Answers?

The long running question this season has been the back end of the rotation. After Brian Bannister went down, and before and after Victor Zambrano went down, fans were wondering if it would hold up. Most feel confident in Pedro and Tom, and somewhat with Steve Trachsel, but the 4 and 5 slots have been a worry. Following the failed Lima Time experiment, Omar obtained Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez for Jorge Julio. Not a lot of tears were shed when Julio was traded, though he has since settled in as the closer for the Diamondbacks. El Duque has been hit or miss. He had a couple of fantastic starts, as well as a couple of flame-outs.

Yesterday appeared to be a rerun of a flameout, as El Duque gave up 3 runs in the first. He then however surprised all of us, and shut the Astros out for the next 6 innings. Filthy Sanchez pitched the 8th, and Billy Wagner closed it out. The offense didn't do much, but Xavier Nady provided a key HR, giving the Mets the lead for good. Nady has remembered how to hit with RISP as of late, which is a plus for the team. Carlos Delgado has also seemed to warm up of late, following a 2 month long slump.

Yesterday was the second game in a row where a hoped for answer to the 4 and 5 slot acquitted himself well. Friday, John Maine pitched a complete game shutout, throwing less than 100 pitches. He was of course helped by an anemic Houston offense, but in any event, he pitched well. The Mets finally benefited from a team swinging at the first pitch all night long, a reversal of sorts, as it is typically the Mets who do that. While Maine may not have had a shut out against a better offense, he did continue his improvement. The win was Maine's first in the majors, congrats to him.

Our old friend Mike Piazza had a milestone, collecting the 2,000 hit of his career. This comes on the heels of his 400th career homerun earlier this season. In limited action, Mike is doing quite well. It could not happen to a nicer guy. While his time in NY had passed, Mike brought class and respect to the team while he was here. Congratulations to him as well.

Today, another possible answer pitches for the Met, Mike Pelfrey. Mike improved his last item out, and the hope here is that he continues on that track. Little pressure today, as the Mets already have the series wrapped up. It would be nice to get a sweep though, and start to put some of the questions about the Astros being a wild card team to bed.

This week brings the struggling Cubs to Shea for a three game set Mon - Wed. Thursday is a travel day, as the Mets jet down to Atlanta for a weekend series against the Braves. The Braves have been hot as of late. This is a test of sorts for the Mets, because even though they have a 13 game lead, there are still the old demons against the Braves. Pedro comes back possibly. I have no doubt that he picked that series specifically. I feel that he wants to come back in the spotlight, when better than a Braves series, on the road. Time to put the hammer down boys, and end their little run at 500.