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.

Make no mistake. Keith Hernandez cares deeply about this club. Maybe more than he should as a broadcaster. I imagine he may know this, but comfortable in his own skin, Hernandez sunderstand his identity is as a New York Met. This alone distinguishes him from Jose Reyes. Not that Reyes doesn’t care, he’s not yet matured to the point he has the personal investment that has Hernandez.

Hernandez has won in New York and is at the center of the clubs greatests legacies. Reyes, whom along with David Wright, will likely go down as among the Mets greatest everyday players. But, like Wright, has not yet experienced a championship as a Met. If this ever happens, it will cement Reyes’ pride and assure him his place in history. Something that Hernandez has.

In many ways Hernandez is the conscience of the Mets. His abrupt, biting criticisms are not new. Calling out Darryl Strawberry during spring training in the late 80’s and challenging Bobby Valentine’s club in 2002 weren’t about any selfish want on his part. They were about the ballclub, something that Hernandez knows is larger than himself.

Now it is Reyes turn to absorb the critical gaze of Keith Hernandez. It was Reyes’ history of selfishness that prompted Hernandez to say something. Reyes’ constant pouting and temper tantrums have been a ball and chain on what is larger than him - the ballclub. He’s not been effectively been held accountable. Its certain that Willie Randolph probably attempted to but was undermined by enablers outside the clubhouse.

Hernandez is more than a broadcaster. He’s a club icon. When criticism comes from a club icon - like a Cal Ripken or Brooks Robinson for the Orioles - its peer pressure at its greatest. Its understandable that Reyes would reject the criticism, but a public rebuke like this will leave him with a lasting memory. Men who played the game before him are watching.

…even picking up Andy Phillips? He appeared in four games. He was DFA’d today to make room for Tony Armas. Perhaps Carlos Muniz will go to the way of last season’s pitcher that was held hostage - Aaron Sele. The Mets are carrying 13 pitchers.

Says Mike Bauman.

Bauman, a national correspondant for MLB.com, offers an interesting perspective as he’s not a observer of the Mets on a daily basis. But I think he’s right.

The question is not whether Johan Santana is good enough to merit the largest pitching contract in history. The question is whether the New York Mets are going to be good enough to fully benefit from Santana’s presence.
In a real-world sense, nobody deserves $137.5 million over six years unless he or she is discovering a cure for cancer. But in a baseball sense, this is what the market allows Santana to make, and it is not his fault for being able to make it.

Good job by Bauman puting the money in its proper perspective. Here’s more:

Is it money well spent for the Mets? It is impossible to know that three months into a six-year deal. But this much is certain: Nobody would spend that kind of money for a pitcher to perform on a .500 team. The Mets obviously expected much more of themselves this season, but at the moment, with the mathematical midpoint of the season one game away, they are 39-41.

If the Mets are unable to put a better line-up on the field beyond David Wright, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran, Santana’s career may parallel that path taken by Steve Charlton. The current sum of the parts are not good and play just well enough to play .500. It was on display during last night’s loss to Andy Pettitte and the Yankees.

While there is clearly no shame in being bested by a big game legend as Pettitte, the Mets have no such luxury. They cannot waste Santana’s starts and allow him to get beat by a run at home. Santana has now gottem the loss in four of his last five starts. His last win was on June 1st against the Dodgers at Shea. That June 1st win was the only one among six June starts by Santana the Mets were victorius.

1. With all the golly gee willipers about Carlos Delgado’s 1st game heroics, nobody has mentioned that he put those numbers up as a DH and in an American League park. He was 0-2 with two BB’s in the night cap at Shea - while playing 1st base.

2. If you are a good ballclub, you don’t get shut down by Sidney Ponson on a Friday night at Shea against the Yankees.

3. Mike Steffanos calls out Omar Minaya and focuses on the frailties of the farm system.

by the great reporting of Toby Hyde and Mark Healy.

Thanks to Metsblog for providing the links and being the final word.

…and now we know just how much.
H/T to Ballbug again.

As the blogger Fifth Outfielder notes, Heilman’s appearances mirror that of Scott Proctor. Among relief pitchers, only Heilman has logged more innings than Proctor over the last year. Its certain that Heilman’s work load increased last season with Duaner Sanchez being unavailable. But it was clear that Willie Randolph - like Joe Torre his mentor with Scott Proctor - was wearing out Heilman.

The bullpen’s demise last season put far too much on Heilman. It seemed that Heilman was having to pitch in every game the Mets had a chance to win. We are seeing that relievers are often overworked and have noticable downturns in performance. Its must be fair to say that mental strain that comes from the responsibility that both Heilman and Proctor have had to bare will manifest itself at some point to either injury and/or ineffectiveness.

I’m never sure what to do about these sorts of things from second hand reports from sources with I’m unfamiliar. This was picked up by Ballbug, a notable clearing house for baseball articles.

If indeed the B-Cyclones Ike Davis and some of his teammates acted as they did without any provocation by the writer its a problem. A couple of points should be considered:

1. Younger players are not used to female reporters being in the clubhouse while they are dressing as major leaguers.

2. Protocols and schedules aren’t as clear for media to enter minor league clubhouses as they are in the majors. No media relations liaison was likely present to serve as a go between. So the reporter - and a young female one at that - certainly was a fish out of water in a clubhouse that appeared to have no club management, coaches or the manager present.

3. She clearly should have gone through someone with the ballclub or waited until they left the clubhouse. She certainly should have been escorted. The manner in which she introduced herself seems dubious.

4. The account being published is that of the reporter’s superior or colleague.

5. The comments to the post are interesting.

6. Still, the catcalls and condecension were immature, unprofessional and unacceptable. When players are in uniform they represent things bigger than themselves. The same is to be said when they are traveling together.

7. To summarize, the incident reminds of the controversy that came from Keith Hernandez’ on-air comments to the presence of the female message therapist in the San Diego Padres dugout. Both are examples of women slowly being introduced to what has been for over a century a man’s world. There’s likely to oil and vinegar seperations from time to time.

…provides someone familiar to playing in New York, although he appears to a similar player to Fernando Tatis. If the Mets don’t release Trot Nixon when Ryan Church comes off the DL they will have both more experience - and more power on the bench. This is something they’ve lacked for a few seasons. As Minaya curiously said Phillips is in the outfield mix, perhaps they are preparing for a season without Moises Alou. We may well also be seeing the Mets allign alternatives for Carlos Delgado’s departure.

It seems that Brian Runge baited Carlos Beltran and that Manuel correctly came out to protect one of his best players with the umpires. I thought that Manuel would look do this early as Willie never would. Once I thought last season he needed to do it with David Wright but he didn’t. It often seemed the umpires had the Mets and Randolph cowared.