OPENING DAY PART TWO

Mets 7, Nationals 1 (NYM: 5-1, WAS: 2-6)

One week later, different ballpark, same teams, same result. Mets win over the Nationals. I just finished catching up on the game, watching it off TiVo in fast forward. Brian Bannister got the win he should have gotten last week - now he's 1-0. Bannister pitched 7 very good innings, striking out just one, but also giving up just one run. It came on an Alfonso Soriano homer in the 7th. Soriano blasted a ball just foul down the left field line, then on the next pitch crushed the solo homer. So Bannister did look tired at the end of his start, just like last time, but he also reached back for that something extra against his last batter and struck him out...just like he did the last time. Bannister might have a nice year - that'll be something fun to watch.

Offensively, things are looking good for the Mets. Future Hall of Famer David Wright (of course) got things going with an RBI double in the 4th, then Cliff Floyd made it 2-0 with a sac fly (he has yet to get hot - but look at what the Mets are doing without him. I'd rather see Floyd finish the year with solid numbers after a slow start, like he will hopefully do this year, than have him start off as hot as he did last year and slowly sliiiiiide down).

The Mets got 2 more in the fifth on an RBI single by THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, and then an RBI double by Paul LoDuca. Reyes' hit scored Anderson Hernandez, who slapped at the ball and hit it over the pitcher's head for an infield single. If he can manufacture hits like that, everything will be fine at second base. After Brian Bannister doubled in the 7th, Jose Reyes tripled, making it 5-0. It's more exciting to see Reyes hit a triple than to watch home run hitters come to the plate. Reyes hit a ball into the left-centerfield gap, and legged out the triple. He is so fun to watch.

Carlos Beltran* capped the scoring with a 2-run bomb to right field - I haven't seen a measurement, but it hit the facing of the upper deck, which says 468 on it. So it was at least 470 feet. Could our boy Carlos* finally be coming around?

No one was hit in this game...Wednesday night could be a different story, when Pedro Martinez* takes the mound against his new rivals.

RANTS FROM A MAD PREGNANT WOMAN: Just recently I was discussing with the wife how much time I might be able to take off from work when the baby arrives. It looks like it might be two weeks. Since the baby is due September 30th, I mentioned the possibility that my two weeks off could come around the time of the World Series, in which I fully expect the Mets to be participating. I may have mentioned something about taking the time to go to New York for the World Series. She said no. Actually, it was, NO!!!! Something about having to take care of the baby. I think it's the hormones. She'll see things differently once the baby's out. I'll try again then.

GONE-SON ARROYO: Rhymes with Bronson. I can't believe that Arroyo has homered in his two starts with the Reds. I think he's really playing mad that he was traded. That could have been the best thing that ever happened to him.

THE KID'S KIDS: Unfortunately, at posting time, the finals of the night games for the St. Lucie Mets aren't available, so I'm going to have to do these on one-day delays. Two days in this case, because Monday night's game was suspended due to a power outage, in the ninth inning. So that game was going to be completed before Tuesday night's regularly scheduled game. I'll update all that on Wednesday. St. Lucie is a game back of Brevard County right now, at 4-1 on the season.

BEAT THE STREAK: Stupid A-rod. The streak came to a screeching halt when the Yankees came back with 5 runs in the bottom of the 8th, to beat the Royals, 9-7. A-Rod was left on deck, at 0-for-2, in the 8th when the Yankees made the last out, and he never got up again. A new streak has to start now - I might just pick random guys all next week while I'm away, and pick up with Beat the Streak when we get back.