The Wright and Wrong Report: Forgettable/Unforgettable

Last night's 7-2 loss to the Diamondbacks was forgettable.

Last night's 7-2 loss to the Diamondbacks was unforgettable.

How can both statements be true? Easy.

It was forgettable because David Wright went 0 for 4; Allay Soler pitched like he was possessed by Jose Lima and none of the team's nine hits came in the right situations.

It was unforgettable because Cliff Floyd (2 for 4) continues to put his slump behind him, Jose Valentin (another home run, 2 for 4 as well) is slowly grabbing hold of second base (bye Kaz), Darren Oliver saved the rest of the bullpen by throwing 4 scoreless innings and the minor league phenom Lastings Milledge made his debut as #44 in right field and showed off a rather sweet swing. I never got a chance to see Milledge in spring training (damn cable battles), but I must say he looked much more composed than his 21 years.

Tonight Pedro Martinez vs Brandon Webb. Just one run could win it with these two guys throwing.

Zisk News Flash: The Future is Now

Mets fans will finally get to see Lastings Milledge tonight--because the X-Man had some major surgery.

Wow. This season gets weirder and weirder.

The Wright and Wrong Report: A Baseball Overdose

I didn't think it could ever happen to me, but I believe this holiday weekend I caused myself to overdose on baseball. Because my allergies had me wanting to scratch my eyes out, I stayed in my apartment the entire weekend, only going outside Monday when I felt fine enough to do laundry, hit Food Town and go for a decent walk -- all without sniffling. So my baseball diet ended up as the following:

1) Every pitch of all four Mets games.
2) One complete game and parts of two other Red Sox games
3) One complete Yankee game and parts of two others
4) The Giants game where Barry Bonds hit home run 715
5) 9 innings out of the 17 Astros-Pirates marathon Saturday night
6) Parts of at least 10 other games.

I'm glad I couldn't get online all weekend. I wouldn't have been able to stop writing.

Basically, the four Met games boiled down to this: when David Wright gets treatment for his back every day, he hits like mad and the Mets win. I wish my back problems helped the Mets this much.

Thanks goodness there's an off day Thursday--I declare that it will be a baseball free zone, just so I don't burn myself out before the All-Star break.

The M&M Mets: Let the Rivalry Begin!

Like Steve said, two out of three is all right. We gained a game on the Phillies with a patchwork starting rotation. It's the sort of thing you expect from first place teams. I was at the second game of the series. Soler's first inning as a major league pitcher was painful to watch and he made no effort to hide his shame. At one point, I can't remember if it was before or after his third consecutive walk, Soler was pacing and cursing himself. There were no illusions of professional cool. He reminded me of a Chris Farley character from SNL, the guy who gets to interview his heroes but always asks obvious questions and beats himself up as a result. ("Man, that was such a stupid question. I'm so stupid! How could I be so stupid?") I expected Willie Randolph to emerge from the dugout with a loaded Luger (not sure why I see a Luger in this scenario) and put Soler out of his misery. But once the rookie settled down, he looked fine. It wasn't pretty, but he didn't give up a run over the next five innings. (And in Soler's defense, Woodward let the most routine of double play ground balls go through him. I know Matsui is no one's favorite these days, but he would have fielded that play without a hitch.)

So what's missing from a series in which our beloved Metropolitans gained a game on the second place team? Some small sense of rivalry, that's what. The Mets and Phillies have been in the same division since 1969. They're close georgraphically. Yet a Mets/Phillies series has all the tension of a Mets/Glee Club of Greater Putnam County series. I went to the game with my friend Brad, who's a Phillies fan. On the way to Shea, Brad struck up a conversation with a fellow Phillies fan. This other guy was running his mouth about the Mets' imminent collapse. About how Pedro and Glavine were going to go down the drain by mid-June. About how the Mets offense is no better than last year's. He got on my nerves. But as Brad and talked throughout the game we realized what a favor that other guy had done. He was talking trash. He was treating the Mets like a hated rival. He was talking about the Mets the way I talk about the Braves and Yankees. Brad and I watched all game for signs of conflict between Philly and New York. A Mets pitcher sticking one in Pat Burrell's ear. Chase Utley taking out Reyes at second. We saw nothing of the sort. Instead we got a polite well-played, one-run ballgame between two teams who just happen to be vying for first place in the same division. The Mets play six games against the Yankees. They play 18 against the Phillies. The math is obvious, but the lack of passion in these games is not. Who's going to light the spark between these teams? Do we need Pedro to start plucking guys like he did against the Nationals?

In a completely unrelated note, I heard a rumor that Phillies pitcher Jon Lieber is addicted to pain pills. And, whenever he's scheduled to start a game, insists on having nothing but Air Supply played in the clubhouse. Has anyone else heard these things? I'm not trying to slander the man's character. I'm just asking the questions.

The Wright and Wrong Report: I Can't Listen to This

I got through three innings of Mike and the Mad Dog calling today's game on WFAN before I went and poured wax in my ears to clog them up again. Chris Russo mispronounced three names in about 46 seconds, and Mike Francesca just about broke his arm patting himself on the back. And the game wasn't that great either. An ofer from David Wright today. But hey, 2 out of 3 with the back end of the rotation is okay. I feel a sweep in Florida.

I'm Steve Reynolds, and I approve this trade. Very much so, even if El Duque used to be on the crosstown enemy. As a guy visiting my office said today, "I would have traded Jorge Julio for a glass of water."

This trade, fresh off the newswire, I'm not so sure of. Has anyone heard of this guy? And can he be any better than Allay Soler? After that first inning last night, the "Cuban defect" looked good to me. I guess Omar Minaya just figures if you throw enough pitchers up against the wall, one of them is bound to have an ERA of about 4.00.

The Wright and Wrong Report: He's Getting Good at This

Another Mets comeback.

(Yawn.)

Another Mets comeback capped by a RBI from David Wright.

(Yawn.)

Another home run for Wright, his third game in a row.

(Ho-hum.)

Amazing how a 9 inning game can be average after 16 innings.

(Ha ha.)

David Wright is getting hot. This bodes well for the rest of the month.

Tomorrow brings 1) a day start with that guy who is barely better than Jose Lima, 2) Mike and the Mad Dog calling the game on the FAN, and 3) El Duque arriving in town. I can't digest it all after the wacky season finale of Lost. More after tomorrow's game on all three fronts.

The Wright and Wrong Report: Is It Over Yet?

"Abreu looks up...And we're going home!!!!!!" -- Gary Cohen on SNY, 12:32 a.m. 5/24/06

I will remember that call for a long, long time.

It's 11 hours later, and I'm still not sure what to write.

What does it say about a 16 inning, 5 hour and 22 minute game that the best player on the field was the losing pitcher?

That this team--which a co-worker said just last week had "no heart"--came back from deficits of 2-0, 6-2 and 8-5.

And that I had forgotten that David Wright had blasted another home run until listening to Mets Extra as I attempted to calm down and go to bed? (By the way, our Met of focus is now batting at a .370 clip since May 4th, and the power is coming back too.)

And that Gary Cohen had botched a couple of calls in the extra innings (Jose Reyes' catch of a line drive to start a double play, for example) and lost all objectivity in trying to will Cliff Floyd's fly out in the 14th (or was it the 13th? I am foggy) out of the ballpark. Did he have a hot date somewhere?

And that Ron Darling called tonight's pitcher a "Cuban defect?"

And that the most maligned player this side of A-Rod would finally have a moment that could define his career in the big apple? (Good for him.)

Willie Randolph said it best after the game: "You can't lose that kind of game. You use all your roster, you have to win the game. You're out there that long, you don't want to waste it."

Whew.

P.S.: Our friends Greg and Jason at Faith and Fear tell us that exactly seven years ago there was just as big a comeback against the Phillies. Creepy.

The H&K Report

A month ago, Mike and company promised a new contributor to Zisk. Well, there were some delays. First, getting the MLB.com webcasts to work because while I do get some games on ESPN in Hong Kong here, they're rarely live, usually from 3 days ago, and usually Yankees home broadcasts. Add it up, and it's my baseball version of MC Escher.

That, and I just got back from the states, partly to see my beloved Cubs before I would post. And wow. Are they bad. As I blog, they're slowly giving away the lead to the Marlins. The Marlins, who barely have a major-league roster. How bad are they? Their pitcher has a 1-2 count on underrated Cubs catcher Michael Barrett, and manager Joe Girardi has to come out to the mound to tell him what to do. How clueless do you have to be to be told what to do on a 1-2 count?

Think V. Zambrano is bad? Try watching Kerry Wood without banging your head against a wall. His first start last week? A devastating slider, a nearly 12 to 6 curve and a fastball with absolutely no location that came in fast and went out faster. And it's the same thing tonight. He so far has pitched 10 innings in the majors this year as I write and has given up 5 homers. This man is in his 9th year in the bigs and people are still talking about potential, about what he did as a rookie. To me, it stinks an awful lot of when the Cubs signed the perpetually sweaty Todd Hundley in 2001 and raved he would repeat his 1996 season. That's the Cubs and Kerry Wood, hoping he will repeat his 1998 rookie year.

And this Cubs team started an infield last week with four second basemen - Neifi Perez at third, Ronnie Cedeno at short (who would have played second if Rafael Furcal had signed with the Cubs), Jerry Hairston at second and Todd Walker at first.

My friends, you cannot win in the majors with four second basemen in your lineup, unless Rogers Hornsby has been reanimated and cloned to fill out the lineup.

More to Cubs reports to come. And a hint for the Mets this weekend: Walk Miguel Cabrera. Really, this Marlins team has no one else to hit.

The M&M Mets: Redemption Night

Though not listed as such on any published Mets schedule, tonight was Redemption Night at Shea.

Carlos Delgado: Watched a routine infield pop up drop at his feet allowing Bernie Williams to get a double. Came back with a 3-run home run.

David Wright: Let a routine ground ball skip past him. Followed Delgado's home run with a solo shot that proved to be the decisive run.

Billy Wagner: Crumbled yesterday. Saved a 4-3 game today.

Two out of three from the Yankees and, more importantly, the Phillies dropped two of three to the Red Sox allowing the Mets to add a game to their first place lead.

The M&M Mets: Wine and Wagner

"I'm a half glass kind of man," my Uncle Knowlton said. He and my aunt were over on Saturday afternoon. I was pouring wine.

"What's that?" I replied, "You're a half-assed kind of guy?"

My uncle howled with laughter. I love my uncle, in large part because he enjoys corny jokes as much as I do. He's one of the few people who could walk into our house, see that we're watching a Mets game, and change the channel (to watch lacrosse, no less). The Mets were up 4-0. Wagner was coming in. What could go wrong?

Later, on the call-in shows, the consensus was to blame everyone but Wagner. It was Matsui's fault because he failed to turn the double play in the ninth (which is unfair, he didn't waste any time in catching the toss from Reyes nor in relaying the ball to Delgado). It was Randolph's fault because he shouldn't have used Wagner with a four run lead. (First, Wagner needed the work. When teams lose 9 out of 12 their closers have a lot of down time. Second, if the guy can't protect a four-run cushion in May, where's he going to be in September?)

Lost in the shuffle was Pedro's magnificent start. Seven shutout innings. His excellent has become so routine, so expected, that the Fox broadcasting duo of Tim McCarver and Joe Buck ran out of things to say. Grasping at straws (consciously or otherwise), they spent an entire half inning talking about Johnny Damon's hair.

The M&M Mets: "I Told You So"

I can't tell you how many times I heard the phrase "I told you so" last night. My wife can, though. She uttered the phrase a lot and she kept track. When the Mets fell behind 4-0 in the first inning last night I was ready to bail out and watch a Netflix rental. I had no interest in seeing the Yankees kick the Mets all over Queens. Allie insisted we stick with the game. She played the "I'm pregnant" card. I conceeded.

The first "I told you so" struck in the bottom of the first when Carlos Beltran ripped a 3-run homer into left field. The second "I told you so" rang out when Xavier Nady tied the game at five. The last one echoed across our apartment when David Wright knocked in the game-winning run with two out in the bottom of the ninth, off Mariano Rivera, no less. And there were countless others along the way. Every time Reyes turned in a stellar play at short. When Matsui tied the game with an RBI single in the fifth. When A-Rod made yet another error in that same inning. Every time Heilman or Wagner punched out another Yankee over the course of four innings of stellar relief work. It was a hell of a game.

And where was our man Matsui throughout this roller coaster ride? Early in the game, he was everywhere. He applied a convincing ghost tag when A-Rod tried to stretch a single in the first. He was on the top step of the dugout greeting Reyes, LoDuca, and Beltran after they scored the Mets' first runs. He surfaced again in the fifth, fielding a pair of routine grounders to help Darren Oliver turn in a much-needed 1-2-3 inning. Then, like I said before, with two outs in the bottom of the sixth he drove in David Wright from second. If you're only as strong as your weakest link, then the Mets are in good shape as long as Matsui fields well and hits .250 or better.

To top it off, the Phillies and Braves both lost.

With Pedro and Glavine on board, I think the Mets are the favorite to win the series.

The Wright And Wrong Report: I Wish I Was at JFK

So my friend's flight to JFK tonight was delayed by an hour and 15 minutes, meaning I had time to kill before hopping the subway and the AirTrain to the Jet Blue gates. Alas, I decided to turn on tonight's game at the office. As of this point, Jeremi González is making me long for the days of Jose Lima. Four runs and nine men coming to the plate in the top of the 1st inning is not good.

I should have gone to airport anyways and watched the baggage spin around.

The Wright And Wrong Report: If Hitting the Ball Is Wrong, I Want to Be Wright

Brian Bannister down again? You mean we have to put up with Lima again? After today? Oy. And David Wright got on this time in the 9th, but no one could drive him home. Double oy.

And here comes the enemy into Shea. Just great. Good thing I won't be able to see any of these games because of a friend visiting from out of town--it will save my blood pressure from skyrocketing. I believe this weekend you'll see a writing appearance by my SNY-less partner Mike, as the games against Derek's Dicks will be on Ch. 11, FOX and ESPN.

The Wright And Wrong Report: Who Could Have Known?

Who could have known that last night our hero, David Wright, would strike out with bases loaded, 1 out, top of the 9th? Never would have predicted it, especially against a Generation K reject.

Rubber game starts in a few minutes. Lima time = Pepto time.

The Wright and Wrong Report: Listening in the Non-Rain

With rain stretching from Missouri to Maine for what seems like weeks now, I knew that I had to take advantage of a brief shower-free window last night to do laundry. But there was no way I could miss the first game of the Mets-Cards series. My decade old walkman has a headphone jack that musty be jiggled approximately once every 2.5 seconds to hear the radio, so that would be no help. Payday was just on Monday, so with a few extra bucks in my pocket I stopped by Best Buy to pick up the Sony SRFM85V, which not only has AM and FM, but also the weather band and TV audio! How excited am I??!!?!!?!? This thing makes AM sound better than ever.

So what else was I talking about? Oh yeah, the game. It did sound great, and I think the new WFAN team of Howie Rose and Tom McCarthy are gelling nicely. (I especially found their discussion of Willie Randolph bobbleheads funny.) They also informed me that David Wright still hasn't hit a home run in May. But Wright did get the 8th inning post-rain delay rally going that finished off the Cards, so maybe the power isn't too far from returning. In related Wright news, I just about spit out my iced tea last night during the delay when some yahoo called Steve Somers, saying the Mets should trade Wright for Dontrelle Willis because, "He'll never get any better."

I just may be the only non-moron listening to this station. At least Somers had the sense to just shoot the- guy down by saying "No" repeatedly for about a minute.

Speaking of moronic, this may be the stupidest thing of the season. (And I'm not alone in thinking that.) I can't wait until these two yahoos have to read spots for the New York Board of Trade and remind us that it's the 15th batter of the game, so we better do a little research on Geico. At least I'll have the SRFM85V to hear it on.

The Wright and Wrong Report: WAW

I hate to say this about such a crazy weekend, but I was WAW for two out of the three games. (FYI: WAW = Wasn't Able to Watch). My friend Bill's show Friday, then on Sunday a visit to the enemy to see Randy "I'm a Lost Little Boy" Johnson with my friend Nancy for her annual sorjun to the Bronx caused me to miss both losses, which I'm kind of glad about. Saturday night's game (which I listened to on the FAN just for old time's sake) was crazy enough as it is.

I'm still not going panic--May 15th is way too early. The Phillies are hot, hot, hot right now, but just like the Mets, they're bound to cool down. That being said, this is shaping up to be a crappy week to be looking at the standings. Ugh.

The Wright And Wrong Report: Ever Get the Feeling You've Been Cheated?

I didn't see any of this game because of my nighttime job. And after reading how it got called, I'm glad I didn't. What a cheap way to take 2 of 3. I think things will be different when the Phillies visit Shea this month.

Here comes Lima Time!

The Wright And Wrong Report: Bouncing Back Is Fun

When its the 4th inning and Keith Hernandez can't speak because he's eating ribs sent up to the booth by Greg Luzinski, you know it's a blow-out for the Mets. The box score has more numbers in it that I can count! After losing Tuesday night on a throwing error, it was good to see everyone deliver--David Wright keeps chugging along above .300, with his slump seemingly behind him. I wouldn't be surprised if he adds a homer or two to his total tonight in that hitter's paradis of a park.

The M&M Mets: One Lousy Inning

So Pedro Martinez paid tribute to his falled teammate Victor Zambrano last night by having one really shitty inning. The rest of the night, he was the Pedro we know and love.

I'm not sure what else to write about -- what a bizarre game at Citizen's Bank Park. An umpire changing his strike zone dramatically at the game, Duaner Sanchez becoming human, Aaron Heilman trying to prove he should start by throwing the ball into the stands, comebacks on each side.

A weird, weird night.

The Wright and Wrong Report: So Who Do I Write About Now?

So I lied. I did watch Saturday's game--right after Howie Rose on WFAN said, "Victor Zambrano is running off the field." I rushed from my bedroom to my living room to see the replay, and then watched yet another crazy game unfold. (Yet I still had time to go to OTB and lay down a few bets on the Derby. I won 70 bucks, thank you very much.) So Sunday's game I didn't see or hear at all, and after watching the highlights of Paul LaDuca's freakout and Jose Lima's blonde hair, I'm glad I didn't. Hey, 2 out of 3 against the Braves with the back end of the rotation? I'll take it.

As for Zambrano, the man who has been on the end of my insults all season, I'm sorry that his season is over, but I am so glad to not have to watch him and the "Zambrano Face" any more. So I guess my entries will now focus on David Wright and a goat of the day, or something like that. I don't know.

"I don't know." That's a phrase I'm sure we'll be hearing from Willie Randolph for a while regarding the 4 and 5 starters for the Mets. I'm in the minority I guess, but I'm not panicking yet. It's going to be a difficult 15 games (Phillies, Brewers, Cards all on the road; Yanks at home, Phillies at home) without those slots settled, but I think these team will be able to overcome those difficulties. There's no need to make rash trades of the prospects for someone to fill those slots yet.

Of course, I could be dead wrong and have to be talked down off a ledge by May 26th, but I hope not.

The Wright and Wrong Report: A Future Classic

During the winter of 2006-2007, SNY’s schedule will feature games from the Flushing archive under the heading Mets Classics.

This game will be among them.

The New York Mets versus the Atlanta Braves on May 5th, 2006 at Shea Stadium in Flushing, New York had more twists and turns than the last two episodes of 24 and Lost combined. Even 12 hours after the four hour and 47 minute marathon ended, I’m still in shock that David Wright -- who just chewed up and spit out his recent slump like a good piece of prime rib -- got the game-winning hit in the 14th inning, once again proving he is the Braves killer. (Take that Larry Jones.) And that the king of current slumps, Cliff Floyd, crushed a ball when the team needed it most. Yet again here was another game that the 2005 Mets would have lost. Not this edition.

Really, how does one write about a game like this? I’m finding it difficult to describe how draining it was to watch, especially after I was fucked by the MTA and missed the 3rd through 6th innings just trying to get back to Brooklyn. Even so, I still got to see the 7th inning comeback; the multiple runners left on base; the great defense on both sides of the ball; Kaz Matsui as hero and goat; Jorge Julio coming through in a big spot; Billy Wagner not coming through in a big spot…

Wow, a lot happened. Who would have ever thought that game 29 of the season could be this amazing? When someone writes the book about the greatest Mets games of the 21st century, this will be in there, alongside September 22nd, 2001 and hopefully other great games to come.

I need a break today after last night. Victor Zambrano is pitching against Tim Hudson. Since I already know its a loss, I think I’ll feel better just reading the box score.

Whew.

The Wright and Wrong Report: Fuck This No Runs Shit

A stolen email sent between teammates before yesterday's Mets-Pirates game...

Dear Tom,

I know my slump has robbed the team of runs, especially during your starts, so I decided to stop fucking around. I will get you four hits tonight (I picked four because that will get my average back over .300, where it's supposed to be) and make sure that the X-Man hits another home run to put the game out out of reach.

We haven't been very run supportive while you've been the second ace of the staff. Enough of that bullshit, we're going pummel these guys.

Oh, and if I make an error tonight, I fully expect you'll be able to recover because, well, you're fucking great.

Your third baseman,

David

PS: Have you read my blog? It's fucking awesome.

PPS: I think I will personally hit the shit out of every Atlanta pitcher I see this weekend, just because I can.

The M&M Mets: Pedro Has a Flashback

Heard in the Mets clubhouse during the bottom of the 9th last night...

Pedro Martinez: Wait, is that Braden Looper on the mound?

Aaron Heilman: No, Billy Wagner.

Martinez: I think I need to get the bullpen a midget...

Yeah, Wagner gave Met fans nightmares last night, but Carlos Delgado turned them into nice peaceful dreams.

Pedro was once again, well, Pedro. And he only threw 77 pitches, and any time we can save wear and tear on his arm is a good night. Kaz Matsui still looks good in the field, but the wet Shea faithful gave him some flack for 2 strikeouts--and leaving four runners in scoring position. I wonder if the honeymoon is over?

And how about Endy Chavez? This guy is turning from no-hit, all-field to good-hit, amazing field. I wonder if he is this year's Marlon Anderson.

The Wright And Wrong Report: Slumping Again

That two home run outburst over the weekend agaisnt Atlanta wasn't the end of David Wright's slump. He's gone hitless since then, and is obviously feeling it at the plate. His rare display of anger after being struck out last night by that no-name Nationals pitcher is proof enough. (Willie Randolph did the right thing -- pardon the pun -- by deflecting the ump attention from David, and in the process getting himself tossed.)

Fortunately Wright's defense was on last night, which isn't always the case. I'm not worried yet about the Mets third basemen. If this keeps up for another week, then I will be.

The Wright and Wrong Report: Topsy-Turvey

Um, so Victor Zambrano gives up only one run in six innings, and David Wright gets an Ofer, and the Mets win on someone else's error? This must be the bizarro Shea Stadium, to paraphrase Jerry Seinfeld, who was in the crowd in last night's walkoff win.

Somehow Zambrano was able to pull his ass out of the fire, at least keeping himself in the rotation for another start. This guy is like the girlfriend who cheats on you repeatedly, then makes up for it with a great weekend of sex and food. Then the next week cheats on you again. You want to keep giving her a chance, but in the end you're better off alone, drinking copious amounts of whiskey at some seedy bar.

Not that I'm bitter.

But I do hate Zambrano that much. I predict he gives up 5 runs in 4 innings on Saturday.

M&M/W&W One Month Report: So Far, So Good, So What

So after Steve Trachsel did his Victor Zambrano impression yesterday, the Mets ended up with an 8-5 loss, and a 2-1 record at the Ted so far and a 6-4 record on a road trip that covered the entire country. That leaves them with a overall record of 16-8 and a 6 game lead in the NL East, the biggest in the majors this season. Still, I'm not totally satisfied, as two hits in yesterday's game could have brought another victory and an eight game lead. Yes, we Met fans are never satisfied. I know I should sit back and enjoy being in first place, but I can't. I know that Zambrano pitches tonight, a Norfolk call-up tomorrow, and that both will pitch against the Braves over the weekend.

(Shudder.)

Okay, with that out of the way, let's look at the one great thing about the 2006 Mets--they are not the 2005 Mets. This team seems to have a bit more of a swagger. They talk more confidently; they actually come back from what seem to be disastrous moments in games; and they have Gary Cohen calling their games on TV, with Fran Healy nowhere in sight. That last reason alone should get them to the World Series.

Now let's look at the key stats for the four players Mike and I decided to focus on once the season began almost a month ago:

Pedro Martinez: 5-0, 33K's, 2.94 ERA
Umm, I think we're going to have to start coming up with new words to describe the job Pedro is doing, as fantastic just doesn't cut it. Except for his first starte where he played "Hide the Ball in Your Body" with Jose Gullien, Pedro has been in control of every game. That special shoe must be working wonders. And I think Pedro's upbeat personality and goofy view of the world is rubbing off on his teammates. Grade: A++

David Wright: .303, 5 HR's, 18 RBI
After a really hot start over the first two weeks of the season, the Mets third basemen has cooled off as of late. Even when he slumped, he still got on base and he's stolen 6 bases. However, his fielding troubles of late are worrisome. Grade: B

Kaz Matsui: .297, one crazy season starting inside the park HR
Almost every Met fan dreaded Matsui's return once defensive phenom/offensive sinkhole Anderson Hernandez hit the DL. So imagine my surprise when Matsui made great defensive plays, looked more comfortable at the plate and was seen numerous times smiling. It makes me wish that fans won't boo him tonight. Of course, I also wish that I would hit Mega Millions, but that's not coming true either. Grade: C+

Victor Zambrano: 1-2, 2.07 WHIP, 9.64 ERA.
Have I hated a Mets player more? Hmm, let me think. Bobby Bonilla is the only one I've hated more. If Zambrano ripped apart his hammy running the bases, I would buy a round for everybody at the bar. How much longer can this loser stink up what, on the surface, looks like a winning team? Grade: F for Fuck You Zambrano

So there you go. May day is here, as are the light-hitting Nationals and Pirates this week. With Atlanta coming up again Friday, the Mets need to take 3 out of 4, or the goodwill of April will be a distant memory.