Meet the Mutts: Flushing's All-Time Worst

Seeing all those Mets greats and fan favorites take to the field at Shea Stadium for one last time Sunday -- and wondering where players like John Olerud and Bobby Jones were -- got me thinking: What would a roster of all-time Mets disappointments, washouts and busts look like?

Note that strictly in terms of disappointment, such a team should definitely include Dwight Gooden and Darryl Strawberry since they pissed away certain Hall of Fame careers. But because they contributed so much in a short period and won a World Series, they will always be fan favorites, as shown by the crowd reaction at Shea's closing ceremonies.

So, without further ado, the All-Time New York Mutts. Feel free to add your own suggestions in the comments section!

OF: Bobby Bonilla, Juan Samuel, Vince Coleman, George Foster. Talk about a rogue's gallery. All four were flat-out busts and the first three were absolute disgraces. Samuel was here less than a year but it felt like he sucked for a decade, probably because the Mets traded Lenny Dykstra for him (along with Roger McDowell). Foster, by most accounts, is a nice guy, but he was a shadow of himself after coming here from the Reds.

1B: Mo Vaughn. The fact that Vaughn's name is invoked when one wants to describe something that's overrated, overpriced or massively overweight tells you all you need to know about Big Mo, who is certainly the highest-priced bust on this list.

2B: Roberto Alomar, Carlos Baerga. When the Mets acquired each of these players, the fan reaction was, "Holy sh&t, we got him?!" And then both proceeded to tank miserably. Baerga always looked like he had one too many chimichangas for a guy who was often statistically compared to Rogers Hornsby. Alomar's performance was mind-boggling considering he was considered a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame, and probably will still get there. Although Mets fans would strongly disagree; the guy was a dog.

SS: Kaz Matsui. I hesitated a bit with putting Matsui here because I think he's a decent player who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. That said, he was a tremendous bust in Flushing, displaying none of the skills he was reported to have, and even defensively he looked like a little leaguer. The fact that the Mets moved Jose Reyes to second base to accommodate Matsui was the height of insanity.

3B: Gregg Jefferies, Jim Fregosi. Did you know that Gregg Jefferies used to practice swinging while standing in a swimming pool to increase his bat speed? Nuggets like that hyped Jefferies to the Nth degree, and he never delivered on the promise. Fregosi, meanwhile, was 30 when the Mets acquired him in a trade for Nolan Ryan. Fregosi lasted less than two seasons at Shea before being traded to Texas, while Ryan... I'm sorry, I can't continue, I'm depressed as it is.

C: Todd Hundley. Yeah, I know, he hit 41 homers in 1996 and 30 the next, but look closer and you'll see a guy who hit .234 for his career and who also struck out a ton. Those two seasons look suspiciously performance-enhanced. Incredibly, Hundley's mindless fans actually used to boo Mike Piazza after his arrival paved Hundley's exit from Shea. Actually, THAT is the height of insanity.

Pitchers:
Bret Saberhagen. Did almost nothing while he was here when he was supposed to be a perennial Cy Young candidate. His batting cage in Babylon did pretty well, I'm told.
Pat Zachary. The guy was traded for Tom Seaver and went 41-46, not quite the phenom he was supposed to be.
Kenny Rogers. Ball four.
Generation 'K' - Bill Pulsipher, Jason Isringhausen, Paul Wilson. Talk about hype. Pulse was a head case and Wilson was undone by injuries and less-than-terrific talent. Izzy was bust before resurrecting his career as a closer with St. Louis. The trio's utter failure has made the franchise gun-shy on young pitching ever since.
Doug Sisk, Aaron Heilman, Guillermo Mota. At different times represented the pitcher you trusted the least in the bullpen. Mota in particular was awful, but that didn't stop Willie Randolph for calling his name again and again.
Closer: Armando Benitez. He put up some very good numbers and blew a lot of people away, except when the pressure was on, which is when he shriveled up like Barry Bonds' testicles. The antithesis of a big-game pitcher.

Goodbye, in more ways than one

I was going to write about the Mets' loss to the Marlins and the "Shea Goodbye" festivities in separate posts, but I can't.

For one, it's almost one in the morning Monday and I'd like to try and get some sleep before heading to work. Also, I don't think you can separate the two, at least not now. Perhaps if the Mets had won, you could, because there would be more baseball to be played. But the season is over. The Brewers are the Wild Card team, the Phillies are the NL East champions for the second straight year, and the Mets will never again play at Shea Stadium.

For the fans, this day will live as one, tremendously melancholy event. So let's treat it as such.

As far as the game is concerned, five runs in three days isn't going to do it. Yes, Scott Schoeneweis and Luis Ayala gave up home runs that gave the Marlins the lead for good, marking another in an unfathomable string of bullpen failures, but two runs? Against Scott Olsen, who the Mets had handled all season? Pre-game, the talk was about how many of the Mets starters had such good numbers against Olsen. Where were those numbers today?

There weren't many blown opportunities because there were few opportunities to blow. Carlos Beltran converted his chance in the bottom of the sixth, connecting on a two-run homer that tied the game at 2-2.

The only other chance came in the bottom of the eighth when Carlos Delgado came up with two outs and runners on first and second. I texted a buddy of mine, "Bunt," and I wasn't kidding. Delgado's numbers against Arthur Rhodes were brutal, and Rhodes has murdered lefties this season.

In the ninth, credit Damion Easley for drawing a walk against a young pitcher (fitting that former Met Matt Lindstrom closed it), to bring up a lefty against the righty. But that lefty, unfortunately, was Ryan Church, who had an awful September. He gave it a ride, and there was hope there for a second or two, but like the team itself, the drive fell short.

Oliver Perez put up zeroes for five innings before faltering in the sixth, but you can't fault his effort on three days' rest. Joe Smith came on with the bases loaded and one out and walked a guy, a major no-no, but he got the next two outs and you felt good about only being down by two. And when Beltran went yard, things were looking up.

They looked fantastic when Endy Chavez made a running stab in left to end the seventh, and everyone thought back to 2006 and his amazing catch against the Cardinals. The Mets lost that game, but they wouldn't lose this one, too, right? Maybe Endy needs to stop making game-saving catches.

For me, that was it -- I couldn't stick around to watch the long goodbye. I DVR'ed basically the whole day and my son was begging me to play outside, so we went onto the front lawn and played some wiffle ball. But not before replacing my snow-white Wright jersey with the Chrebet Jets jersey. Sorry, but the Mets jersey would have invited comments from the neighbors, and all I wanted to do was play ball with my son for a while and clear my head. And it worked.

I didn't watch the closing ceremonies until almost 11, having gone back to watch the "Shea Goodbye" special from the 92nd Street Y before zipping through the pregame stuff.

As for the ceremony, it may have lacked the drama and gravitas of Yankee Stadium's finale, but I was happy to see so many players from my youth -- the seventies and early eighties -- on hand. Because while we want to celebrate the great Mets teams of 1969, 1973, 1986 and 2000, a huge part of being a Mets fan was having to sit through some terrible teams.

So I loved seeing Felix Millan, and Dave Kingman, and Doug Flynn, and Craig Swan, and Ed Kranepool. We cheered for those guys while the Yankees were winning World Series, and it was great to see them one last time.

It was disappointing not to see Mookie Wilson or Davey Johnson there, or Hubie Brooks, or Frank Viola, or John Olerud. But from Cleon Jones and Jerry Koosman and Ron Swoboda to Len Dykstra and Wally Backman and Gary Carter and Jesse Orosco -- I found that seeing the former players back at Shea was incredibly healing. Maybe it was because I waited a few hours, but for me the closing ceremony with all the old Mets -- John Franco, Al Leiter, Robin Ventura , Edgardo Alfonzo -- made me think about what it is to be a Mets fan, and that is you learn to take the good with the bad, and even when it's bad, it's still your team and you're proud of it.

The cheers for Darryl Strawberry were expected. The ovation for Dwight Gooden was incredible, and like Gary Cohen, I got a lump in my throat. Gooden may have thrown his no-hitter for the Yankees, but he will always -- ALWAYS -- be a Met.

And of course the final entrants -- Mike Piazza and Tom Seaver. I miss Piazza. He was the best. And Seaver is Seaver -- The Franchise. Always will be.

I thought having them all touch home plate "one last time" was corny, but the players seemed to like it. Having Seaver throw Shea's last pitch to Piazza was a great move, unfortunately Seaver bounced it. Piazza's defensive skills were always underrated.

And having the two of them walk out through centerfield and close the place was also a nice touch, and it was then that the heaviness of the day and the disappointment hit me again.

It wasn't supposed to end this way. But, then again, these are the Mets. You learn to take the bad with the good.

I've been clear that if New York City allowed Shea Stadium to be imploded, I'd be first on line to press the plunger. That's not to say I don't have tons of memories of the place, from my first game seeing the Mets play the Pirates and shaking hands with John Candelaria, to watching Doc and Darryl, to the title in 1986, beating the D-Backs in 1999, the grand slam single, to Game 7 against the Cardinals.

Those are memories that will live inside us all. Thankfully, in gathering future memories, we won't have to endure congested concourses, narrow escalators, overflowing toilets and tiny seats facing the wrong way. The Mets will once again have a park worthy of the emotion their fans put into the team.

And maybe Citi Field will bring a change of luck. This team really needs it.

Santana pitches a game for the ages

I was only a couple of months old when Tom Seaver threw 8 1/3 innings of a perfect game, and just a year old when he struck out 19. I remember well the dominance of Doc Gooden, who threw consecutive September complete-game shutouts in 1985 (getting no-decisions in both!), and of course John Maine's 13-strikeout, no-hit bid in the second-to-last game of 2007, in a must-win game at Shea, is still fresh in the mind.

But Johan Santana's effort today, in the second-to-last game of the season, in the second-to-last regular-season game ever at Shea Stadium, in a game the Mets needed to win to keep their playoff hopes alive -- all on three days' rest after throwing a career-high 125 pitches -- was easily one of the greatest pitching performances I have ever seen.

It was certainly the most clutch under the circumstances outlined above. Throw in a Mets bullpen that has already blown almost 30 games this season, including enough Santana starts to prevent him from being a shoe-in for the Cy Young award, and it was clear that despite the short rest, the Mets needed Santana to dominate, and go long.

He did. And how. He cruised through the seventh and eighth innings and came out for the ninth having thrown 104 pitches, like that mattered. A one-out double didn't faze him, and the next three batters went down in order, the final out a flyout to left that gave an initial scare before Endy Chavez settled under it.

Three hits, three walks and nine strikeouts is an outstanding line, and while there have surely been better one-game numbers posted in baseball history, for Mets fans, this one stands out, in bold letters. Was Santana worth the players they dealt? Worth that lengthy contract for all that money? Is he the best pitcher in baseball today?

Yes. Yes. Yes.

Give Jerry Manuel credit for shaking up the lineup, although it didn't exactly produce a landslide. The Mets got early runs against pesky Ricky Nolasco -- maybe he's better than pesky, at this point -- and you wonder if there will be a statue for Ramon Martinez at Citi Field someday, the way he has played this last week.

As I write this, the Cubs lead the Brewers, 4-0, and John Lannan is keeping the Phillies in check in a scoreless game. Regardless of those outcomes (and of course we're hoping for losses), Sunday's Shea finale will be a meaningful September game on an extremely meaningful day for the franchise.

Oliver Perez will get his chance at throwing on three days' rest, and he's the kind of pitcher who is probably helped by little fatigue mixed with adrenaline. The last time he went on three days' rest, Perez went six sharp innings in Game 7 of the 2006 NLCS against the Cardinals.

We know what happened then. But Shea Stadium doesn't want the Mets to leave just yet. It's having too much fun.

Mets players from the past 46 years will be on hand Sunday to say goodbye, but the festivities begin after the game. Yankee Stadium can have its ghosts. Shea Stadium will have history on hand in the flesh in a game that is the definition of must-win.

That's gotta count for something.

You gotta believe.

Drenched by disappointment

Not much to say about Friday night's loss. The offense let early opportunities pass it by, the bullpen allowed the Marlins to tack on runs, and it seemed like the Mets used up all their fight the night before.

And, of course, the Phillies and the Brewers both won, which means the Mets' destiny is no longer solely in their hands. They need other teams' losses, too, with two games left to play.

And now Johan Santana is going to pitch on three days' rest, which doesn't sound promising, even if it is Johan, because it means the bullpen is going to have to play a significant role, barring a miracle. And even if they win, they'll need Oliver Perez to go on short rest Sunday, which in his case may actually be a good thing.

It kills me that the trash-talking Marlins, who talk a lot of sh*t for a team that's out of the race, can come into Shea, in its final days, and do what they did last year. That is as infuriating as anything else.

It's been a draining week, and now it looks like Sunday's finale could very well mean nothing but a sad goodbye. But we're staying positive... kinda...

The magic... is it back?

A buddy of mine texted me before Thursday night's game, noting that Ramon Martinez was starting, along with Robinson Cancel, adding, "Why not?" I texted back, "Ramon's playing third?"

Gallows humor is the calling card of any Mets fan, and it was in abundance yesterday as we waited for what was surely the most critical game of the season -- until the next one. What we got was a rollercoaster ride that saw the Mets go from seemingly certain defeat to walk-off victory, in the middle of a downpour that initially mirrored the Mets' fortunes but ended up incapable of washing away their spirit.

Maybe it was Lenny Dykstra's appearance in centerfield, turning the countdown to 4, that infused Shea Stadium with '86-like vibes. It certainly felt like it.

Start with Pedro, making possibly his last regular-season start for the Mets. Of course, he let up two runs in the first inning and three in the first three, but again, he settled down and ended up with a season-high nine strikeouts. An awakening Ryan Church doubled in two runs to tie the score at 3-3, and when Pedro walked off the mound with two on and none out in the seventh, he received a standing ovation, and it was well-deserved. Unlike Ollie Perez, he gave the Mets his best effort on a night when they needed it, and he deserves recognition for what he's given the team in the past.

The fans weren't even seated when Micah Hoffpauir homered on the first pitch from Ricardo Rincon to put the Cubs ahead, 6-3. Once again, like the Spanish Inquisition, no one expects when the Mets bullpen will implode, or who will be on the mound when it happens. Keeps it spicy!

(And for anyone mad at Lou Piniella for starting some bench players in the game, note that it was one of those bench players who almost single-handedly killed the Mets. But who can blame Lou for wanting to play the Mets in the first round? With this bullpen?)

The rain was falling harder, and things looked mighty grim, although Cancel perked things up a bit by doubling in the seventh and scoring on a Jose Reyes groundout. And after Scott Schoeneweis navigated through a scoreless eighth, David Wright led off the eighth with a single, only to see Carlos Delgado ground into a double play. We've seen this before.

And then, in Game-Six-like fashion, Beltran singled, and then Church singled, and then Beltran stole third off Bobby Howry. And who was at the plate? Ramon Martinez, who was 0-for-3.

What does it say about Luis Castillo (or Endy Chavez, for that matter) that Jerry Manuel stuck with the righty Martinez against the righty Howry with the game on the line? Not much. But Ramon came through with a single to cut the gap to one, and then Cancel singled to right.

Kosuke Fukudome, with a gun, charged the ball. Third-base coach Luis Aguayo -- perhaps responding to criticism for not sending Delgado home the night before -- waves Church home and he is out by a mile. Except... Church avoids the tag by a lunging Koyie Hill, misses the plate, but scrambles back to touch it to tie the score. Cray-Zee.

Pedro Feliciano opened the ninth to face a lefty and promptly allows a single. Ugh. But Joe Smith got out of the inning, getting Daryl Ward to ground out with two down and runners on second and third.

More madness in the bottom of the ninth. Reyes led off with a single, but with two strikes and Reyes stealing second, Daniel Murphy fouled off a third bunt attempt for strike three. Manuel said later that he was not supposed to bunt, and you wonder if Murphy -- a smart hitter -- missed a sign or was given the wrong sign. Either way, not a good sign for the Mets.

But this is an '86 game, remember? Wright struck out as Reyes stole second, and an intentional walk to Delgado brought up Beltran, who lined the ball off the glove of a diving Hoffpauir -- can you imagine if he capped his game with a web gem? Yikes -- to score Reyes with the winner, sending the brave and soaked faithful into a frenzy.

This team ain't dead yet, just a game behind Philly with three to go.

Of course, The Freakin Brewers won in the 10th on a walk-off grand slam, but they get the Cubbies next, while the Mets host the hated Marlins. When those games will be played is anyone's guess with all the wet weather, but we know one thing: We won't know what to expect.

It's like that at Shea.

We have good news and bad news

Regardless of how the season ends, there are a couple of things we need to make clear here on MFC.com:

1. As painful as it may be, you must give credit to the Phillies. On Sept. 10, the Mets were 3 1/2 games up in the division. In the next 11 games, the Phillies went a ridiculous 10-1, while the Mets went a fair-but-not-awful 6-5. That's a four-game swing. Had the Phillies gone 7-4 -- a good stretch -- the Mets would be 1 1/2 games ahead today, two in the loss column. So, ease up on the talk of collapse.

2. Had someone told you at the end of May that the moribund, under-500 Mets would be within a couple of games of the division title in the final week, you would have signed for it in blood. And while failure to make the playoffs would still be a huge disappointment, remember that the Mets are battling with no closer, an awful bullpen and without one of their top three starters. Not easy.

3. Any questions about how much the bullpen has affected the team can be answered in an article by Jay Jaffe of Baseball Prospectus, found here on SI.com. Jaffe points out that the Mets have plenty to be positive about, including a productive offense, good starting pitching and a reliable defense. He then makes clear -- with data to back it up -- how much the bullpen has undermined the team's success. Not that we needed the fancy numbers to prove it, but it's nice to know that it's not just perception -- it is reality.

4. I'm a Mets fan. I feel the pain like everyone else. But what I don't understand is that last year, during The Collapse, Shea Stadium was filled with so much negative energy that it was a disadvantage to the team. Could you blame the fans? Maybe not, but I draw the line at booing your own club. Talk about counterproductive.

So here we are a year later. The Mets are not only in the thick of a pennant race, but the final homestand of the season is also the final homestand EVER at Shea. You would think the fans would go out of their way to be positive, to cheer, to avoid the negative. To not act like spoiled brats. But by all accounts there are still plenty of fans who don't understand how home-field advantage works.

Do us a favor: Stay home and yell into your pillow.

The other 800-pound gorilla

No outs, first and third in the seventh - no runs.

No outs, first and third in the eighth - one run, on a bases-loaded walk.

A leadoff triple in the bottom of the ninth - no runs.

Say what you want about the Mets' bullpen troubles this season, and how with any semblance of a relief corps the division would already have been won. But there has been another major chink in the armor this season, and that has been the painful inability to convert runners in scoring position. The Cubs did all they could to give this win to the Mets -- on a night when the Phillies lost and the Brewers won -- and the Mets couldn't capitalize.

I knew as I celebrated Carlos Delgado's third-inning grand slam that it was premature. There was plenty of baseball left to be played and a four-run lead meant nothing. Except this time, the bullpen didn't give it back as much as Bad Ollie did. Oliver Perez lacked control and this time failed in a big spot in what could be his last start as a Met. Five earned runs in less than five innings? Not what we needed, Ollie.

But the Mets had their chances. Again and again and again. You can say that Daniel Murphy's lineout double play in the seventh was bad luck, but how does Jose Reyes not steal second base there, with a runner on third. That's a gimme, and it would have kept them out of the double play.

In the eighth, Ryan Church and Ramon Castro with runners on first and third with no outs and second and third with one out, respectively, failed. Only a walk to Ramon Martinez (maybe he should start at second base) got a run home. Pathetic.

And the ninth... can David Wright hit a freaking sacrifice fly there? Or not swing at a 3-2 pitch out of the strike zone?! Can Church hit a fly ball with the bases loaded and one out? Absolutely maddening.

Of course the Brewers won, so now the Mets are tied for the wild card. Can you imagine if the Phillies had won?

Now, Pedro Martinez needs to conjure up some magic for one more game, has to figure out how to get through the first inning scoreless. A Mets win -- win rain looming large for Friday and Saturday, by the way -- on Thursday would at least cut the Phillies' lead to a game with three to play. A loss? We don't want to think about it.

It's going to be hard enough to get some sleep tonight.

Santana does it all

The bouncing broken-bat single may have been good fortune finally smiling on Shea, but everything else about Johan Santana's performance Tuesday night was a direct result of his athletic prowess and competitiveness.

Santana is the ace and he performed like one, and not only on the mound. Sure, he threw eight innings with a career-high 125 pitches, battling the capricious strike zone of umpire Phil Cuzzi along the way. But Santana also reached base twice and scored two runs, once on the aforementioned broken-bat hit, and again when he beat out an attempted double play in the sixth, keeping the bases loaded. One batter later, Jose Reyes hit a bases-clearing triple and the Mets had their 6-2 lead.

Santana struck out 10, allowed seven hits and walked only two. He almost willed the team to victory in an absolutely critical game. And with the Braves (finally) beating the Phillies, the Mets moved to 1 1/2 games of the division lead with a game in hand Thursday.

Unfortunately, the Pirates couldn't hold off the Brewers, who won on a walk-off homer by Prince Fielder. The white hankies were flying in Milwaukee, and the up-to-now moribund Brewers -- still 1 game behind the Mets -- may have some momentum on their side. Here's hoping they don't.

David Wright had a clutch two-run single in the fifth that finally put the Mets on the board and tied the score at 2-2. In the sixth, Ramon Castro of all people legged out an infield single that scored Carlos Delgado when Chad Gaudin threw the ball away.

Pedro Feliciano came on in the ninth and got one out before letting two runners on. Luis Ayala stepped in and got a ground out and a game-ending popout.

Oliver Perez throws for the Mets on Wednesday against Carlos Zambrano, and we expect Ollie to come up big in another huge game. Meanwhile, can Paul Maholm beat C.C. Sabathia? And can Jo-Jo Reyes beat Brett Myers? Light a candle, sacrifice a goat, do what you have to do.

Six games left. What, me worry?

We've already declared MFC.com a no-panic zone, so we're not going to do that. But that isn't stopping the media from doing so.

What bothers me is how certain members of the media are calling this season another collapse. Excuse me? The Mets may be in a bad stretch, but it's nothing like last year, and if the Phillies weren't white-hot, the Mets would be right with them. And when did the Mets ever have a sizeable lead? They dragged themselves from the morass to get back into the race, and have stayed competitive despite:

- Having the worst bullpen of any contender in anyone's memory, one that has 29 blown saves.
- Suffering the following losses in the last 50 days: Their closer, a top-three starter and their comeback player of the year candidate whose righthanded bat filled the void of the righthanded bat who missed the whole season.
- Falling into a hole at the start of the season that was as much mental and spiritual as it was standings-literal. The team was dead as a doornail. Throw in the 70 games or so that Ryan Church missed and it's amazing they're in it at all.

So for writers and pundits to say that Jerry Manuel needs to get the Mets into the playoffs to save his job, that's crazy talk. He has done a phenomenal job this season, and if the Mets' bullpen was worth a hot dog wrapper he'd be locked up to an extension already.

And the talk of blowing up the core of the team? First, define the core: Wright, Reyes, Beltran, Delgado, Santana, Maine, Pelfrey. Add Church and Schneider, who aren't going anywhere, and Daniel Murphy, who's been a revelation. That's your core.

John Maine would have started Monday night had he been healthy, instead, you had Jon Niese making his third major league start and he didn't have it. His curveball is supposedly his best pitch but he was hanging it -- just ask Jason Marquis. The pitcher hits a grand slam in a six-run inning, that just sucks.

Yes, the Mets had their chances, with 11 left on base, and that's been a constant problem. But they still lead the wild card, and still have two starts left by Johan Santana, another by Ollie "Big Game Hunter" Perez and another by Mike Pelfrey. They have every opportunity to get into the playoffs, whether they win the division or not.

Hat tip to MetsBlog for pointing out this factoid, as reported by ESPN's Jason Stark -- Bill James noted that:

“If all games ended after six innings, those NL East standings would look a whole lot different. If games were six innings, the Mets would be leading this division by 11½ games.”

“Thanks to the best closer in baseball this year, Brad Lidge, the Phillies are 75-0 when they lead after eight innings.”

Stark goes on to note that if all games were just eight innings long, the Mets lead in the East would be 6.5 games.

I know, games are 9 innings long, but it shows you that this season is all about the bullpen.

One other MetsBlog note. That site posted the Mets' magic number countdown on Sept. 12 (despite the fact that 44 percent of poll respondents said to 'never' post it and only 8 percent said post it now), taking it down a few days later after many fan complaints, and the fact that the Phillies were gaining ground fast. The Mets' magic number on Sept. 12 was 16. Since the number was posted, the Mets are 4-7, and the Phillies are 9-1, and now THEY have a magic number of 4.

Just saying. And Matt wonders why he can't sleep at night.

Just another sucky Sunday

Aaron Heilman should never throw another pitch for the Mets.

Aaron Heilman should never throw another pitch for the Mets. Aaron Heilman should never throw another pitch for the Mets. Aaron Heilman should never throw another pitch for the Mets.

Are you getting this, Jerry?

Aaron Heilman should never throw another pitch for the Mets.

Heilman has become the Guillermo Mota of the 2008 Mets in that he sucks, and his manager is seemingly incapable of not calling his number.

Aaron Heilman should never throw another pitch for the Mets.

Sure, it was really Scott Schoeneweis and Joe Smith who blew this one, but Heilman is the guy who comes in and makes it worse. Down by one? Here's a two-run double! Thanks, buddy!

In seven appearances since throwing three innings against the Phillies on Aug. 26, Heilman has thrown 2 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on five hits and eight walks. That doesn't count the inherited baserunners he allows to score, which get credited to the guy he replaced. And count 'em up, that's 13 baserunners allowed in 2 2/3 innings, a WHIP of 4.86. For the statistically challenged, 1.5 is bad, and 2.0 is awful. A WHIP of 4.86 is astronomically putrid. His ERA in that stretch, by the way - 10.11. Also heinous.

Aaron Heilman should never throw another pitch for the Mets.

The good news is that the Mets have seven games left, all at home, against a Cubs team that has nothing to play for but ensuring their postseason health, and a Marlins team that is still in the race, and -- based on what happened at the end of last season -- a team that the Mets should be SUPREMELY motivated to beat.

And if the Mets win the game they have in hand, they're just a game out of first and two games up in the wild card. Not bad.

Then again, when you have a Russian Roulette bullpen, you can only expect the worst and count on nothing.

The Mets have blown a staggering 29 saves this season, and have lost at least 20 of those games. If they cut that in half -- blow 15 and lost 10, which still isn't very good -- they're ahead of the Cubs for best record in the NL and everyone is riding high. So all the talk about cleaning house, and disrupting the core of the team -- I don't get it. This is all about the bullpen, which was a bad situation made worse with Billy Wagner's season-ending injury. End of story, bye-bye.

Considering John Maine has been out and isn't coming back to start, it's almost incredible that the Mets still have a shot at the division title.

One guy who has to pick up his game -- other than David Wright, who is showing signs of awakening -- is Ryan Church. Two on and one out in the top of the seventh and Church grounds into a double play. Can't do that anymore, pal.

And, in case I wasn't clear: Aaron Heilman should never throw another pitch for the Mets.

No worries with Santana

It's hard to believe that some Mets fans were actually disappointed with Johan Santana this season. The guy has been the ace the Mets expected, and has been killer in the second half of the season, continuing his winning ways with another seven-inning performance Thursday against the Nationals.

Had Santana has better bullpen and run support this season, he'd have 20 wins by now and would be at the forefront of Cy Young conversation. But that's OK, because he's keeping the Mets in contention for a division title with every start.

Run support wasn't an issue Thursday as the Mets scored in each of the first five innings, getting two -- count 'em, two -- home runs from Brian Schneider, and some clutch hitting from Ryan Church, Jose Reyes and Carlos Beltran. All four of those players had two-out RBI, which is the definition of clutch.

You didn't like the five Washington hits in the last two innings, but Smith, Schoenweis and Feliciano were able to navigate the final six outs without much incident. And with the Phillies winning and the Brewers losing, the Mets kept pace in the division race while gaining a game in the wild card chase.

Up next, the Braves, who rolled over like dogs against the Phillies. Expect them to bring their best against the Mets, though. Screw them.

Not exactly a laugher

Because I have two young kids whose bedtime rituals occur when Mets games always begin, I DVR the games and watch them later, when the house is finally quiet. And let me tell you, having the ability to fast forward through the late innings when the Mets bullpen is sputtering has lessened the anxiety considerably. It's the only way to go.

Early on, I actually thought that it was a shame that such a great win only counted once in the standings, when it felt like it should be worth more. By the end, I was just happy to get the 'W' and keep pace with the Phillies, Brewers and Marlins, who all won. Of course.

There was plenty to be happy about. The Mets hit four home runs, including two by Carlos Beltran (anyone shouting 'MVP!' for him?), a prodigious blast to center by Carlos Delgado and a leadoff homer by Jose Reyes, who had two hits, two RBI, two runs scored and a stolen base, his 51st of the season.

And what can you say about Daniel Murphy? The guy hasn't played in a while but came in and had two hits, and he's going to play a ton these last 11 games, a welcome sight. Meanwhile, Brandon Knight did just what we wanted, which was to go at least five and give the Mets a chance.

On the down side, David Wright went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts and really looks like he needs a day off to decompress, although that isn't likely to happen. And Ryan Church went 0-for-4 but made a couple of nice defensive plays.

As for the bullpen, Rincon did fine getting out of a sixth-inning jam with only one run in, but then Brian Stokes and Aaron Heilman stunk. Schoeneweis did his job, and Joe Smith was OK, undone by Wright's throwing error. Pedro Feliciano got two outs in the ninth but then allowed a two-run single by the red-hot Wil Nieves, a righthanded hitter. So Ayala came in for the final strikeout.

Piece of cake!

You have entered the no-panic zone

We will not tolerate any panicking here at MFC. Sure, the Mets fell from first place with their fourth loss in five games, but they're still tied with the Phillies in the loss column and lead the wild card race over the freefalling Brewers. And with 12 games left, the season is far -- FAR -- from over.

Mike Pelfrey pitched a great game Tuesday night, throwing seven innings and allowing just one run, and Joe Smith pitched a 1-2-3 eighth inning. He should be this team's closer -- he's done the best of anyone out there lately.

The offense, however, has hit the skids the last couple of games after piling up the runs, so here's hoping it's a temporary thing. Making John Lannan an Odalis Perez look like the second coming of Spahn and Sain is by no means a good thing, but there are still a dozen games to play, seven of them at home. And the Phillies aren't going to win out.

And even if they did, you think the spiraling Brewers -- who have two more games against the Cubs this week -- are going to outplay the Mets down the stretch? Or the Astros, who can't get a hit anymore?

No panic here, even though Fernando Tatis done for the season with a separated shoulder. That just means more Daniel Murphy.

As much as the media wants to bang that drum, this isn't the same team as last year. Church, Schneider, Santana, Murphy, Ayala -- none of them were here. Jerry Manuel is at the helm, not Stiff Willie. There is plenty of time to right the ship and battle down to the end, and earn a spot in the playoffs, division champion or otherwise.

Just try and enjoy the ride.

Up next: The tragic number

Well, Metsblog finally took down the magic number -- you know, the really clever one that had a blurred-out Phillie Phanatic stalking Mr. Met -- now that the race for the NL East is a virtual dead heat.

Dead as in how the Mets are playing lately. The Mets have now dropped three of their last four, with the Phillies starting their series Tuesday against the Braves riding a four-game sweep of the Brewers, who fired manager Ned Yost for skippering his club into a tailspin. Now that's some Lou Lamoriello-like leadership.

The Mets' 7-2 loss to the Nationals in Washington was brutal. One-hit through seven innings by John Lannan. Are you kidding me? John. Lannan. He's a good, young pitcher but come ON. Pedro was mediocre, a running theme with him. Duaner Sanchez was awful. Again. Wright, Beltran and Delgado combined to go 0-for-11 with four strikeouts. Horrible. And again, with a chance to do something big, Wright grounds into a double play with the bases loaded. Painful.

Losing surrounds me. My men's softball team finished the summer season Monday night with two losses to finish 1-35 on the season. You read that right. One and thirty-five. That's a robust .022 winning percentage. Not .222, mind you, which is terrible, but oh-twenty-two, which is hideous and almost mathematically impossible.

But you know something? I think we played with more heart than the Mets did Monday night. That's not acceptable, and it has nothing to do with what happened last season. With 14 games left, the Mets simply have to win more than the Phillies, and they have six road games with the Nationals and Braves -- losing teams, mind you -- to get it started before coming home for four with the Cubs (who we pray have clinched the NL's best record by then) and three with Florida.

Whether John Maine is a part of that final run remains to be seen, but he says he's willing to help, maybe as a closer. I don't see it, but you know what? It couldn't be worse that what's out there now.

Posada is still a little b*tch

Jorge Posada is out for the season but that hasn't stopped the punk from mouthing off. On the YES Network he says that Pedro Martinez had "no class," referring to the 2003 brawl when he dumped Don Zimmer.

Suffice to say I'm glad the Mets didn't try and acquire him. It just reminded me of my favorite T-shirt sold outside Fenway Park that year: "Posada is a little bitch." Brilliant and spot-on.

Posada also says Joba Chamberlain should stay in the bullpen. Here's hoping Joba buzzes him in spring training.

Metsblog tries to back out of jinx

Metsblog posted a poll asking its readers whether to post the magic number. 85 percent of the respondents replied either 'NO' or to wait til the number hit 10. Matt Cerrone posted it anyway, at 14, and is now insisting his readers wanted him to post it, and is annoyed at the negative comments he's getting, now that the decision looks so foolish.

Here's my response to Matt:

You say 56 percent said 'post it.' Hmmmm. But 44 percent said don't post it at all, the largest percentage, and 41 percent said post it only when it hit 10. Eight percent said do it at 15, and the other 8 percent said post it immediately. So you posted it at 14, which only 16 percent of your voters agreed with.

How exactly is that the majority? Yes, 56 percent said post it, but the vast majority of those respondents wanted to wait til it hit 10.

If the poll had 2 choices - post it or not - it's clear the majority would have voted no. But by your tortured logic, the majority wanted you to post it, so you did so immediately.

Why have a poll at all if you won't listen to the respondents?

And now you say: "I worried that you might be jinxing the team, since the majority said to ‘Post It,’ but that is decision that the majority of you made – and now we must live with it."

NO, Matt, YOU must live with it. You went your own way on this one - don't blame your readers. Please.

You had a bad day. A REALLY bad day

Whenever a sports team wants to build a new stadium, there's the argument as to whether public funds should be spent to benefit a private organization, and the question regarding how much value a sports team has on the local area, not just economically but spiritually.

When that happens, we're reminded that, as sports fans, we forget that we may not be in the majority when it comes to how we spend our free time. That, in fact, there are millions of people in the tri-state area who don't give a rat's patoot about sports -- so why should their tax dollars be used to help an owner build a palace for his club?

I thought about this after Sunday's sports action came to a merciful end. It must be terrific to be one of those people today. The Mets lost 2 of 3 from the Braves, the Phillies swept a doubleheader, and the Jets lost to the Brady-less Patriots. For them, life goes merrily on. For us, it's a dark, dark day.

Luis Ayala, Mets nation turns its pennant-hungry eyes to you, and you bet he's feeling the pressure. Ayala coughed up a two-run lead in the ninth, allowing a three-run PINCH HIT homer to someone named Greg Norton, and then Pedro Feliciano made it worse as the Braves ended up scoring five runs in the top of the ninth. We knew the Phillies had already won once, and sure enough, they beat the sinking Brewers in the nightcap and now trail the Mets by just one game, two in the loss column, as the Mets have 2 games in hand down the stretch.

If you're looking for positives, that may be it.

That's not entirely true. Jon Niese saved the Mets' bacon Saturday with a phenomenal effort, pitching eight scoreless innings in a 5-0 Mets win that was absolutely crucial. Niese was not just good but dominant, so when you're looking at those games in the last two weeks where Santana, Pelfrey or Perez aren't pitching, maybe we can have some confidence that Niese can do the job again.

Johan Santana pitched into the eighth in the first game of the doubleheader and left with a two-run lead but put two runners on before he exited. It was a strong game for Santana and he went as far as he could go, much to the delight of Mets fans who want him to finish what he starts. But the bullpen failed again.

Scott Schoeneweis allowed a single, Brian Stokes allowed a single to tie it, and after a bunt and an intentional walk, Stokes let up the game-winning sac fly. Three runs in the top of the eighth, and the Mets went six up, six down to end it.

The Mets' offense was also to blame in that loss, loading the bases twice with no outs, and managing just those two runs.

So as we deal with Ayala and whoever else in the final, crucial, pressure-packed games of the season, let's hope the Mets reconsider their budget for 2009 and make sure they sign K-Rod, who would only be the second coming of Mariano. Because, as we're seeing first-hand, closers are kind of important.

And, by the way, thanks to Metsblog for posting the magic number, even after a poll showed that the majority of voters didn't want it up at all (44%) or at least wanted to wait until it got down to 10 (41%). Matt Cerrone used some tortured logic to defend putting it up at 14, and cleverly put the Phillie Fanatic in the graphic, stalking Mr. Met.

Thanks, Matt. Well done. Maybe you can post the Phillies' magic number, too.

What cost success?

I don't understand the logic behind the following, written by Ben Shpigel of The New York Times on Sept. 10:

The Mets’ insurance policy does not cover Billy Wagner’s 2009 salary, meaning they are responsible for all $10.5 million. That makes it extraordinarily unlikely that they will pursue a high-priced closer like Francisco Rodríguez of the Angels.

Why is it "extraordinarily unlikely?" Wagner's $10.5 million is money going to a player who cannot play. What's the difference whether that player is a closer, a starter, an outfielder or a second baseman who can't stay healthy? Certainly the Mets don't have a "closer budget."

At least $33 million will be coming off the Mets' payroll at the end of the year -- Pedro (12), Alou (7.5), El Duque (7) and Perez (6.5). Even if they resign Pedro and Perez, it'll be for about the same combined amount next year (Pedro less money for a year, Perez around $10 million a year). And if they don't resign Pedro and/or Perez, they'll probably spend the same or less on those two starting spots.

That leaves $14.5 million to play with nest season. K-Rod's asking price is expected to be about $15 million a year. How convenient!

The Mets really have no other glaring needs. Church will be back, Daniel Murphy has been a revelation and will end up either in left or at second base, and the rest of the positions are basically covered, and that includes the bullpen -- with the obvious exception of closer.

Moving into the new stadium next year, with all that additional revenue coming in (that's why they built it, right?) and coming off a (hopefully) successful playoff season, the Mets will be in a terrific position to once again make the playoffs and win a division title, and draw another 4 million fans. And having a lockdown closer like K-Rod, still in his 20s and probably the top closer in the game, would go a long, long way toward making that happen.

But Shpigel is saying that because they'll have to pay Wagner his $10.5 million, that is going to prevent them from making the one impact move that would put them ahead of the competition. That $10 million -- which isn't much in the grand scheme of things -- is going to get in the way of making a smart baseball decision, especially when they will be making more money than they ever have in the palace of Fred Wilpon's dreams.

That's not only upsetting and disappointing, it is insulting.

Not a great win, but a win nonetheless

Yes, it was nice to see the Mets offense pile up 23 runs in two wins over the Nationals, but shouldn't we be a tad concerned that the Nationals came into Shea and rang up 18 runs? And hammered Oliver Perez and Mike Pelfrey in the process?

It's a situation definitely worth monitoring given the lack of a fifth starter and the continued underwhelmingness (I think I just made that up) of Pedro Martinez. It means the Mets have to get solid starts from their three top starters, and while Johan Santana looks locked in, we'll see how Perez and Pelfrey bounce back.

The good news is that David Wright may be back. He went 4-for-4 with a two-run homer in the eighth to give Luis Ayala some breathing room. Ayala didn't need it, pitching a 1-2-3 ninth for the save.

Wright and Carlos Beltran were a combined 7-for-9 with five RBI in the game, and Fernando Tatis went 3-for-3 with two RBI. The Mets had 13 hits and walked eight times. Jose Reyes stole two bases and is now the team's career leader in steals at age 25. Yikes.

There was an Aaron Heilman sighting and it was not a good one. Heilman relieved Pelfrey and didn't last an inning, allowing a two-run homer to Christian Guzman, the first of two by the D.C. shortstop. Jerry Manuel and Heilman admitted after the game that Heilman has been pitching with a knee injury all season. Regardless, he is not to be trusted and may not be on the postseason roster.

Joe Smith got the win in relief. Brian Stokes allowed three runs in the top of the eighth on Guzman's second blast.

And, oh yeah, the Phillies lost again to the Marlins, giving the Mets a 3 1/2 game lead with 17 to go.

That's right -- 17 games left. Which is when the Collapse of 07 began. Be not afraid.

Bats, bullpen bail out Bad Ollie

This offseason, as the Mets ponder whether or not to make an offer -- a substantial one -- to pending free agent Oliver Perez, they'll be aware that while Perez is becoming a formidable presence on the mound, he will on occasion suck. Badly. Like he did Tuesday night against the Nationals.

Bad Ollie reared its ugly head and it took another fine performance by the bullpen and some serious slugging -- again powered by Carlos Delgado -- to overcome the Nats, 10-8.

Every Mets starter had a hit in the game and the top five in the lineup went a combined 11-for-21 with three walks and eight RBI. Delgado, of course, was the heavy hitter with his seventh multiple home run game of the season, tying one of my all-time favorites, Dave Kingman, for club record.

Carlos Beltran's homer was the biggest hit of the game; the two-run shot in the sixth gave the Mets a 9-8 lead, and one batter later, Delgado blasted his second of the game. He hit two out in his previous game and is so hot that manager Jerry Manuel compared his second-half play to that of Albert Belle, who hit 31 second-half homers in 1998.

Not to be lost were the two-hit games by David Wright and Jose Reyes, who have been slumping of late. Also big was the homer by Ryan Church, who drove in two runs and is looking more and more comfortable out there.

Brandon Knight allowed a run in the sixth but otherwise, the bullpen was -- again -- perfect, which was huge since Perez didn't make it out of the fourth. Figueroa, Knight, Smith, Schoeneweis and Stokes allowed just two hits before giving way to Luis Ayala, who threw 10 strikes on 13 pitches to get his sixth save of the season.

Mike Pelfrey goes Wednesday night as the Mets look for the two-game sweep and to extend their lead over the Phillies, who fell into a huge hole against the Marlins and lost, 10-8. The Phils are 2 1/2 games back, 3 back in the loss column.

Mets prepared for a Wagnerless world

Billy Wagner has likely pitched his final game as a New York Met, and you wonder what his legacy will be. I know his bobblehead just went up in value -- and I have two!

Many fans bemoaned Wagner as being less than automatic, that Wagner was not quite lights-out. But if you throw out the non-save situations, where he -- like many closers -- often came up short, Wagner did a more than admirable job with the Mets.

In his three seasons at Shea, Wagner saved 101 games out of 118 chances , an 86 percent success rate. Over the last three seasons, Mariano Rivera has converted 92 percent of his opportunities, while Francisco ("I've always loved Flushing") Rodriguez has converted 90 percent of his save chances. So Wagner has been pretty good at sealing the deal.

Wagner struck out 226 batters in 187 2/3 innings, pitching to an ERA of 2.40 and a WHIP of 1.06 -- fantastic numbers for a closer. And while he was dominant at times, you get the idea that Mets fans will more remember the times Wagner failed. Not winning a championship will do that.

What I liked most about Wagner was his good-old-boy candor and filter-free mouth. He said what was on his mind, and while he backtracked a few times, you know that was strictly on management's orders.

It is ironic that the player he seemed to call out for not being accountable -- Carlos Delgado -- is now leading the Mets' playoff surge while Wagner is helpless to contribute. Delgado has also earned his way back on the team next season, while Wagner will be out rehabilitating his left arm for a possible return to the majors, likely somewhere else.

The good news in all this is that the Mets have had plenty of time to adjust to life without Wagner, although no Mets fan can be too confident with Luis Ayala walking out to close a playoff game. The other thing to remember is that Wagner has awful postseason numbers -- an ERA of 9.58, with 11 earned runs allowed in 10 1/3 innings, with 19 baserunners.

Wagner won't get a chance to improve those numbers in New York, and that's too bad.

It was a good day after all

"Blue skies smiling on me, nothing but blue skies do I see..."

Sunday's weather was brilliant after Saturday's storm, but it took the Mets a few hours to shake the clouds away. After an awful effort against Jamie "Here it is, hit it" Moyer in the afternoon portion of the day-night doubleheader, I wondered if I would be headed to a wake Sunday night.

A buddy of mine had an extra ticket to the third game of the season's final series against the Phillies, so of course I went, which created a busy day of sports Sunday. The Jets opened the NFL season in Miami, and I toggled between that game and the Mets once they got underway at 2:15. And while it was quickly evident that the Mets were doing nothing against Moyer, at least the Jets were looking good behind Brett Favre.

Two touchdown passes -- one a wonderful bomb, the other a desperate heave -- gave the Jets a comfortable lead, but there was Chad Pennington, the discarded one, leading a potential Dolphins comeback.

Suddenly, there was a good chance that the afternoon would be a total bust -- a Mets loss pushing them to within a game of a sweep and a dead heat atop the NL East, plus a Jets collapse that would have has pundits telling Favre, "See, it's still the same old Jets."

But the Jets defense held strong, and so when it was time to leave the house for Shea, I had my Chrebet 80 jersey on, figuring a little Jets mojo could help the Mets avoid the ignominy of a Phillies sweep. But at the last moment, I pulled off the green and white and put on my regular Shea stadium uniform, my snow white David Wright jersey. Because if the Mets were going down, I was going down with the ship.

There were far too many Phillies fans in the house for my taste, but that only made the ending sweeter, knowing that they had to endure the jeers of Mets fans on the way out.

A fantastic effort by Johan Santana after a shaky start -- he has been a workhorse in the second half and one of the best pitchers in baseball over the last two months, and he gave the Mets all he had pitching into the eighth.

And what more can you say about Carlos Delgado? He is the MAN. Four runs batted in, two on solo homers, including one that traveled 460 feet. The "M-V-P" chant rocked Shea, and you have to admit he is very much in the conversation now, especially if the Mets get into the playoffs.

How huge was that final insurance run? It was great to see Damion Easley chase the shallow Shane Victorino to the wall in center for a triple, and Brian Schneider did what so many of teammates have shown an inability to do this season -- hit a sac fly.

Pedro Feliciano and Brian Stokes closed out the eighth, and while I would have let Stokes try and finish the ninth, out came de facto closer Luis Ayala, who made it somewhat interesting, albeit two of the Phillies hits were almost identical dribblers down the third-base line. A run scored on a sac fly, and it was lost on no Mets fan that if Jimmy Rollins could reach base, that Chase Utley would come up as the tying run.

Rollins, though, pleased everyone in the house by striking out to end it, keeping the Phillies two games back with 19 to go. The Mets won 11 of 18 against the Phillies this season, the first sign that 2008 should be much different than 2007.

One way it certainly will be different is the absence of Billy Wagner, who experienced "discomfort" in his elbow after a bullpen session, and it looks very likely that the closer will be shut down for the season.

Despite that cloud, Sunday was a pretty good day. The Mets got the split they needed, the Jets won, and Tom Brady was possibly lost for the season on the very first day.

The future is just full of possibility.

Mets steamrolling back home

Wow.

That series against the Brewers to kick off September sure looked like a pothole, and with the Phillies up next, you wouldn't blame a Mets fan for feeling a little less than confident that the team would be able to win the series and take some momentum into the Philly series at Shea.

No worries, mate. The Mets swept the Brewers with a 9-2 win Wednesday thanks to six runs in the first, four on a grand slam by Ryan "Welcome Back!" Church. Ollie Perez shut down the Brew Crew with another strong outing, although he did walk five. And the bullpen was once again perfect, allowing no runs in their last four games, or 15 innings.

If the bullpen is indeed getting its act together -- and still without Billy Wagner, who could be back in another week -- and Church is getting back into a groove, then confidence should be soaring. But let's see what happens against Philly this weekend, in what should be an all-out war.

Myers vs. Pelfrey on Friday night, Moyer vs. Pedro on Saturday afternoon and then the biggie, Cole "Four Days Rest" Hamels against Santana on ESPN Sunday night, when we get to be tortured by Jon Miller and Joe Morgan.

I fully expect at least one brawl this weekend. It's coming. And I don't think it starts with a beanball. I see Jose Reyes sliding hard into Jimmy Rollins, who opens his mouth (since he's so offended by Reyes' home run celebrations), and Reyes responds, and it's Pete Rose - Buddy Harrelson all over again.

Ohhhhh, baby!

This bullpen ain't bad

The news entering Tuesday's game in Milwaukee was the major-league debut of Jon Niese, but the story after the Mets' 10-inning victory was the bullpen. As in, "What a terrific job by the bullpen." I know, strange.

Mets relievers tossed seven scoreless innings to give the team a chance to win, running the bullpen's stretch of runless frames to 13. I know, it's hard to believe.

Nelson Figueroa and Brian Stokes each threw two scoreless innings, while Duaner Sanchez, Pedro Feliciano and Joe Smith combined to get the Mets through nine tied with Brewers, 5-5.

The Mets won the game in the top of the 10th when Daniel Murphy -- LOVE that guy! -- led off with a single and Jose Reyes reached on a sac bunt, thanks to a dropped ball at first. Endy Chavez -- who made a terrific throw in the eighth to cut down Rickie Weeks at second, delivered a sac fly for the sixth run. Luis Ayala, struggling with a groin injury, gutted out the bottom of the tenth for the save.

The Mets handed Niese a 5-1 lead after getting two in the second and three in the third on a three-run homer by Carlos Beltran. But Niese hit the wall in the bottom of the fourth, allowing three runs without recording an out. The fourth Milwaukee run of the inning was also charged to Niese after Figgy came in.

That's two wins for the Mets against a potential playoff team, and they'll go for the elusive road sweep Wednesday afternoon, with Ollie Perez facing Dave Bush.

Thank goodness for tight groins

Monday's series opener in Milwaukee looked like one of those games, where Johan Santana would pitch his heart out and not get a win because the Mets couldn't hit the other guy -- in this case, Ben Sheets.

And for five innings, that's exactly what happened. Sheets allowed two hits and a walk in shutting out the Mets, but he left the game with "groin tightness" with a 1-0 lead. It was 2-0 Brewers after six, but then the Mets turned it around. At least, Carlos Delgado did.

Delgado continued his MVP surge with a two-run homer in the top of the eighth that gave the Mets a 3-2 lead en route to a 4-2 win. Daniel Murphy led off with a double and after a David Wright strikeout (Wright was an awful 0-for-5), Delgado launched his 31st homer of the season, this one off Eric Gagne. Delgado -- who is still batting just .259 -- has been unreal lately, particularly in the clutch, and is definitely in the MVP conversation.

Carlos Beltran followed Delgado's jack with a single and scored on a double by Ryan Church. Beltran injured his knee sliding into home plate and knocking into home plate umpire Ed Rapuano. How does that even happen? Somebody better get fined. Beltran left the game but is reportedly OK.

Delgado's homer was extra huge in that it came after the Mets blew a golden chance in the seventh. Beltran led off the frame with a double but only scored on a two-out wild pitch with the bases loaded. The Mets should have taken the lead at that point.

Mets pitchers struck out 15 Brewers and the bullpen was -- dare I say -- brilliant, pitching three scoreless innings and allowing just one hit, that by Nelson Figueroa, who is back in the house. Luis Ayala got his fourth save of the season.

Billy Wagner, meanwhile, could be throwing in a rehab game in Brooklyn later this week. Stay tuned.

Game two features Jon Niese making his much anticipated MLB debut against Manny Parra.

Welcome September, demons begone

Taking two out of three from the Marlins preserved the Mets' one-game lead in the division standings heading into the month of September, which is when, last year, they... well, you know.

And the ninth month begins with a doozy of a three-game series against Milwaukee, and the series itself kicks off with a bang -- Johan Santana against Ben Sheets. A Labor Day matchup for the ages.

The Brew Crew is leading the chase for the wild card, and if the standings hold true the Mets and Brewers would meet in the playoffs. And given the tightness of the NL East race, this is really a playoff-like series for the Mets, who will throw Santana and Perez sandwiched around rookie callup Jon Niese, the untouchable prospect.

The Mets come in to the series with some momentum, bouncing back from a tough loss Saturday to beat the Marlins handily Sunday, 6-2, despite some nervous moments in the ninth -- but hey, we're used to that by now. Jose Reyes ended the game with a diving stab on a liner with two men on. Nice play.

Nick Evans and David Wright went yard back-to-back to give Pedro Martinez the lead and he still had it when he left after six, up 3-2. Pedro allowed seven hits and a walk and was solid after allowing two in the first.

The Mets plated three in the seventh to build a four-run lead on RBI singles by Reyes and Ryan Church and a sac fly by Carlos Beltran. Jerry Manuel went committee style in the seventh and eighth, using four pitchers — Schoeneweis, Heilman, Smith, and Feliciano -- before giving Brian Stokes the save opportunity.

One stroke of fortune for the Mets is that they won't have to face the force of nature that is C.C. Sabathia.