When the Mets lost the rubber game of a 3 game set with Washington, the camera panned in on the Mets dugout and it looked as though everybody had just seen a ghost. The constant thought was that the Mets just had to tread water until their superstars returned. At that moment, they realized they were drowning.
This team hasn’t seen a winning streak since a three game sweep at home over Washington on May 27th. Four in a row? You want four in a row? How about Mothers Day, May 10th, in which they finished what would be a 7 game win streak at home over the Pirates.
Perhaps they woke up when the final out was recorded in Washington. Maybe it was David Wright’s homerun in Houston? It could have been Pagan’s triple on Sunday that rejuvenated the Mets dugout, or of course, one swing of the bat from Fernando Tatis last night. In every baseball season, you can often point to a game and say, “There, that’s where it got turned around (or went sour)”
Tonight, the Mets hope to point to tonight’s game as the night they found themselves back in a playoff hunt.
A native New Yorker, Jason Marquis (Manhasset, NY) will take the mound for Colorado tonight. Marquis is 12-6 with a 3.49 ERA, more impressively a 2-1 record with a 1.64 ERA in the month of July. He’s having a career year, just 3 wins away from his career high in a 9 year career.
The Mets will turn to Mike Pelfrey tonight to lead the way against this scrappy but dynamic Colorado lineup. Pelfrey is coming off a good, but not great performance in the above mentioned 3-1 loss to Washington on the 22nd.
Who is happy to see Pelfrey on the mound the most? Probably Todd Helton. In his only 3 AB against Pelfrey, Helton is 2 for 3 with 2 RBI. Pelfrey however is a lifetime 2-1 with a 3.24 ERA against the Rockies.
As for the Mets, they welcome the challenge of Jason Marquis who is 6-5 lifetime with a 4.52 ERA against the Mets. As if the red hot Luis Castillo needed any help at the plate, he goes up against Marquis whom he is 9 for 24 against with 2 RBI. Meanwhile, David Wright could be looking to break out of his Citi Field homerun slump tonight. Wright is a career 8 for 24 against Marquis with 2 HR and 6 RBI.
I would expect after last night’s heroics, Fernando Tatis will be in tonight’s lineup. This could be the game Mets fans. A win tonight changes everything with Johan Santana going up against Jason Hammel tomorrow night. Win tonight and the questions about whether the Mets are buyers or sellers at the deadline could be answered on July 31st in a way Mets fans can get excited about.
Enjoy the Game, and Let’s Go Mets!
