Maybe this is the one that can do it. Sometimes its a series that signals a turn in a season’s fortunes. Yesterday’s extra-inning gut check win assured the Mets would at least hold serve to the first-place Phillies. If Pedro Martinez can recapture some of his own magic tonight, the Mets will gain three games in the loss column.
With three months to play, we’ve seen two straight Oliver Perez starts of notable quality on the road. Mike Pelfrey is emerging as a starter. Carlos Delgado is beginning to hit. Yesterday’s blown save by Billy Wagner aside, the bullpen seems to be adapting to Jerry Manual’s reshuffle to clearly defined roles.
Please forgive me if I found Joe Smith sudden death work during three innings reminding me of Terry Leach. This was Terry Leach’s type of game that required his kind of guts. It looks as if Smith has Leach’s guts now, too.
Now we have tonight. As its likely Martinez will not go very far in the game, the bullpen will shoulder the last 10 to 12 outs. They’ve had a pretty good weekend and seem to want to ball. Its a small ballpark in Philly, so it may not be pretty at times. But a win tonight in what is this season’s biggest game could signal the end of the Mets mallaise.
Posted under METS
This post was written by bobsikes on July 7, 2008
