As far as the Mets are concerned April is now over and they find themselves in 4th place with a 9-12 record, closer to last place than first. Not exactly the beginning we all envisioned after overhauling our bullpen and adding a few role players to our bench.

In 2008 the Mets found themselves at 14-12, 15-9 in 2007, and they finished the month with a 16-8 record in 2006. Notice any trends?

The last time the Mets won nine games for the Month of April was in 2004. That year we finished with a 71-91 record. Steve Trachsel led the team in wins with 12, Mike Cameron led the team in homers, and our first baseman was guy named Mike Piazza.

That ends our trip down memory lane…

Some things you should know 

Carlos Delgado leads the team with 3 homeruns, followed by Carlos Beltran who has two. Nobody else has more than 1 homer. The Mets rank last in the National League.

David Wright leads the league in strikeouts and is on pace for over 200. He currently has more K’s than Luis Castillo, Daniel Murphy, Ryan Church and Jose Reyes combined.

Carlos Beltran leads the league in batting with a .388 average. He is joined by Luis Castillo, Ryan Church and Daniel Murphy who are each hitting over .300.

The Mets offense ranks #3 in batting average, #9 in runs scored, #16 in homeruns, #1 in triples and #5 in stolen bases.

The Mets pitching ranks #9 in ERA, #14 in wins, #14 in saves, #7 in strikeouts, and #9 in homeruns allowed.

Nice Surprises

Brian Stokes has yet to allow a run this season and has totaled 11 scoreless innings thus far.

Bobby Parnell has also been a pleasant surprise in the bullpen and currently sports a 1.74 ERA.

Johan Santana is in the midst of one of his best seasons statistically. In addition to a 1.10 ERA, he has struck out 44 batters in 32.2 innings while walking just 9.

Daniel Murphy is batting .324 and is second on the team with 13 runs scored. He has also proven to be a solid pinch hitter when he comes off the bench. He has looked more comfortable in the field despite the last slip.

Not So Nice Surprises

Sean Green has a 8.49 ERA and has allowed 23 baserunners in just 11.2 innings.

J.J. Putz already has 2 losses and a blown save with a 4.09 ERA. He has more allowed more walks than strikeouts.

No Mets starter has an ERA under 5.00 and if you were to take Johan Santana out of the equation the Mets starting rotation would rank last in ERA in all of baseball. The biggest culprit is Oliver Perez who carries an unsightly 9.31 ERA.

Jose Reyes is only 5th on the team in runs scored with 9. He has scored just 2 runs in his last 8 games.

Upcoming Decisions

When Brian Schneider is activated from the DL this weekend, the Mets will be faced with optioning Omir Santos or cutting Ramon Castro. When Santos pinch hit for Castro yesterday, Castro stormed into the clubhouse and didn’t stick around for the end of the game.

Tim Redding is getting close to being activated and the Mets will have to decide how to make room for him.

Final Thoughts

The Mets continue to struggle with runners in scoring position and had their worst showing yesterday when they left 14 runners stranded. They have problems adding runs late or coming back after they lose a lead. Aside from Johan Santana who has been remarkable, the starting rotation ranges from erratic to bad. Pelfrey and Maine both showed signs of hope in their last starts and will face big challenges this weekend in Philadelphia. If they can turn the corner and deliver solid performances, it might be just what the doctor ordered for this ailing Mets team.