For the second consecutive series the Mets win the opener behind a good pitching effort but the guy’s name was NOT Johan Santana. Incredibly Mike Pelfrey behind a very good secondary arsenal was successful against the Nationals who always tend to give them trouble. Here are a few notes I took:
– First off the primary discussion always has to be about the pitching. Pelfrey went 6, gave up 2ER, and threw 94 pitches. Later on in the year as Pelfrey gets his arm going he’ll be asked to go that 7th but good pitch economy. The first few innings Pelfrey was hitting the strike zone early, throwing first pitch strikes to the first 7 batters which is key.* Pelfrey also had a really good hit after “the guys”** talked about him being big enough to hit a homerun. His single was a rocket that SS Ian Desmond couldn’t handle.
*= The Guys always mention a quote from Tom Seaver that I absolutely love: “the most important pitch is strike one.” Can’t be more true. For a pitching staff that struggled last year with command, getting that first pitch over for a strike to get better pitcher counts is key and will be key for the rest of the season.
**= By the guys I mean Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez and Ron Darling. Just an FYI, they are the announcers.
– I know I’m nitpicking but did Fernando Nieve HAVE to come into this game? He’s on pace to pitch in all 162 games. Hisanori Takahashi also pitched in the game his 3rd in the first four games. I did however like that they brought in Jenrry Mejia, into the 9th, in a game already long decided to get him some work and build up confidence.* I can’t fault Jerry Manuel in a way because I know that he likes to favor those who do well for him and pitchers should get rewarded for doing well but you dont want to burn these guys out early like that.
*= I was looking forward to watching Johan Santana and I thought he’d match up against the Nationals number one John Lannan but apparently that won’t be the case. I suppose Jerry’s going to go that route and try to get Oliver Perez’s confidence up although who knows with that guy. But wasting three pitchers in this game when you’ll probably need a long man like Nieve or Takahashi to come in for Saturday’s game might not have been too wise. Hopefully Ollie’s performance garners confidence.
– Alex Cora played 2b in last night’s game in place of Luis Castillo who said he had injured his calf in the first game against the Marlins but played through the pain. Last night’s game was cold so it was probably better that he didn’t play last night. Cora made two really good plays on the field. Cora was essentially brought in for leadership and clubhouse presence purposes but I think his versatility also helps and being out on the field he can be a teacher there and it helps when you have a 20 year old playing SS in the majors.
– The bats came alive last night with Jeff Francouer hitting two home runs and driving in 3 RBI’s and Rod Barajas had two solo shots. This was the first time the Mets had 2 players with multi homer games since 2006 when the Carlos’ (Delgado and Beltran) did it. David Wright also had an almost shot that the wind robbed him of.*
*= I felt bad for Wright who like I talked about yesterday seems to be hacking for homeruns. He absolutely crushed a hanging slider which seemed to hang in the air forever before dropping on to the middle of the left center wall. More importantly he got mercilessly hammered by his teammates and its absolutely a great sign. Clearly the guys like each other and I can’t tell you how important I believe that is in a 162 game season that can seem to stretch on forever. You need guys you like to help you rally around and in this clubhouse Wright doesn’t have to assume the leadership role that he was forced into the last few years and let’s be honest he failed at. Like I said yesterday, I’m clearly tougher on Wright than any other Met but its not without reason. He’s the best player the Mets have and thus has to assume the mantle of responsibility when he doesn’t come through on occasion. I just think that Wright will get going and start crushing homeruns in Citi, its just about getting that first multi homerun game under his belt.
– Congrats to Ruben Tejada who got his first hit and also scored a run later in the inning. He might be sent down once Reyes gets called up but its good to see a rookie come up and have some success.*
*= Baseball has some of the best traditions in all of sports, one of them being preserving the first hit of any rookie. It was great to see the ball passed around by the opposing team and then given to Razor Shines who immediately tossed it to Tejada to feel and then he tossed it right back. Later on, the guys elaborated on the tradition of giving him a scuffed up ball first and then presenting him with a shiny ball with the name of the pitcher it was off and the date and all that other stuff. Its what makes this game special folks.
– Thanks to Metsblog.com and also fellow fan Jimmy John for pointing this out: Bookmaker.com has Jerry Manuel as the manager most likely to be fired first this season. This win will likely keep him here a few days longer.
– Mets go with Ollie and the grand return of Jose Reyes to the line up. They do go against another pitcher who seems to have a lot of success against the Mets: John Lannan. Should be a fun game, and I can’t wait to go. As always let’s go Mets!
SEASON: 2-2
MY Prediction: 2-2
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The Lazy Eye of Sports 