Worth The Trip

I suppose I couldn't have blamed the Mets if they'd lost today. Consider the circumstances, and I'm sure you, loyal reader, would agree. After a long 10-game Road Trip through 3 cities that feels like it's been about a 3-week road trip, the Mets now had to fly clear out to Denver to play the Colorados in a make-up game from one of those horrible April games that got snowed out. The Mets have had a hard enough time winning a game in Colorado as it is, and now they ended up stuck coming back (and these makeup games are going to start becoming a recurring theme for the Mets after all the games they had rained out). To celebrate the occasion, the Mets ran out a true "B" lineup, replete with Josh Satin at 1st, Zack Lutz at 3rd, Anthony Recker catching, and so on and so forth. Being that it's Denver, instead of the temperature being 25º at game time, it was a sweltering 95º.

Add all this up, and you figured the Mets were likely to lose 4-3 in 13 innings or something similarly terrible. And, if this game had been played when it was supposed to be played, that's probably what would have happened. Or maybe it would have been 10-9 in 13 innings, since it is Colorado, afterall. But, no. The Mets continued this nice little streak they're on by playing a mostly crisp and well-pitched game, and parlayed a timely Home Run from Marlon Byrd into a 3-2 win. Go figure. After weeks of nothing, the Mets have finally awakened and went 7-4 on this ridiculously extended road trip.

Credit certainly goes to Byrd, who not only hit the winning Home Run, but also shot down a 9th inning rally by the Colorados before it had a chance to start. Michael Cuddyer led off against Bobby Parnell with a shot that, in typical Colorado fashion, snuck under Satin's glove and into Right Field. But for some reason, Cuddyer tried to be a hero and go for two, and Byrd, who didn't panic, made a mostly effortless throw to 2nd to get Cuddyer. But credit should also be given to the pitchers. Jeremy Hefner took a no-decision, but he certainly appeared in danger of taking an undeserved loss thanks to a Josh Satin error, and the fact that the Mets appeared to hit into 16 fielder's choices over the course of the first 7 innings. But Hefner got himself in and out of trouble before turning things over to LaTroy Hawkins, who did get the win, Scott Rice and finally Parnell, who continues to be lights out.

Again, the Mets could have lost this game 25 different ways and you really couldn't have blamed them. But they didn't. They won. And this is finally starting to look like a cohesive team. But can they continue it at home, where for some reason they've had all kinds of trouble? We'll find out this weekend, although having Mr. Universe on the mound tomorrow night should certainly help.