You could see this one coming a mile away

Short one tonight. Let me say only that if I bet the house against the Mets every time they faced a rookie or unknown starting pitcher, I'd be a rich man today. Vance Worley? Of course.

Probably worse was the way Mike Pelfrey fell apart after three scoreless innings. Perhaps it was too much coming off a week when he lost 11 pounds to the stomach flu. Then he shouldn't have started. Dillon Gee didn't fare much better, though Howard's grand slam was not exactly crushed. What a joke of a ballpark.

Totally agreed with Howie and Wayne regarding walking the anemic Brian Schneider to face the pitcher wth two outs. Yes, Pelf struck out Worley, but the Phils had the top of the order in the next inning, and of course scored two runs. Bad move. Igarashi walked three -- ugly all around!

Loved the homer by Ike Davis. And Pridie showed some pride with his two-run shot in the ninth.

Now we have Jon Niese against Halladay Saturday afternoon, and then Chris Young against Cliff Lee in prime time Sunday night. That .500 road trip? It's gonna be tough now.

Daniel Murphy dropkicks the Nats

We said early on last season that we loved us some Daniel Murphy. And while Ike Davis has been tremendous at first base, we still felt bad for Murph, who got hurt, went to the minors to learn second base, and then got hurt again on a dirty takeout slide.


At the time, it seemed like that was that for Murphy, at least as a Met. But give the Mets credit for seeing value in Murphy's offense and his work ethic. They held onto him and plugged him into the second base mix, figuring he could at least be a lefthanded bat off the bench. Lo and behold, the guy has played decent defense and has shown that he knows how to swing a bat.

The latest proof came Wednesday night in game two against the Nationals, a game that could have turned on an absolutely awful blown call by third base umpire Marvin Hudson. Jose Reyes was clearly safe at third on what should have been a triple, but Hudson somehow saw him come off the bag and called him out. As Keith and Gary pointed out on air, neither Reyes nor Collins were thrown out despite vociferous arguing, a sign that Hudson knew he blew it.

Murphy was the next guy up, and he battled Tyler Clippard in an eight-pitch at-bat that ended when Murphy blasted a 3-2 changeup for a home run that should have given the Mets the lead; instead, the game was tied, 2-2.

The Reyes call was the kind of play that would have doomed the Mets two weeks ago. The fact that they bounced back showed guts. The fact that they had to bounce back again — after giving up a run in the bottom of the eighth after a failed diving catch by Bay, Murphy failing to cover second, and a passed ball by Thole — and succeeded proved that this team knows how to fight and win.

Give Murphy credit again, making up for his defensive lapse by ripping a two-run double that gave the Mets a three-run lead in the top of the ninth. But it was only part of a huge inning that saw a leadoff hit by Bay, a bloop single by Davis, a bunt single by Harris and then a pinch-hit sac fly to deep right by Chin-lung Hu.

So many contributors. Igarashi with another huge inning out of the pen. K-Rod closing it out. Beato getting the win and pitching well again despite the hard luck in the eighth.

But the biggest thing was seeing the passion of Reyes and the will of Murphy lead to a Mets win, their first after trailing in the ninth inning since Sept. 25, 2009. The Mets never win those games, right?

They do now.

Silence from the Debbie Downers

That headline is really just an excuse to post this video, one of my favorite SNL sketches of all time.


What's funny is that Jimmy Fallon, who was always the first one to lose it in any sketch (and he's the first one to do so here as well) actually ends up holding it together better than most, especially Rachel Dratch and Horatio Sanz. But you can't blame them. It is hilarious. The band's sound effects are killer. It's amazing they were even able to finish after Debbie says, "It's official. I can't have children."

And a side note: Lindsay Lohan does a great job here. Such promise she had.

I thought of this sketch because of the Mets' current winning streak, which has quieted the critics for the most part. The streak was extended Tuesday night with a 6-4 win at the Nationals, which saw savvy base running and three more hits from Ike Davis, two hits from Jason Bay, a clutch two-run double by Josh Thole and terrific work by the bullpen, from Igarashi's key out in the fifth to Buchholz, Izzy and K-Rod closing things out.

That was the plan all along, right? A solid lineup with Bay and Davis supporting Wright, Beltran finally back and contributing, Reyes getting on base? This is a lineup that can score some runs.

Chris Young didn't make it through the fifth, but the starters have been going deep enough lately that the bullpen was rested, and now they seem to have settled into their roles, at least for now.

Bottom line, this team can compete and win. But we still, almost daily, hear someone somewhere mention who's going to be traded if and when the Mets fall out of contention. Whatever.

And BTW, they never did catch that anthrax guy.

Boom Goes the Dynamite

Can we relax now?

Are we all off the ledge? Good.

The cranks and the media will remind us that the Mets are still four games under .500 and disaster is probably always looming around the corner, but screw them. A four-game winning streak is a four-game winning streak, and it happened at home, something the Mets really needed after starting so slowly at Citi Field.

Which the Mets have turned into a bandbox, by the way. It's a small sample size, to be sure, but Citi Field currently has the third-highest home run rate in the NL, even better than Citizens Band Breaker One-Nine Park in Philly.

David Wright — what can we say? Two more home runs today (Jason Pridie had the other Mets homer) and he's tearing it up again, which I doubly love since he's also on my fantasy team.

Jason Bay has come back in a big way and his presence was felt immediately. He and Ike Davis homered in Saturday's 6-4 victory, and Davis hit a bomb on Friday as the Mets scored two in the seventh and two in the eighth (scoring late — gotta love it) in a 4-1 win, the first win in the three-game sweep of the D-Backs.

Timely, solid hitting has been a factor in the rejuvenated Mets, but the pitching has come around big-time. Mike Pelfrey, five hits over seven innings on Friday night and he was in command. Dillon Gee, six innings, five hits a walk and five Ks for his second win, earning him a spot on the roster when Chris Young was activated Sunday. Nice work.

Perhaps best of all was Jon Niese today. Seven innings, six hits, two earned runs, two walks and three Ks and he was throwing hard.

Starters going deep helps the bullpen, which has also looked good lately,

My God, is this the same team that was so doomed just a week ago? Yes, it is the same team. A team that hasn't panicked, that despite what the haters say has plenty of talent. That hit some rough weather in the early going and has come out of it intact, with the look of a team that could and should be competitive, which is all we expected, wasn't it?

Take a deep breath now, Monday's an off day, then on the road for Washington and Philly (again).

Aaaahh. That's better.

I love it when a plan comes together

It was just one win.

Changed a five to a six in the win column, and snapped a seven-game home losing streak, but it still counted as just one win.

But it felt like much more, didn't it?

I picked a good game to go to with my son, and I was hoping for the Mets to finally win if only so he could tell his Little League teammates all about it at their game on Friday. But we got more than just a victory.

This was a laugher, much-needed and well-deserved.

Despite chilly temperatures and a stiff wind blowing in from left field that one expected would turn cavernous Citi Field into something Grand Canyonesque, the Mets hit three home runs. Chris Capuano was close to brilliant, giving the Astros fits all night. The Mets played solid defense.

And, oh yeah, Jason Bay was back in the starting lineup, and not only doubled for his first hit, but touched them all on the extremely rare four-base error when Hunter Pence booted a pop-up down the right field line into the corner.

It was the kind of play we'd expect the Mets to make, but on this night the tables were turned. Was it coincidence that this happened on the night Bay returned? On the night when Terry Collins finally snapped on a botched foul-tip ruling on the second batter of the game, getting tossed as Mets fans cheered him on? On a night when the Mets looked to fashion to shake things up, wearing the black caps and undergarments with the snow whites?

Whatever it was, it all came together and the game felt like a turning point. David Wright ended his 0-for-20 with a homer to deep left. Mike Nickeas blasted his first career tater to left, and Ike Davis hit his second of the season 430 feet to dead center.

(Of course, it wouldn't be a Mets game without some bad news. Angel Pagan, who didn't get hurt in a collision with Justin Turner Overdrive, did hurt his side on a swing and is day-to-day. Can we ever have a complete lineup in place for more than one game?!)

My son and I couldn't have had a better time. We had great seats behind first base, saw a couple of foul balls come close, warmed up for an inning in the Caesar's Club, and he hit some ropes in the kids' batting cages out in the center field plaza. Throw in some Cracker Jacks, pretzels and cotton candy and he was in his glory.

As was I. A perfect night at the ballpark, in April, with the Mets.

Who'da thunk it?

These are the times that try men's souls

At baseball practice Wednesday afternoon, my son announced that he would be going to the Mets game Thursday night.

One of the other dads, an interlocking 'NY' prominent on the collar of his Yankees mock turtleneck, remarked, "Watch the OTHER team."

Snickers followed from a couple of the other kids and parents, but then my son did me proud by replying with a smile, "I'll be sure to do the opposite of that."

Well, son, the man may have a point.

Last night's loss brought to mind the question, is it better to lose by a run than to get blown out? You lose by a run — five of the Mets' last eight losses have been by two runs or less — you're in the game but frustrated by the outcome. You get blown out, you write it off as an anomaly and forget it.

I'd rather be blown out.

So much good stuff undone by yet another mind-boggling and awful end. Four hits and two steals by Jose Reyes, three hits each by Daniel Murphy and Carlos Beltran, solid defense with three double plays, including some nice turns by Murphy, whose two-run homer in the sixth tied the score at 3-3 and made you think that perhaps the game, and the early season, could turn on one swing.

The game turned back on another swing, this one a homer by Hunter Pence, in the eighth, which regained Houston its one-run lead.

And then the disaster, as if on cue. First and third and one out in the eighth, Justin Turner comes up to pinch hit. He strikes out, the ball gets away, and while Keith and Gary didn't mind Angel Pagan trying to score on the short passed ball, it was pretty risky. Then again, when things are going bad, players try and make things happen, and had Pagan's cleat not caught the ground and kicked his foot up over the plate, maybe the game gets tied and we laud Pagan for his hustle.

Instead, double play, end of the inning.

Then Reyes leads off the ninth with his fourth hit, and for the fourth time in the game, Josh Thole makes an out. But this one was extra special, as he failed to get the bunt down and popped it up to the pitcher, Lyon. He catches it, then doubles Reyes off first. Reyes may have hesitated thinking Lyon would let it drop to try and force Reyes, the faster runner, at second base, not realizing Downs had crept in behind him from second base. The hesitation cost him and the team dearly.

Dickey pitched OK after allowing the Astros to go up 3-0, but the Pence homer was a killer. The Mets also loaded the bases with one out in the first and scored zero, another common theme so far this season.

The Mets now have the worst record in baseball, and are 1-8 at home.

But it's only April. There are five months of baseball left.

Is that good or bad?

Take me out to the ballgame

The Little League baseball season has begun, and my son has moved up to the 9-10 division. Among the challenges he'll face (not including the fact that he is a just-turned-nine-year-old third-grader in a division where the best players are fifth-graders almost two years older): faster and better pitching, stealing (only after the ball crosses the plate and isn't dropped by the catcher) and signs (when I heard the coach describe what an 'indicator' was, I could almost hear my son's brain switching channels to think about something more interesting, like his new Tony Hawk Shred game for the Wii).

Another challenge will be dealing with the reality that his teammates are mostly, if not all, Yankees fans. "Am I the only Mets fan on this team?" I heard Michael exclaim. "I think so, dude," replied one player, resplendent in his Jeter jersey.

It may be tough on him, but I have little sympathy considering I grew up a Mets fan in the seventies, when Lee Mazzilli was our Mickey Mantle and our favorite players were Craig Swan, Doug Flynn and Bruce Boisclair (yes, Bruce Boisclair).

This year's model isn't anywhere close to being that bad, but after another loss Monday night in which a man named Wandy one-hit the Mets for almost seven innings and our setup-man-in-waiting-who-once-threw-a-pitch-100-miles-an-hour balked in a run before allowing a two-run single to quash any chance of a late comeback (and then informed us all that he has a numb middle finger and has had it for a week or so, which certainly hasn't helped), the call has already gone out to start the fire sale.

Seriously. In April. A month that has the Royals and Indians battling for first place, and the Red Sox in last.

But look, the Mets have the worst record in the National League! All hope is lost! Nothing has changed!

I'll tell you one thing that has changed. Ticket prices. They are lowwwwwww.

Which means I will be attending my second game of the season at Citi Field tomorrow (two games in April is a personal record), and I'm bringing my son along. We'll both be wearing Wright jerseys (snow white for me, pinstripes for him) and sitting behind first base in seats that cost me less than half the face value.

There is literally no better time to get tickets, whether you want great seats or not (Promenade tix can be had for $5). So if you want to see a ballgame in person and save some money while doing so, especially if you have a family, get on StubHub NOW.

Seriously, the more the merrier. Because if the Mets are going to snap out if this funk, they're going to have to start winning at home, and they're going to need fans' help.

There was a post on one of the Mets blogs recently slamming the fans at the Nationals series, the writer remarking that Mets fans were among the worst in baseball, or something to that effect. I was at game two of the Rockies series last week and I can tell you while the crowd was sparse, I did not come across any yahoos or recall a lot of home team booing. The fans who were there were mostly die-hards in blue and orange who were there to cheer the Mets on, and were doing so til the end. (Especially that one drunk guy in front of us -- he was having a great time).

So, no, Mets fans are not among the worst. If anything, they're among the best and most loyal, considering the entirety of their history.

True fans support their teams in good times and bad. So while these may be bad times for the Mets, what better time to get behind them? And it's cheaper, too.

For my son's sake, I hope the struggles are short-lived, or at least that the Mets bounce back and play competitive ball for the next two months, while the Little League season is on, so he'll have a team that he can be proud of while talking among the mini-Jeters and A-Rods.

And I hope we catch a foul ball tomorrow. That would be cool.

Keeping things in perspective

It was my son's birthday this weekend, so between the preparation, the party, a dek hockey game and a baseball practice, there wasn't much time to pay attention to the Mets, which considering how things have been going lately, that probably wasn't a bad thing.

That was certainly true on Saturday, when a second consecutive doubleheader sweep established a new rock bottom for the season. So it helped that on the day the Mets sunk to new lows, my son scored the game-winning goal in a shootout, going top shelf, where mama keeps the cookies. He couldn't have been happier, and I was pretty excited myself.

It helped keep things in perspective.

I caught some of the post-game Saturday night and Bobby O talked about how the Mets aren't doing the little things and it's killing them. I agree to a point — Daniel Murphy trying to steal third was mindless — but then they showed a graphic of how poor the Mets' pitching and hitting have been during the losing streak.

Bad pitching plus bad hitting — when you're going that badly, you can't overcome the mistakes that everyone makes from time to time.

And if Terry Collins managed Sunday's 3-2 victory like it was game seven of the World Series, so be it. As early as it is in the season, that was about as must-win as you can get in April. Give credit to Dillon Gee for coming up big when others (we're looking at you, Big Pelf) have not, and depending on how fast Chris Young comes back, maybe Gee has earned a longer look.

The Mets return home for the Astros and the Diamondbacks this week, and if you're looking for signs of hope, how about this:

• The Mets are 1-6 at home, which isn't going to continue
• Jason Bay is coming back
• So is Ronny Paulino
• You have to figure Pelfrey and Dickey will start to get back on track
• Jennry Mejia has been pitching lights-out, and was even considered as a call-up

Hey, you've gotta start somewhere,

Headed to Atlanta, needing an exorcism

Remember Jerry Manuel? He was too easy-going. Too lax. The Mets were weak in the fundamentals. They weren't playing the game the right way.

Enter Terry Collins. Stickler for details. Blowing a whistle to order players from one station to the next in Port St. Lucie. Old school baseball guy. He had the Mets drilling like they oughta be in spring training. The end result? More boneheaded plays and mistakes that have cost the Mets dearly in these first 13 games.

So what does it prove, other than anything is possible given a small enough sample size? To me it shows that as usual, the effect of a manager pales in comparison to how players execute on the field. If Mets pitchers don't screw up throws to home plate, they win a game. If Brad Emaus doesn't botch a sure double-play grounder in game two yesterday, then only one run scores instead of six, and what do you know, that five runs is the difference.

And on and on. Whether it's in the field, at the plate with runners in scoring position (Lord, how we could have used a big hit from Wright in the bottom of the ninth in game one Thursday. Aaaaaughh!), or on the mound, the Mets are right now just not executing. And the mistakes are killing them.

Just 13 games in, we're not panicking. But you're hearing that perhaps the team is pressing. Collins said so himself. Bob Ojeda says the team looks tight. But again, small sample size. Is R.A. Dickey going to be this wild all season? Are these mistakes and decisions going to continue at this rate for five more months? I doubt it.

But when you consider that no one had any expectations of success for the Mets, there is an awful lot of pressure on this team, mostly from the media. And you wonder if the players, after hearing ad nauseum how the lawsuit will absolutely affect them, and how the team needs to get off to a strong start, or how the Mets will trade Jose Reyes at midseason, really are pressing. You hope they can ignore all that and focus on the task at hand, but they read the papers and the reporters are there every day reminding them.

Can they snap out of it? Sure, although the house of horrors that is The Ted doesn't bode well. Then again, what better place for an exorcism?

A fitting end to a dismal night

So my friends and I are driving home from the game Wednesday after another close but dispiriting Mets loss on a dismal, cold and misty night in Flushing. We're on the LIE heading east when, at around the county line, we hit a massive pothole in the left lane.

It's dark, the road is wet, it's tough to see — there wasn't much Grant, the driver, could have done to avoid the hit. The front left tire is blown, and there's too much traffic to make it over to the right shoulder, so we pull over into the space between the HOV lane and the median, flashers on.

Unfortunately, Grant doesn't have a spare. So he calls AAA to get a tow truck, and we have to call a cab since there are four of us and only two will fit in the truck. Meanwhile, we're sitting there for a half-hour waiting (hoping not to get smoked from behind by a drunk drifting out of the HOV) and not one cop — Sheriff, Suffolk County, or otherwise — passes by or stops. Remarkable. But they'll appear from out of nowhere when I roll through a four-way stop at 3 mph.

We needed a ride from where we were, about 200 yards west of Exit 49, to the park-and-ride at Exit 58. But the LIE is closed eastbound at Exit 55, and our driver doesn't get off the expressway early enough, so we get stuck with all the other cars getting squeezed onto the service road. I finally get home after 12:30 a.m.

So what did we learn? We learned that you have to do a better job pitching around Troy Tulowitzki. Two outs and a base open with Jose Lopez batting behind him? Yeah, you can't put anything near the plate. Niese was certainly trying to be careful, but he failed. And he failed again an inning later when he left a 1-2 pitch over the plate, resulting in a homer by Spilborghs, who was hitting under .200. Not good, because that run proved to be the difference when the Mets scratched a run back in the seventh.

It's basic stuff, but critical, like making sure you have a spare.

Doubleheader today, and the Mets could really use a sweep with Dickey and Capuano on the hill. Fingers: crossed.

Fundamentally unsound

Keith Hernandez loves to talk about the "fundys," but on Monday night, the Mets didn't exactly put on a clinic in a 7-6 loss to the Rockies, the first of a four-game set at Citi Field.

The biggest mistakes were made by the bullpen, and involved throwing and catching. First, recent callup Ryota Igarashi walked the leadoff batter, and then later blew a potential 1-2-3 double play by throwing wide to catcher Josh Thole. The inning continued and sure enough, a broken bat single past a diving Jose Reyes scored two and allowed Colorado to tie the score at 4-4.

Then it was Bobby Parnell's turn to screw up. He allowed a leadoff single in the eighth to Fowler, then a wild pitch with one out moved the runner to third. He got Carlos Gonzalez to hit a comebacker, but his throw home to get Fowler was wild as well. The meltdown was complete when the next batter, Troy Tulowitzki, hit a two-run homer. (Tulo also made a terrific play on a Daniel Murphy grounder in the seventh, stealing a hit that would have given the Mets a 5-4 lead.)

Of course, the Mets, down three, rallied for two. Wright homered, Beltran doubled and Ike "Mr. RBI" Davis singled to cut the gap to one with nobody out. But the Rockies retired the next 6 batters and that was that.

Good things: Wright's homer, Reyes with two triples, a two-run double by Willie Harris. You like to see the team continue to battle. And Mike Pelfrey was good, if not great. He settled down, but there were still too many pitches; he didn't make it through the sixth.

The bullpen has been bad so far and has already cost the team a couple of games. Doesn't mean it's going to be this way all season. Igarashi has plenty of talent. Parnell, though, is a bit of a concern. He's thought of highly, espeically by fans, but all he's really proven is that he can throw hard. He's also shown he's not ready to be the closer, or even the eighth-inning guy.

The world according to Mike (sans the Mad Dog)

So it's the day after one of the most exciting Masters finishes ever, the day after the Yankees were shut out by the Red Sox on national television to finish 1-2 in Beantown, and the Monday after the Rangers became the second team that calls Madison Square Garden home to qualify for the postseason.

And what does Mike Francesa devote almost the entire first hour to on his Monday radio program? You guessed it. The team he loves to tweak, to slam, and to belittle, when he's not flat-out ignoring them. The Mets.

I really am trying to wean myself from his show, but old habits die hard. As I went out for lunch I tuned in long enough to be annoyed, before switching to Mac and Tierney on ESPN 1050, but then I couldn't help myself and switched back to Francesa, who was still talking about:

• how the Mets couldn't beat the Nationals in a rubber game
• how Nationals "who had no business stealing bases" were stealing
• Mets ticket sales
• how he "expected more from Pagan" than what he's seen so far

and so on.

Nothing about the Yankees dropping two to Boston.

Nothing about Jeter and his .206 average, or his shocking inability to hit the ball out of the infield.

Nothing about Texeira and his .182 average.

Or Gardner hitting .167, or Posada batting .138, or Swisher — oh, how he loves Swisher — hitting a robust .219.

Nothing either about the Masters, which was funny because Francesa likes to think he's a golf aficionado. He loves talking about the majors, loves having buddy Jim Nantz on his show, loves talking about his own golf game. (I would kill to see him swing a club, either in person or on video. Must be like watching a walrus taking a slap shot. If you have video of this, please share!)

This Masters had everything. Tiger's return, a crowded leaderboard, Australians trying for history, a meltdown of Greg Normaneque proportions — and Francesa chose to lead with the Mets, who are only 4-5 but may as well fold up the tent, in his opinion.

Remarkable, but not at all surprising. It may require electroshock, but I vow to get through this season and not listen to his show. Cold turkey. Because although he may be a great source of blog material, he just isn't worth my time. Or yours.

Home opener at Citi Field: Perfect timing

A few things to note as the Mets get ready for their home opener Friday afternoon at Citi Field:

• Plenty of good seats available. I was looking on StubHub today and you can get 2 seats in the second row of Promenade Reserved behind third base for $24 each. On Opening Day. You can get seats in the Promenade Club for less than $50. And better seats if you want to fork over bigger bucks. I'll be honest, if my son didn't have a dek hockey game at 6 o'clock, I'd have bought tickets and gone.
• Home field advantage. We've heard how the Yankees have already sold 3.5 million tickets this season and the Mets only a million. No surprise there. And across baseball, attendance so far is down. Less than 10,000 a game in Cleveland? Only 18,000 in Miami for a weekend series against the Mets? Digusting. So don't be surprised if the Mets aren't drawing big numbers this weekend. With the economy and recent history, it's understandable, and I'm not one to go to a ton of games. But I'm thinking that this season, I'm going to try and go more. You can get good tickets for a reasonable price, and let's face it, the team could use all the support it can get. Hopefully I'm not the only one who feels this way and is ready to make Citi Field a true house of horrors for the opposition.
• What else can I tell you? Oh, yeah, Jason Bay hit off a tee today. Nice!
• Um... let's see... uh, Carlos Beltran is still healthy.
• And, yeah, the Phillies scored 21 runs in two days, and Jon Niese followed Mike Pelfrey's implosion with a stinker of his own, and David Wright struck out when the Mets had a first-inning chance to do damage. But hey, like Terry Collins said, a 3-3 road trip ain't bad leading into the first homestand of the season.

It's Dickey Time!

Yes, it's time to start worrying about Pelfrey

Ron Darling said it best early in the game that you learn more about a team when it's down than when it's ahead, and in that sense what we learned about the 2011 Mets is that they not only have plenty of fight in them, but they have the talent to come back and score runs.

What we also learned was that it's time to start worrying about Mike Pelfrey.

It's not just the two straight bad starts. It happens — guys start the season cold. And Pelfrey is historically worse on the road, especially in division games. But this is coming off an unimpressive spring, at a time when not just the media but the team itself made a point of how Pelfrey would need to step up and become the ace of the staff in Santana's absence.

And it's also happening on the heels of the death of sports psychologist Harvey Dorfman, with whom Pelfrey would confide after each and every start. So now you have Pelfrey — never the strongest personality — going through a tough stretch with his team counting on him, without his normal support system.

One would hope Pelfrey or the Mets have found someone to take on Dorfman's role; certainly you can't just replace someone like Dorfman with just anyone, but it seems that Pelfrey at least needs someone to be a sounding board. Again, maybe that's already happened. In any case, Pelfrey's struggles underline the fact that at least right now, the Mets are — as they were before Johan came here —  at team without a No. 1 pitcher.

Which would be fine, if everyone on the staff steps up their game. Chris Young has. R.A. Dickey has. We'll see what Niese can do tomorrow against Halladay. Capuano will get his chance soon. Hopefully, Pelfrey will snap out of it and find his way back.

Not surprisingly, Joe Blanton was hittable. He held the Mets in check while his team built a 7-0 lead, but then he melted down, so fast that Charlie Manuel couldn't get a replacement ready fast enough.

I loved seeing Pagan homer after working in the dugout with Dave Hudgens, and Keith Hernandez was all over that. Loved seeing the five run rally started by the top of the order, with clutch hits by Ike Davis (again) and Daniel Murphy (in his second at-bat of the inning).

Didn't love seeing them give two runs right back WITH TWO OUTS, but that was weird, wasn't it? A cheapo double by Victorino, a bad job of letting Polanco single after having him down 0-2, and then that infield single off Boyer's glove. Ugh.

The Mets are showing they can score and be resilient. Let's see if they can keep it going against Halladay.

Nothing like a Broad Street beatdown

No one gives the Mets much of a chance this season. Beat writers, radio hosts, national columnists, you name it. They all think the Mets will be lucky to be .500, or bad enough to finish alongside the Nationals at the bottom of the division. (Seriously.) Jose Reyes will be traded, so will K-Rod — whatever.

It's kind of amazing considering the amount of talent on the roster. Even without Jason Bay, this team should hit, and it is hitting. The bench is much better. The bullpen is revamped. The starting pitching is a question without Johan, but Mike Pelfrey has improved each year, Jonathon Niese is good and has a ton or promise, and R.A. Dickey is R.A. Dickey.

Is it because the fourth and fifth starters are Chris Young and Chris Capuano? Two guys that have won before and are coming off injuries? Is that it?

Well, Young had a terrific spring and on Tuesday night he laid the smack down — for 5 1/3 innings, anyway — on a depleted Phillies team that started the season 3-0 against the less-than-intimidating Astros. Young battled through the wind and the cold, struck out seven and made Ryan Howard look foolish, eliciting a groundout with the bases loaded in a key spot in the bottom of the fifth, when the Phillies had a chance to cut into the Mets' big lead.

The hole was a large one because the Mets once again made Cole Hamels their bitch. Hamels is 2-9 against the Mets in his career, and when you consider the fact that the Mets have had some success in the past against Roy Oswalt, and Joe Blanton is average at best, that's 3/5 of the Phillies' vaunted rotation that doesn't scare anyone in blue and orange.

Sure, Halladay and Lee are HALLADAY AND LEE, but suddenly — no Lidge, no Utley — the Phils have some chinks in the armor. And judging by the first few games, these Mets are ready to shut people up.

David Wright — worth every penny of the $42 I spent on him in my fantasy baseball league — had four hits and Young himself had three. The Mets are getting on base, hitting, moving runners around, playing aggressively. Terry Collins likes to use his bench, keeping those guys sharp. So far, he has managed, paraphrasing Bobby Ojeda, not for approval, but to win.

I heard Joe Benigno say that he would take one of three in Philly. Why stop there? Hamels, as we've seen, can be beaten and the Mets beat him all the time. Blanton? Beatable. Halladay? OK, pencil that one in for the Phils, but these Mets should feel that they can take two games in Philly against a team that is less than full strength.

They're halfway there.