After being shutout by the Reds on Friday, the Mets returned the favor tonight and shut the Reds out 4-0 on the strength of a solid performance by Johan Santana and some clutch hitting by Jeff Francoeur!.

The Mets got on the board in the first inning when our new rightfielder Jeff Francoeur singled with the bases loaded to plate Angel Pagan and Luis Castillo and put the Mets up 2-0. I had hoped before the game that Frenchy would have a solid debut, and It was thrilling to see him pay early dividends and pick up the game winning RBI in his first at-bat as a Met and getting a standing ovation from the Mets faithful. I was hoping that the Reds would test his powerful arm, but alas they were too chicken shit (or maybe they are just smart). Frenchy went 2-4 on the day and looked damn good in his new Mets garb!

Omir Santos, another favorite of mine, had a great night and busted out with three hits and drove in the third run of the game later in the first inning. He also did a fine job calling the game and framing the pitches for Johan.

Angel Pagan batted leadoff went 2-4 with a triple, two runs scored, and two stolen bases in the sixth inning, including a steal of third. He brings a certain level of energy to the lineup, and defensively he has made some dazzling plays including a nice grab of a 404 foot bomb by Brandon Phillips. Welcome back Angel!

Johan Santana finally got an early cushion to work with and had a great game tonight as he pithed seven scoreless innings allowing just five hits and a walk while striking out five. He look relaxed out there tonight as opposed to his last few starts where the stress seemed to be getting to him. There was no screaming in the dugout afterward, just a big smile and a round of high fives. For Santana it was his 10th win of the season and I’m still thinking he’ll get 20 wins for us this season. He also lowered his ERA to 3.07 which ranks  

Pedro Feliciano and Frankie Rodriguez finished up for Johan with two scoreless innings to preserve the shutout and get the Mets back on the winning track.

The Phillies won so the Mets gain no ground, but I’m thinking they just gained a little more confidence than they had 24 hours ago. And I know you’re wondering, but as of this writing, Ryan Church was hitless in his Braves debut with four runners left on base. Braves are up 4-3 in the 6th inning.

Mike Pelfrey takes on Aaron Harang in the rubber game tomorrow at 1:10 PM.

I saw way too many white flags waving in our comments since yesterday. Come on everybody, don’t give up now… Ya Gotta Believe!

Lets Go Mets!