Conflicting signs for Mets' stretch run
Remember the Mets' 2010 season? Pretty ghastly, right? Characterized by injuries, underperformance and mismanagement.
What with the Mets getting rained out against the Marlins Wednesday night at Citi Field, I had time to indulge my curiosity: These 2011 Mets, full of vim and vigor and grit and spirit and heart, are 55-55. How were the slothful, inept, poorly run 2010 Mets doing at this juncture?
They were 55-55.
They proceeded to go 24-28 the rest of the way, for a final record of 79-83, so let's set the baseline there. Given that the current Mets deliberately (and intelligently) hurt their chances by trading Francisco Rodriguez and Carlos Beltran, a record of 80-82 or better should be considered progress.
(Actually, this year should be regarded positively by Mets fans no matter how these last 52 games go. But let's focus on the tangible result of a wins increase.)
So what are the signs that the Mets, having jettisoned their best reliever and best middle-of-the-lineup threat, can conclude in the black relative to '10? Let's break them down by "Encouraging" and "Discouraging."
Encouraging: Let's start with the most obvious. The Mets are far better run than they were a year ago at this time. Sandy Alderson knows what he's doing when it comes to baseball operations, and he has the full backing (and minimal meddling) from ownership.
Discouraging: Front-office savvy doesn't translate instantly to on-the-field brilliance. Even during this current four-game losing streak, we've seen critical fielding misplays by Justin Turner and Daniel Murphy and a baserunning snafu by Jon Niese.
Reader Richie Glanzer of Lynbrook asks, quite fairly, why these Mets under Terry Collins are viewed as such a prepared, intense group when they've committed some mistakes that were quite similar to those made last year by Jerry Manuel's gang of losers. I don't have a great answer for him.
"You've still got to play the game right. You've still got to grind it out," Collins said Wednesday, as he discussed how to overcome the current stretch. "Yesterday's mistake is over with. Did you learn from it? If it happens again tonight, will you make the correct play? For me, the answer is yeah."
Encouraging: Even with Jose Reyes' future uncertain and the Wilpons' mess unresolved (but looking better), these Mets aren't carrying the sort of drama that seemed to weigh on their predecessors. Manuel and his boss Omar Minaya were dead men walking, as were Luis Castillo and Oliver Perez.
And don't forget, Carlos Beltran's rough return from right knee surgery threw the team off, as well. Said Jason Bay: "The problem there was, Carlos had come back right after the All-Star break. We were playing well. I think a lot of us, myself included, felt that it might have been a catalyst. It wasn't.
"All of a sudden, it was like that balloon popped. We were looking for that, and it ended up going in another direction."
Discouraging: Beltran did rebound with a superb September (.365 on-base percentage, .603 slugging percentage in 85 plate appearances), and Johan Santana delivered a 2.68 ERA in five starts (totaling 37 innings) before going down with his left shoulder injury.
Sure, wacky things can happen in small sample sizes, but the Mets don't have an outfielder as good as Beltran or a starting pitcher as good as Santana on their roster. Well, Santana is on the roster, yet he'll be in New York Thursday to see the team doctor. We very well might not see him throw a big-league game until 2012.
Encouraging: Of the Mets' remaining 52 games, 31 are at Citi Field and 21 are on the road.
Discouraging: The Mets are playing better on the road (33-27) than at home (22-28) this season. Maybe they should think back to last year, when things weren't as bad as they feel now, and when they put up a 47-34 mark here in Flushing.
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