Out For More Blood

After a particularly nasty blowout loss on Tuesday evening that featured El Duque not having anything and getting whacked all over the ballpark, the Mets were able to rebound with a nice, albeit hair-raising victory on Wednesday that served to win them another series from Atlanta, and ship the Braves off to those nice, pretty Atlanta area Golf Courses. Fittingly, on Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, it would be Shawn Green coming through with the big hit to give the Mets a victory that was nearly frittered away at the mostly incapable hands of Guillermo Mota, who really has shown that he deserves no part of a Postseason game whatsoever. True, it didn't help that he came into a tight spot created by Feliciano, and he almost got out of the inning when Francoeur (who has officially solidified his spot on the list of "Braves I Really Hate") foul tipped one that LoDuca couldn't hang on to, before getting the game-tying hit.

But it was Green who was able to save the day, blow the Shofar and drive home the winning run. I noted on Monday night that Green has had an exceptional career record against the Braves (his record against Smoltz has been well-noted), and his strong showing on Monday and Wednesday nights only served to further his credentials.

I know that Green has pretty much fallen out of favor, mostly with the fans, and that's not undeserved as he really is merely a shell of the player he once was, but, looking back, Green has really made his hits count. True, he was absolutely miserable for about 3 months following a red hot April and early May, and the foot injury he suffered in Florida really derailed his season, but lately, he's rebounded. It's been quiet, a single here, an RBI there, and no real power to speak of, but he's performed admirably, and I have a feeling, and it may just be gas, but I have a feeling that he's going to come through in a key spot come October. Call me crazy.

Meanwhile...

The blowout loss on Tuesday night was rendered meaningless, and tonight proved more of the same in regard to our friends in Philadelphia, as the Colorado Rockies whipped them good and proper on Tuesday night and did the same on Wednesday night. I know before the season I maligned the Rockies as an unidentifiable obscurity, but they kicked the Mets asses back in July, and now they're doing the same to the Phillies in Philadelphia.

Have I told any of you how much I love Matt Holliday? I mean, he's a one-man Wrecking crew right now, and probably the first, last and only reason the Rockies are mysteriously tied with Philadelphia in the race for the Wildcard right now. Holliday homered twice on Tuesday and again on Wednesday, and if the Rockies somehow find themselves even closer and perhaps even winning the Wildcard (and they're only 2 1/2 games out right now), Holliday could become the odds on favorite for NL MVP, this despite the fact that most of the nation may not have any idea who the hell he is. Well, he's showing you, and in case you missed it, the Rockies are miraculously hanging around here.

So, Philly and Colorado have one more game coming tonight, and the Phillies really need to win it, else they come into New York on Friday night, with a team that is itching for some revenge after the nasty 4-game disaster at the end of August, and a team that has been red hot ever since they left Philadelphia, and ready to put them down and out and sew up the division and knock them out of the Wildcard race at the same time. I wanted blood against Atlanta, and I want more blood with Philly coming in. I know it won't happen, but part of me really wants Glavine to come out on Friday night and put his first pitch right under Jimmy Rollins' chin. This Philly team just has this air of being a little too cocky and a little too comfortable at times. Pat Burrell needs to get flipped in this series too. Not hit, just flipped, buzzed, whatever you want to call it. Just let them know. The Mets are here. We're watching, and we mean business.

Magic Number: 11.

MAZEL TOV!

It's been a long-standing tradition for me that, whenever Shawn Green hits a Home Run, I will yell (or text El Guapo as the case may be) MAZEL TOV!

And Green certainly earned his Mazel Tov last night, capping a tense, taut ballgame by homering on the first pitch I was able to see as I arrived home, a majestic blast off the scoreboard in Right, giving the Mets a big victory in Game 1 of this week's Grudge Match.

The Mets offense was sparse, with 2 of their 3 hits leaving the yard. Carlos Gomez had one of those that went out, early in the game, after hitting a long drive foul (and drawing the ire of Willie by styling at home plate and watching it), which gave the Mets the early lead.

But let's give the credit to where it's rightfully deserved: The Bullpen. First Joe Smith, then Feliciano, Wagner and Heilman navigated in and out of some dangerous situations and threw zeroes from the seventh inning on. Wagner was especially dominant, striking out his nemesis That's So Taguchi and also The Jerkwad in his two perfect innings, and Heilman also rebounded with a solid inning after a few rough outings. Smith pitched himself out of a major jam in the 7th, with help from Feliciano. And Jorge Sosa shook off bad outings in his last two starts to pitch a good game against the frightening MFCardinals lineup, featuring Scott Spiezio and his chin pubes in the #5 spot (how the mighty have fallen. From Cheech Molina on Opening Day to Spiezio. Just a tragedy for the MFC's).

But it's Green who deservedly wears the hero's mantel on this evening. They're down, now knock them out.

Getaway Day

Sometimes you tap the Rockies; sometimes, well, sometimes the Rockies tap you.

After last night, does anyone even give a damn? Me neither.

Mike Pelfrey is taking his lumps early on, but I hope no one is starting to panic over it. I didn't get to see the game today, and I didn't bother to listen to it once I got back to my desk and it was already love-6, so I don't know what was happening with his pitches, but my guess is that they were staying up and getting too much of the plate because he was overthrowing. Why? Because he only walked one guy but gave up eight hits. If he's overthrowing, it's a mental thing. He needs to calm down and get in his usual rhythm, to what we saw in spring training.

It's been a little up-and-down, back-and-forth, strikes-and-gutters for most of the starters so far. Friday versus Matt Chico and the Nats ought to tell us something about Oliver Perez that I think we're all waiting expectantly for the answer to: namely, can he string two good starts together, or will he keep up the seasickness-inducing pattern he's begun the season with. In other news, I'm now ending all my sentences with prepositions. I mean, prepositions are what I'm now ending all my sentences with.

Meanwhile, Shawn Green has been busy proving me dead wrong, responsible for three of the five Mets runs today on a bases-clearing double, and I love him for it. Frankly, I thought all that spring talk from him was wishful thinking on his part. Sure, Shawn, you closed that hole in your swing, you've got it all figured out now, okay. But if you look at his approach, it's not so much that he's shortened his swing as leveled it out a little. And he goes the other way, which is something he did back in his 40-homer years in Toronto, too. He looks very fluid. I still don't see this lasting all year, but if it helps hold the fort while Delgado and Wright work out what's ailing them then I'm glad for it.