Braves 4, Mets 3 (47-50, 5 GB)

Things are falling apart fast. 5 games back now. These were some very important games against the Braves, and the Mets just didn't come through. It's a good thing Friday's game got rained out - they probably would have lost that one too.

If the Mets don't win these next couple of games against Montreal, they might end up trading players by Friday, instead of trading for players. They absolutely HAVE to win Monday. And after that, they absolutely HAVE to win Tuesday. Then we'll go from there....but I have a feeling they're going to HAVE to sweep the Expos.

Mike DeJean has been outstanding so far. At least that's working. Not only did they get rid of Karim Garcia, but they got someone decent for him. Way to go. (By the way, I think last week I may have written that DeJean was a lefty...he is, in fact, a righty.)

And THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED Jose Reyes is starting to show why he's THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED. Reyes went 4-for-5 Sunday, basically comprising the entire Mets offense. Unfortunately, he struck out with the tying run in scoring position to end the game...but a good weekend for Reyes. On Saturday he laid down a couple of outstanding bunts - beating one out for a base hit. (Except he has been getting picked off lately - I think one was against the Expos, but also against the Braves. That has to stop.) I feel I have been ignoring THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED ever since David Wright was brought up, kind of like you tend to ignore a dog when there's a new baby around. And then the dog gets mad when you pay all this attention to the new baby, and he starts doing tricks with more fervor to get the attention back. So Reyes is like that dog, except he's playing baseball with more fervor, in order to win back my affection. Well, Jose, you never lost my affection...both you and Wright are equally my favorites. But keep it up. Or else you will lose my affection.

Kaz Matsui also continues to be hot. He only went 1-for-4 Sunday, but he's now hitting .276. That's great, considering where he was for a good portion of the first half. But here's the deal with the Mets. It seems like they've never had everything working at once. They started off the season hitting the ball like crazy, but their pitching didn't have it together (Al Leiter was hurt, Steve Trachsel couldn't find his groove, Tyler Yates was getting roughed up - basically early on Tom Glavine was the only one pitching well). Ever since the first two weeks, the pitching has been friggin' outstanding, and the hitting hasn't been there. Then on the off night when the hitting is great, a decent pitching performance is tough to get (Glavine). And when they get enough runs to win, and the starting pitching is good, the bullpen blows it. They need to start pulling everything together....FAST.

Tyler Yates, by the way, is back with the team. His ERA in Triple-A was somewhere in the low-3's, I think, as they try to convert him into a set-up/closer type guy. I feel good about the recall. I think he'll be successful. Hopefully I'm right, because the bullpen needs a lot of help. Orber Moreno was placed on the DL, which is why Yates is back.

Scott Erickson gets first crack at the Expos Monday night. Big start. Hopefully he pitches as well as he did in his first Mets start. (The one where he actually made it to the pitcher's mound, not the one where he hurt himself warming up and was gone for three months.)