The Noble El Duque of New York

He struck out seven men
He confused them by changing speeds
And pitched real well again

Wow, when you have two little kids, the darndest songs stick in your head.
Pardon me while I jab a Q-Tip into each ear.

Anyway, El Duque pitched another gem last night. Retired 8 in a row after throwing 6 straight balls to open the game (Remember the Strike Zone!). Final line, 7 innings, 4 hits, 2 BB, 7 K's and 107 pitches. Chad Bradford and Duaner "Filthy" Sanchez finished it up.

Now of course, there will be those who say "It was only the Pirates" How quickly they forget that these same Pirates:
1. Knocked the snot out of Glavine and Heilman the day before
2. Had scored 6 runs in 6 straight games.

The man was on. Throwing that 56 MPH curve for strikes. Changing speeds at will, like having the ball on a string.

The lineup, after a hot start, fell asleep for 7 innings. No hits after the first guys? Not good. Cripes, Kip Wells' ERA actually dropped a run.

For all the Sturm und Drang after last weeks debacle in Boston and the losses in the Bronx and the ensuing loss to the Pirates Monday, the Mets are still 11.5 games ahead. Meanwhile, Boston has slumped a tad, and the Yankees lost two in a row to the Indians (including a 19-1 spanking on Tuesday, Happy Birthday Boss) .

I saw this morning where Larry Brooks of the Post is calling for Mike Pelfrey to make a start this weekend. Now, Larry knows hockey (though I can't stand his constant belittling of the Islanders and lap-dog obedience to the Rangers), but he made some valid points. Of course, he then did what I feared, raising expectations for the kid by calling him "Can't Miss Kid Pelfrey". Of course Larry only looked at Pelfrey's obvious numbers, Wins and Losses and ERA, and ignores his lack of a Plus pitch beyond his fastball. Basically, with the nickname, Larry has set the kid up to fail if he does not dominate right out of the box.

Steve "CY" Trachsel is on the mound tonight. The opponent, Tom Gorzelanny, making his second start this season. Gorzelanny went 5 innings last time out, 6 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks and 6 K's, and threw 100 pitches with a no decision. Of course, given that he is new, the Mets will swing at the first pitch all night. Game planning guys. Darling mentioned this last night in talking about the Pirates approach to Glavine on Tuesday. I hope Rick Down was listening.