing in for strikes he’s as tough as anyone in baseball. Previous years Niese would unravel after a bloop and a walk. Not so since about half way through 2012, Niese is showing some tenacity under duress, which makes him pretty tough to beat. Right now Harvey and Niese comprise a legitimate one-two punch and there’s a school of thought that subscribes to the belief that two ace level pitchers at the top of a rotation is all you really need to contend. Unfortunately I’m not sure that’s true.

The rotation gets pretty dicey after our top two. Dillon Gee and Jeremy Heffner have been wildly inconsistent with command issues. You get the sense that maybe Gee wasn’t quite ready coming out of spring training, and Heffner just seems to leave too many fat pitches over the middle of the plate. We need Shaun Marcum to hurry up and get better because one more reliable starter and I think the balances are tipped in Mets favor in terms of matching up with other rotations. Lets just say Aaron Laffey seems ill-equipped as his replacement.

The Offense

Two words: Homer happy! The Mets have been hitting home runs like it’s 1998 … Duda hit one the other night at CBP in Philly that I swear was still going up when it hit the upper deck. The man may be lost in the field, but his power is freakish. I feel like he hasn’t even really gotten a hold of one yet, what happens when he does? He could knock a satellite out of orbit, he could hit one to North Korea. How about John Buck? Yeah yeah yeah, I keep hearing how he’s going to come back to earth, whatever. Here’s the thing, with the head start he’s got? Barring injury he’s going to have to come down pretty hard and pretty fast and extremely soon because if he keeps up this rate in another week or so it wont matter, he’ll be able to go back to his lifetime averages and still have the best season of his career (and probably make the all-star game). John Buck is playing with house money at this point.

David Wright I’m not worried about, and Jordany Valdespin needs more playing time. Ike Davis is going to break out sooner or later if he can get his head straightened out. Here’s the thing about Ike. When Ike first came up I was amazed that he was able to make as much contact as he did given his long loopy swing. He was able to because he has great timing, problem is when his timing is off he really struggles, again because of that long loopy swing. The thing that frustrates me about Ike is that he’s playing into the opposition’s prescribed approach. They put the stupid shift on (it’s stupid the shift – no other way to describe it) and they toss him a steady diet of breaking pitches.

Now, correct me, but when Ike came up didn’t he hit to all fields? I remember him talking about how his dad used to make him hit to the opposite field when he was a kid. What happened? I’ll tell you what happened, the stupid shift happened, it got into his head. Ike has fallen into the trap of not adjusting his game to the shift, like it’s taboo or something to change your approach because your approach is what got you to the bigs. Well the problem is, hitting to all fields IS what got Ike to the bigs … since when did he become a strictly pull hitter? I remember Keith Hernandez was incredulous at first that they were even trying the shift on Ike because Ike was always a guy who spread the ball around. Ike needs to get together with Hudgens and practice punching the ball down the third base line, get a few easy doubles, get that average up, get himself going, then he can hit as many homeruns as his heart desires. The rest of the lineup has been playing more or less as expected. We need an outfielder, badly, but in the meantime, Baxter and Valdespin should be splitting lead-off duties.

The Defense

Outside of a few misjudged fly balls by Duda and an inexplicable run of poor play by Tejada I think the defense is actually improved. Murphy has been solid. Ike hasn’t been great at first but I think he’ll settle in. Baxter is a great outfielder and Byrd can hold his own. Center field hasn’t been the disaster we were afraid of, and again, Duda plays the outfield like he’s wearing boots of lead. Wright has been a gold glove third baseman and John Buck has given us a strong veteran presence behind the plate. This team isn’t going to win or lose because of it’s defense, and that is actually a marked improvement.

The Bullpen

Jeckyl and Hyde. The bullpen has had it’s good nights and it’s nightmares. Greg Burke, after one bad outing has been pretty good, that freaky windup of his makes my eyeballs hurt so I can’t imagine it’s easy on hitters. Scott Atchison has been the token “scary old guy” in the pen and he’s been quality through and through, Hawkins has been inconsistent — pretty much the same guy I remember in Minnesota, and Bobby Parnell is throwing a 92 mph change up (need I say more?) I will say more … when he figured out how to dial it back to 91 or 92 to improve his command little did we know he’d still bring the 99 mph heat after he’d get ahead ..  so it amounts to a 92 mph changeup — which is SICK! Anyway, Parnell is fun to watch … and the rest of the bullpen is giving me hope. Josh Edgin has been shaky but reliable and I think he’ll settle in. Overall, with Francisco and Feliciano and Carson and (potentially) Mejia in reserve this bullpen may actually have some depth to bridge the inevitable injuries during the dog days of summer. Fingers crossed on this one.

Overall

I’m hopeful. Right now, as constituted, if they can stay relatively healthy I think this is a .500 team. Maybe a few games better. Things need to break right, the back end of the rotation will need a boost – either by means of Marcum or Wheeler coming to the rescue or Gee and Heffner figuring out their command issues. Ike has to get it going and Wright needs to hit a few out of the park (has he hit any since his injury?). There are concerns, this team’s success is tentative at best. The back end of the rotation let us down in Philly but hopefully Philly won’t always be lucky enough to face Gee and Heffner in the same series in their band box of a home park.

This next series against Minnesota is important. They need to establish resilience, and what better place than a sub freezing tundra on the edge of the great plains against a young and scrappy American League Central team with Ron Gardenhire as their manager. I’ll be there for every game with my lucky hat and my heat-treat pocket warmers.

TARGET FIELD: I think we’re gonna need a bigger shovel.