Mr. Pitchy

I'm starting to like this whole "Mike Pelfrey pitching well" thing. I liked it when it happened in '08, too, but this start he's off to may be outdoing that.

Last night was just building on his first two starts, he came out, threw darts, kept the Cubs mostly off the bases and completely off the scoreboard, and ran his scoreless innings streak to 19. And the result was that while the Mets didn't hit much, they hit enough to back Pelfrey and give the Mets their first winning streak of the season.

It's always refreshing when one of the guys you point out as a key player comes through, and yes, it's just the early going, but Pelfrey has clearly established himself as a pitcher who can be depended on this season, the clear #2 guy in the rotation behind Santana, and right now, he's off to a better start than Santana. It's a far cry from last season, when he just seemed to be too much of a headcase to accomplish much, and an even farther cry from his fellow key Met pitchers. I wish John Maine would start taking some of whatever Pelfrey's been taking. It might help him out. I realize that Maine wants to do well just as much as anyone else, but the change in Pelfrey has just been startling. He basically just said "I want to be a real pitcher" and went out and did it.

It's not that I'm surprised that Pelfrey has done so well early on. I'm not. I figured he would bounce back and be better than he was last year. But I'm impressed at the way he has just come out this season and attacked everyone. Through 3 starts (and a relief outing), he's been light years better than he was even when he was going well in 2008. He's taking the step and pitching like an All Star. I hope he keeps it up.