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.