50/50

I guess you can describe today for the New York Mets as average - no more, no less. With a record of 1-1 today that would seem to fit. More on this soon.

You could easily look at today's two games as essentially similar for the starting pitching. Both pitchers pitched pretty well. You coud delegate the difference in scores between the two games to two things: 1. the Mets relief pitching; and 2. the Mets offense. And you might be right. But, in reality, there was much more than that going on. Johan Santana, the greatest pitcher this side of Tom Seaver, pitched okay (at the best). He gave up 3 runs and 10 hits in just 6 innings of work. Now, I'm not getting down on him, that's a great game if it's one of your worst (which it is), but still, not a great performance. Mike Pelfrey, on the other hand, has been down on his luck recently. His previous 3 starts had a composite ERA of over 8. Today, he pitched 6 innings - not more than you'd expect for a number 4 or 5 starter) and gave up just 2 runs, while registering 6 strikeouts. That's a pretty darn good step in the right direction.

Funnily enought, with the starting pitching going down in the first game and up in the nightcap, the hitting provided a veritable contrast. In the first game, 5 Mets had multiple base-hits (Wright, Beltran, Alou, Delgado, Schneider), including 3 who had been slumping. They amassed an impressive 12 runs on 12 hits. In the second game, the whole team got just 4 runs, mind you, this was with somewhat of a B lineup with Alou, Church, Schneider, and Castillo being replaced by Anderson, Chavez, Castro (Welcome Back) and Easley. Note: All 4 of the hits were by the four regulars: Reyes, Wright, Beltran and Delgado.

Beltran and Delgado got multiple extra-base hits.

The Mets are currently in third place at 18-16, a game behind the Phillies and two games behind the Florida Marlins.