On The Road Again

Nice weekend eh? Take 3 of 4, although we did lose a game in the standings to the Braves (I'm waiting for McDowell to pull a WWE turn and take out Bobby Cox and Tim Hudson). The pen has been doing much better, giving up 1 run (Mike Pelfrey) in the last 30 some odd innings. Wagner got 3 saves in the series, and did well. Pedro Dos continued his fine pitching, Aaron Heilman has seemingly turned a corner. The pen is settling in. Some of the guys think it is because they now have set roles. If that is the case, good. We need the pen to return to the dominance of last year. I want teams to fear having to re-take a lead against the relievers. I want the starters to continue to pitch well. But the key of course is the lineup (same refrain we've all been preaching for weeks now.)

Lastings Milledge may not be the final answer, but he has done his part. First game back, he shows some hustle, scoring the eventual winning run from first on a single. Game 2, he hits a home run. Saturday, another hit. Yesterday, a 2 RBI double, and a nice recovery on a fly ball in right to make a catch. Since his return, he is hitting 267 with 5 RBI, a 313 OBP, 533 SLG and 846 OPS. Not bad for the #8 hitter eh?

But we need more. We need Wright, who has raised his average, to go on one of his blistering tears. We need Delgado to continue to improve. We need Reyes to start hitting balls in the gap. Gotay has done well in the #2 spot (sorry 'Stache). But the key folks is Beltran. He is the guy we need to get going. He can carry this team. He did it last year, but we have yet to see it this year.

July has not been kind to Carlos. He is hitting 133, with a 273 OBP, 311 SLG and 584 OPS. He has 2 HR, 6 RBI and 13 K's. That is not getting it done. I love Beltran, I think he has all the talent in the world, but he is not showing it. Hopefully, the road trip will get him going, as he has historically hit better on the road since becoming a Met than he does at Shea. This 7 game stretch against the Padres and Dodgers is the place to start. The Braves are 1.5 games back and playing well (and playing the Reds and Cardinals this week, not good for us). It is time for Carlos to go on one of his otherworldly type stretches where he hits everything thrown at him. Take this team on your back Carlos, lead us with the bat. Back on the road, hopefully, for a better trip than last time.

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Of course I would be remiss if I didn't discuss last weeks news. Now, I admit I was a Julio Franco supporter, but of late, my faith waned. I was not upset to see him go. I wish him luck, so long as it is on an AL team, or an NL team where he can help, not hurt us.

As for Rick Down, I wanted him gone last year, so I am not upset about his dismissal. Of course, now the media is worried their is a rift between Omar and Willie, since Down was Willie's guy. Guess what? Omar is the boss. Boss and employee don't always see eye to eye. Omar wanted to make a change, Willie may not have liked it, but he accepted it, and will move on. Instead of worrying about how this will affect their relationship, realize this is normal in business, and move on.