The Mets defeated the Orioles last night by a score of 6-4, in a game that started off swimmingly, but got increasingly tense until the 9th inning.
Mike Pelfrey started this game, and essentially needed to act as a stopper after a rough weekend against the Yankees. He started the game in dominant fashion, going perfect through 3+ innings before giving up a hit. He lasted until the 6th, but couldn’t finish the inning, as he started to lose command of the strike zone in a hurry. It was a strange, if not unique duality for Big Pelf, who has the ability to look ace-like in one inning, and very human the next. At the same time, it appears as if his knack for getting angry on the mound is becoming more common, which would be good to see, if it didn’t mean that he loses the ability to throw strikes.
Mike Pelfrey gets 4 Tourette’s-esque Lashouts out of 5.
After Pelfrey was removed from the game in favor of Sean Green, there was a curious, yet inspirational moment in the dugout. David Wright, who many have called to be made captain by the team, got into Pelfrey’s face before giving him a positive tap and walking away. This was great to see from David, since it’s more or less been understood that he’d become the de facto leader of the clubhouse as he matures. It helps that he’s backing it up with the best batting average in the National League. To me, David need not officially be named the captain, since I feel that a natural leader will do just that: lead. Need the C be stitched onto his uniform for him to know that he’s a leader?
David Wright gets 5 Just Call Me Captain!s out of 5.
The Mets continue to prove that their offense is anything but light, while also proving that it’s anything but powerful. As a team, the Mets had 11 hits last night, with only 1 extra base hit by Brian Schneider, in a park that’s friendly to home runs, off a starting pitcher who’s already given up 16 of them this year.
The Mets lineup gets 1 Ill-Stocked Weight Room out of 5.
After Bobby Parnell had a rough start to the 9th inning by giving up 2 consecutive hits, it was up to Francisco Rodriguez to close out the game. He began his night with a walk, but eventually recovered and got the save after 2 runs scored, ending the game at 6-4, Mets. The main thing to take away from K-Rod’s outing here is that even when he looks shaky, a Met fan can feel confident that he’ll do anything he can to secure the save.
Francisco Rodriguez gets 5 I’m The Reason You’re Not Eight Games Behinds out of 5.
This was an interesting game for a couple of reasons. I was looking forward to seeing how the Mets would bounce back after the absolute pounding they received Sunday at the hands of the Yankees. It also contained a couple of important moments, with Wright getting into Pelfrey’s face and K-Rod securing a save without his best command on the mound. If you ask me, the Mets have clearly taken on a level of toughness that they didn’t appear to have before. I’ve seen more takeout slides, more “fiery moments”, and more hits to keep an inning alive ever since the Phillies series at Citi Field. In addition to everything else, it’s a great thing to see Wright mature right in front of us and show the leadership everybody’s been expecting of him.
Still…. Could we go out and get a power bat from somewhere? Anywhere?
Pete Lappin (3)
