This about all of the highs and lows of the last month…
The month of May started out with Oliver Perez losing his rotation spot, going to the bullpen, and ending up on the DL with a bum knee. All of our starters except for Johan Santana, had ERA’s that were 5.50 or higher, and in some of those cases MUCH higher.
The month of May also socked the Mets with a boatload of injuries to key players. Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, Alex Cora, Ryan Church, Carlos Beltran, K-Rod, Angel Pagan all spent time on the DL. Some returned but many of them still remain on the DL, and in Delgado’s case who knows if he even comes back at all.
And despite all the injuries and adversity, the Mets played their best baseball in franchise history for the month of May!
That’s right, at 19-9 the Mets delivered their best month of May ever… Outstanding!!!
Of course, a lot of things went right for the Mets in May, and chief among them was the much improved performances by their starting rotation.
Mike Pelfrey (2-1 2.93), John Maine (3-1 3.30) and Livan Hernandez (3-0 2.70) all stepped up in a big way. Each of them shaved a full two points from their ERA’s heading into the month, and the lift they provided the Mets was so incredible that they were able to overcome the hits that the offense had taken with injuries.
The ace of our staff, Johan Santana continues to shine and now leads the NL in wins (7), ERA (1.77), and strikeouts (86).
May also marked the debut of the the teams number one prospect, 20-year old rightfielder, Fernando Martinez, and saw the emergence of the latest sensation, catcher Omir Santos.
The eye-opening performance of Santos prompted the Mets to trade catcher Ramon Castro, and could spell less time for incumbent starter Brian Schneider, and that’s a good thing. Santo’s helped end the month with a win thanks to his RBI double on Sunday which proved to be the deciding run.
Carlos Beltran and David Wright both were hot at the plate and at one point were ranked 1st and 3rd in the National League in batting average. Carlos Beltran still leads the NL in batting with a .352 average. And let’s not forget the contributions of Gary Sheffield, who has absolutely added a presence in the lineup that none could have expected. Sheffield batted .348 with 4 homers, 15 RBI and a whopping 21 runs scored for the month, and he even stole two bases, all while playing a stellar defense in rightfield. Wow!
The bullpen is ranked number one in the NL and our closer Frankie Rodriguez gave us quite a scare, but still managed to save a perfect 10 out of 10 save opportunities. K-Rod!!!
May was truly a unbelievable month for us, and it showed everyone just how much character and heart this team really has!
Now, as the Mets begin to get healthier with the returns of Alex Cora, Ryan Church and Jose Reyes, the outlook for June seems even brighter and better.
Ya Gotta Believe!
