That's More Like It!

I know it's only been two starts, but I have to say it's really nice to see that a Mets pitcher not named Johan has been able to answer the bell this season.

The Mets offense didn't exactly put forth a sparkling effort yesterday, even though Jorge de la Rosa did his best to basically hand them the game. 5 runs is nice, although had the Mets actually been able to get some hits with men on base, the score could have easily been 8 or 9-0. But that's besides the point. On a day where the Mets offense basically performed like the Mets offense, it didn't matter because Mike Pelfrey came out throwing darts, looking like the Mike Pelfrey of 2008 and, hopefully, sending a message that last season is a distant memory for him.

Pelfrey has clearly come out with a bit of a chip on his shoulder this season, which might account for his strong start. And he needed a strong start (so did everyone else in the rotation, but so far he's the only one who has put up). Perhaps being demoted to what is basically the #4 starter had something to do with this. As surprising as it may seem, some guys on this team do have some pride, and do care about their performance and how it affects the team, and their careers. So to see Pelfrey take this "demotion" as a slight is a good thing, because now he's starting to become a real pitcher.

Pelfrey has had these sort of outings in the past, particularly in his excessively hot stretch in '08, but what he did yesterday was textbook for his success. He didn't walk anyone, which is good for any pitcher, but for Pelfrey it means he's hitting his mark. He gave up 5 singles, 3 of which were infield hits, which means his sinker and slider were on, and the Rockies hitters were just mashing it into the ground. He even struck out 6, which is encouraging because Pelfrey just isn't much of a strikeout pitcher, but he made hitters miss. All this adds up to Pelfrey getting the job done and masking the issues of his offense for a day. So, for once, we can smile a bit.

Now, if only these other jokers in the rotation can do the same thing.