It's just so unfair that Steve Trachsel is 13-5, and the Mets couldn't get any wins early in the season for Pedro Martinez*, and for Tom Glavine towards the middle of the season. Pedro* had the good stretch, then went bad, and the Mets couldn't win for him either time. Same with Glavine after he got out to 10, 11 wins - when he pitched poorly he lost, when he pitched well he got a no decision.Now here's Trachsel, who hasn't had much of a good stretch all season - not better than average all year, and he's right behind the league leaders in wins (which is another sad commentary on the National League). Trachsel gave up 6 runs in 5 innings, for an even ERA of 5.00 on the year. All he did Wednesday night was nearly blow a huge lead.
The Mets had leads of 4-0, 7-2, and 10-2 in this one - and won by a score of 10-8. THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, was 3-for-4, with a 3-run homer. The homer made him only the second player since 1900 with 15 HR, 15 triples, 50 SB, and 20 doubles in a season - the other person, believe it or not, was Juan Samuel.
I didn't have time to mention it in Tuesday's posting, but David Wright's average dropped to .299 after Tuesday's game. Wednesday he showed signs of life, with a 2-run double, going 1-for-4 - he's now hitting .298. Billy Wagner finished off a parade of Mets relievers (Roberto Hernandez, Pedro Feliciano, Chad Bradford, Aaron Heilman, and Wagner) with another good 9th inning for his 32nd save.
I'd say the past two games should go a long way to re-establishing the Mets as the best team in the National League, but I think they moreso served the purpose of helping people realize that the Cardinals aren't the second-best team in the National League anymore.
The Mets go for the sweep on Thursday night as Dave Williams looks to follow up his solid start last Saturday against Jason Marquis (who has been less than underwhelming this year).
P.S. - the Mets celebrated Julio Franco's (alleged) 48th birthday before the game with a cake on the field.
MAGIC NUMBER: The Phillies won their fifth in a row, 2-1 over the Cubs, getting a run in the ninth to win it after the Cubs tied it in the bottom of the eighth. I still think the Phils will cool down soon - and perhaps the Mets will be the team to do it this weekend at Shea. It'll be interesting to see how the Mets play Philadelphia this weekend - the past two series with Philly have been very tough for the Mets. Anyway, the Phillies are hot now, and have been able to keep pace with the Mets, so the magic number only goes down by 1 - to 24.
Also, the Phillies are now just a game-and-a-half behind the Reds for the wild card. They can NOT keep this up. There's no way. They'll find some way to fall apart.
PEDRO* UPDATE: There was a quick mention in the New York Daily News on Wednesday that Pedro Martinez* is feeling very good, and that his calf is pretty much healed. The writer was quick to point out that it doesn't take much to put Pedro* in a good mood, but the fact that he's bouncing around and happy while injured is a good sign. Looks like Pedro* and Glavine still will be the Mets' 1-2 punch in the post-season.
THE KID'S KIDS: Another rainout for St. Lucie (2nd in a row). For the season they're 33-24, a game and a half ahead of Daytona, in first place in the second half of the season. There are only about 13 games left in the regular season - and now the Mets are faced with a number of doubleheaders.
ALFONZO'S COMEBACK: The Tides got their game in, and Edgardo Alfonzo started at 3B again. He was 2-for-4 with a double and 3 RBI (15 now), raising his average to .259.
I updated the Jets site, in case you're interested. I can't promise that I'll do a very good job with that this football season, but I'll keep you posted here if you should be checking over there.
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