In the off-season we talked about how we’d know a lot about the 2015 Mets after this first stretch of games against the NL East (and a pesky Yankees series).
The Mets find themselves on May 11th at 20-11 (.645, a pace for 104 wins!) and with a 3.5 game lead. I think any of us would have signed up for that in a heartbeat, and yet it somehow seems disappointing after the white-hot win streak. Had the Mets won 5, then dropped one, then won 6 the record might seem more appealing. I guess nothing is ever good enough.
When I think of individual performances, not much stands out. I’m writing this next section from the gut rather than looking up actual stats.
Going around the horn – Duda has been good, but where are the bombs? Murphy has been awful, Dilson really not anything exciting despite everyone’s panties getting moist the other night. SS has been a disaster, and now we’re talking about awful Murph again at 3B covering for the seemingly always absent Captain. Travis looked like an All-Star, and the replacements haven’t appeared to do much (again you guys might tweet me telling me Plawecki is hitting .700, but it doesn’t feel that way and I’m not looking anything up.)
Around the outfield – Cuddyer seems OK, Lagares terrific and Granderson’s walks seem to excite Michael Baron but do nothing for me. $16 million seems a lot to pay for walks. Didn’t we move the fences in again for this guy?
The pitching? Damn it’s been great. The “bad” pitchers Niese and Gee have been quietly good. Niese has an ERA that starts with a 1 (that one I looked up) even if he tap danced a few outings, Harvey has been so outstanding that when he is only very good it seems like he struggled, and my man Colon is 6-1. And that deGrom guy. And Dillon Gee had given up 4 runs in his last three starts before his injury. Plus a closer-from-nowhere who is on his way to the All Star Game.
Now the key is to play OK while out of division. They don’t need to floor it. They don’t need to burn guys out. It’s a marathon not a sprint (and other overused cliches).
Eventually Terry will stop being annoying and bat Murph 2nd and Mr. Captain will return and bat 3rd and hopefully the bats will wake up.
Terrific start. Mission accomplished through Phase 1. LGM.
The Mets will look to continue their strong start as they travel to Chicago to face the Cubs. Mets fans looking for a road trip should make sure to check out Hipmunk.com for details on the cheapest hotel rates, as well as special discounts and offers. You can also find information on flights from JFK airport at Hipmunk, or LaGuardia airport flights if that’s your preference.
