After the cold and snowy winter those of us here in the New York have endured, is there a better sight than Opening Day at Citi Field? Even that was a bit touchy, as winter gave us one last snowy blast last Monday morning. So, after their opening homestand the Mets find themselves at 2-4 coming against two projected playoff caliber teams. Here are the 3 & 3 from the homestand.
3 Up:
Ike Davis: After finding out Friday night that Lucas Duda would be the starting first baseman for the foreseeable future, Ike sat on Friday and watched Duda hit a pair of two-run homers. However, Saturday afternoon belonged to Ike. Bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, Ike is called upon to pinch hit and boom… a walk-off, grand slam home run and our number one “Up”.
Lucas Duda: As mentioned above, Duda was Friday night’s star of the game, hitting two, count em, two home runs in the Met’s first win of the season. For now Lucas is the first baseman, let’s just hope he produces in his new role.
Starting Pitching: One of the keys for the 2014 Mets will be their starting pitching. How far can their pitching carry them? How far can the starters go in a game? So far so good. Dillon Gee twice, Colon, Mejia, Wheeler, and Niese have all been very good in the early going.
3 Down:
A Leaky Pen: The bullpen was exposed as a weakness during the opening series with Washington. Of particular note was Monday’s extra inning loss. Add to the ineffective bullpen the loss of Bobby Parnell, and the Mets may have a big problem getting out of the starting blocks.
Too Many K’s: In the first two games against Washington, the Mets struck out 31 times. That’s never a good thing. The Nationals have an elite pitching staff, no doubt, but the Mets need to cut down on those league-leading strikeouts. You’re not going to win too many games, if you don’t make contact.
Much Ado About Nothing: Daniel Murphy ( a 3&3 favorite), caught a bunch of nonsense because he missed two games to be with his wife and newborn son. This is the same guy who played 161 games last year! It’s amazing how the windbags on talk radio will make an issue out of the most abstract things. The MLBPA felt so strongly about it’s members being able to spend quality time with their new families, they negotiated paternity leave into their contract. As long as the MLBPA is for it, and the owners agree, it’s a non-issue.
The AAA road trip (Atlanta, Anaheim, and Arizona) is up next. We’ll catch you again at some point during the road trip, until then: LET’S GO METS!
