Kuzul

When Omar Minaya was brought to New York to take over as general manager of the Mets, New York was divided equally into two sections: lovers and haters. 

Minaya’s biggest strength as GM is also his biggest weakness in that he is a patchwork GM. Let me explain: Minaya sees a potential problem spot in the organization and typically addresses it in a quick method in order to “stop the bleeding,” similar to a band-aid (hence the patchwork title). However, Minaya has (on several occasions) failed to build the organizational depth that is necessary to a Major League ball club. To his credit, he has improved from earlier in his tenure, but is still no Billy Beane, not by a long shot.

For example, the 2009 Mets were hit by a slew of injuries that left the organization searching for answers at literally every position. The shallow depth of the team was exposed when Minaya was forced to trade for career journeyman SS Wilson Valdez just so the team could throw someone out there who could actually play the position. At one point last season, the Mets had a starting outfield of Jeremy Reed, Angel Pagan, and Cory Sullivan. Wow.

Now in 2010, the Mets still have the same problems. What would happen if golden boy David Wright were to ever seriously injure himself? The Mets would start 32-year-old journeyman Mike Hessman (just promoted from Triple-A today) as the regular guy? What if Jose Reyes goes down again? A middle infield of the aging Luis Castillo and future manager Alex Cora? Yikes. This is a team that started Mike Jacobs as its opening day cleanup hitter, then tried Fernando Tatis and Frank Catalanatto out of the spot before turning to youngster Ike Davis, so it’s easy to see that this is not a new problem.

Left field was the problem spot last season, so what does Omar Minaya do? He signs Jason Bay to a ridiculously bloated (but necessary) four-year deal, but what if Bay were to go down? I know that Jeff Francoeur is just riding the pine, and despite Bay’s poor stats, he still breaks up the lineup better than Frenchy any day of the week. 

My point is simple: winning is built through organizational depth, and I’m not just talking about Triple-A fodder. It’s about creating a system and a style of play that the front office believes in, and executing that vision with the players that are most fit for the idea. Not simply just throwing talent together and trying to make it work. 

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The New York Mets won today behind the strong pitching performance of Johan Santana. Though Santana pitched well enough for a win, he didn’t get it, as closer Francisco Rodriguez blew another save. Santana went eight strong, surrendering only one run on eight hits and one walk, while striking out five.

Personally, I had prayed that manager Jerry Manuel would let Santana come out for the ninth inning and finish the game out, but having thrown 115 pitches (81 for strikes, by the way), Santana got the handshake after retiring the last nine batters he faced.

Santana has continued his second half dominance, yet did not get another win. Unfortunately, Santana pitching a gem but not getting a win has become all too common, as his mediocre 7-5 record with a 2.87 ERA reflects.

During Santana’s 20 starts in 2010, he has given up one run or less an amazing 12 times. Yet he has gotten a win during those 12 times—are you ready for this?—only six times. Half of the starts where he has given up only one run or less, he has not gotten a win.

That is unbelievable. 

Johan Santana has to be one of the most unlucky pitchers in MLB right now, after hearing that statistic.

Santana’s misfortune has been a product of both tremendously low run support and some shoddy bullpen work. 

In all of baseball, only Roy Oswalt has received less run support this season amongst starting pitchers—and Oswalt plays on a terrible Astros team. Santana has received only 3.73 runs per game.

To compare, Phil Hughes has received the largest run support in the MLB—10.43 runs! And while Hughes has pitched a good year, his 11-2 record is very much a product of his run support.

Santana, on the other hand, has pitched as well if not better than Hughes, yet has four fewer wins and three more losses.

During Santana’s starts, the bullpen has also blown four of the games. It must be disappointing for Santana, especially considering this is something that has been a little too common throughout his tenure in New York.

As optimistic as it is that Santana has returned to form during the second half—he has given up only two runs in his four July starts—I’m sure he would love to have something to show for it.

Poor run support and bad bullpen work is frustrating not only for Santana, but for the Mets and their fans. It definitely is a shame to be wasting Santana’s gems as frequently as the Mets are.

I thought teams generally come to play their best while their aces are on the mount. I guess that isn’t the case for the Mets. I hope they can learn from the past and bring their A game during the rest of Santana’s starts in 2010, and get him the wins that he deserves. 

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It has been said that the definition of stupid is doing the same wrong thing over and over again, and expecting a different outcome.

As cruel as it might sound, I believe the industry of major league baseball is stuck in a method of managing of pulling your starters before they are cruising. Continuing to use the same failed pitching mistakes continues to only lead a team into more and more losses, and wasted efforts of the starting pitcher. 

I believe New York Mets manager Jerry Manuel is a stupid person, and one of the worst culprits of this pitching change phenomenon.

He obviously does not read my Bleacher Report articles .

What else would there be to explain why he continues to pull the best pitcher in baseball, Johan Santana, out games in which he is pitching great? Can you honestly believe that was the correct move today against the San Francisco Giants?

Especially when your team needs a victory in the worst way to avoid being swept in the first four games on this important road trip?

How about the Sunday game before the All-Star break against the Atlanta Braves ? Does Manuel himself honestly believe pulling Santana AFTER SEVEN SHUTOUT INNINGS of a game against the leader of the NL East was the correct move?

Well, Santana did already throw 107 pitches in that game. OMG! Call the papers!

And the Mets were only ahead 2-0 in that Braves game. Why would you remove your best pitcher in that game to put the ball in the hands of Bobby Parnell?

Granted, the Mets did win both games, but Manuel has to realize (especially after Frankie Rodriguez blew another save today) that Santana, no matter how many pitches he has thrown, is the best option for him at the end of the game.

Check out the photo accompanying this article. It is the on-field hand slapping between Manuel and Santana after Johan was allowed to finish his own game.

It might never happen again.  

Manuel already managed the Mets into many losses this season by pulling Santana early, and even pulling R.A. Dickey in this game when the Mets had Stephen Strasburg and the Washington Nationals beaten.

Parnell and K-Rod gave up four runs in two innings in the eighth and ninth, but I doubt that Dickey would have allowed any more runs to the that Nats lineup. In watching the recorded game later on, they looked flustered trying to hit Dickey’s hard knuckle ball.

But Dickey threw 115 pitches already. What are we doing Jerry, trying to save the 35-year-old journeyman’s arm?

I remember driving home that day from umpiring a double header and listening to the game on the radio. I smiled when I heard that Dickey was being removed from the game. That gave the Nationals a chance.

But let’s get back to the Mets’ most effective, and highest paid, starting pitcher.

I don’t care how many pitches he has thrown into the later innings. If the game is tight and Babe Ruth, Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Lou Gehrig, Rogers Hornsby, or Albert Pujols was coming up, I WANT MY BEST PITCHER TO FACE THEM in that situation.

I already got on Manuel’s crosstown manager, Joe Girardi, last week regarding his pitch count limit shenanigans.

And it is not just Manuel and Girardi, but MLB in general. This entire notion that a middling relief pitcher, who isn’t good enough to be a starting pitcher and is not good enough to close games, is better than one of your starting pitchers when a game is tight is ridiculous. You can see this trend as middle relievers continue to get more and more win/loss decisions.

In 2008, Manuel pulled Santana early in four games which the Mets either held the lead or was tied but eventually lost , including two heartbreakers to the Philadelphia Phillies on July 4 and July 22 .

I heard on today’s radio broadcast that Santana had eight leads that season in which the Mets bullpen could not hold the lead.

How about Santana holding the lead?

Not until I wrote a piece two years ago did much talk center on letting Santana go longer in games because he is the team’s best pitcher, not Pedro Feliciano, not Fernando Nieve, not Elmer Dessens, not even the newly-anointed eighth inning guy Bobby Parnell or K-Rod are better than Johan Santana in these spots.
 
If you are talking pitch counts, and that Santana needs to be preserved for an August/September stretch run, there won’t be a late stretch run if Manuel continues to micro-manage the Johan Santana-pitched Mets games.

During those two Phillies games in July 2008, Santana had thrown 95 and 105 pitches, respectively, before he was pulled with a lead. As a reminder, the Mets lost the National League East by three games last season to those same Phillies, but were out of the National League Wild Card by a single game.

Leaving Santana in those four games when he was pulled would have likely returned three victories for the Mets.

If I am Manuel, I don’t care if Santana is at 95, 105, 115, or 135 pitches on a specific night. If Santana is still dealing and getting guys out, he is the man to be in the game. Not the aforementioned middle relievers.   

And do not pinch hit for him late either when there is no one on base or two outs in an inning. Having Santana on the mound is more important than gambling on getting a late insurance run.

Despite some successes this season, the Mets rotation is far from elite. The Mets need to win every game that Santana pitches, and that means letting your ace pitch very deep into games, if not a complete game every time out.

Then you can use the bullpen to try and bail out Mike Pelfrey, Jonathan Niese, and new rotation member R.A. Dickey—because you know Manuel, for a variety of reasons, is not going to be allowed those guys to go the distance.

Manuel needs to stop becoming more stupid—because if you have ever heard the comedian Ron White , “You can fix almost anything, but you can’t fix stupid .”

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SAN FRANCISCO: Since the All-Star break, or maybe even before that, the Mets have suffered from a team-wide slump.

Every team goes through them. Just ask the Phillies, who went through something similar from late May through early June.

The Mets even swept the Phillies at Citi Field in May, shutting them out in all three games.

The Mets came within three innings of being shut out three straight games to the same opponent for the first time in their history.

They finally scored in the seventh inning last night, when Ike Davis clubbed a two-run home run into McCovey Cove.

The Mets would go on to score four runs in the game, losing, 8-4, but this time it was the pitching that let them down.

Hisanori Takahashi, filling in for the stiff-necked Mike Pelfrey, allowed six runs in 2.2 innings, putting the Mets offense in a deep hole. So right now, everything is going wrong, and the whole team is in a slump.

Oliver Perez made another rehab start last night, and pitched effectively, but who knows if it was effective enough for him to be recalled.

No matter what, the Mets are almost in a must-win situation today, needing to fly to Arizona on a positive note. The Phillies came back to beat the Cubs yesterday, so the Mets are now in third place, behind them in the NL East.

It has been said time and time again, but today’s game is the type that Johan Santana was brought here for.

The last time the Mets were in a “must-win” situation, the final game before the break, Santana was on the mound against the Braves and got the job done.

One week ago today, July 11, Santana shut the Braves out over seven innings on five hits, lowering his ERA a tad below three.

The Mets won that game, 3-0, to pull within four games of the Braves, and are now five games back.

The shame of it is, the Braves actually lost two straight home games to a bad Brewers team, but the Mets couldn’t take advantage either time.

This time, Santana better be on his “A” game, just like he has been over his last three starts.

The last time Santana pitched against the Giants at AT&T Park on May 16, 2009, he got rocked. In seven innings he allowed six runs (four earned) on 11 hits, but the Mets won the game, 9-6.

Santana will try and pitch the way R.A. Dickey and Jon Niese pitched in this series, allowing a combined two runs.

Pitching for the Giants will be fourth starter, and a good one, Jonathan Sanchez, who is having the best season of his career.

He has been compared throughout his career to Oliver Perez. A left-handed pitcher who  is inconsistent, with control problems.

Last season in 163.1 innings, Sanchez walked 88 batters. That’s a ratio of one walk every 1.9 innings.

This season, although he’s having a good one, his ratio of walks-to-innings pitched is 1.9 again. He has walked 53 batters in 103.2 innings pitched.

If the Mets want a reason to think they may be catching him at the right time, he has slumped of late, allowing five runs in two of his last three starts, with his last one coming against the Nationals.

The Giants did win the game, 10-5, and that day, July 10, was the one-year anniversary of the no-hitter he threw. When on his game, Sanchez does have no-hit stuff.

He’ll have some advantages in this game, too. The Mets will be without both Jose Reyes (oblique), and Carlos Beltran (rest) today, so it’ll be a below-average lineup that will also include catcher Henry Blanco.

Manager Jerry Manuel did say before last night’s game that Reyes “for sure” will be in Monday night’s lineup.

The Mets less-than-stellar lineup will include: Justin Turner, Jeff Francoeur, and Blanco.

It’s a game the Mets have to try any way possible to win. They’ll hope that Santana can shut down the Giants, so that they can at least scratch out enough runs to fly to Arizona with a win on the road trip.

Johan Santana vs. San Francisco (May 8)
ND, 7.2 IP, 4 ER, 8 hits, 0 BB, 6 SO

Jonathan Sanchez vs. New York (May 7)
ND, 7 IP, 4 ER, 7 hits, 1 BB, 3 SO, 3 HR*

*Two of them to Ike Davis

2010 season series (New York vs. San Francisco)

May 7: New York 6, San Francisco 4
May 8: New York 5, San Francisco 4 (11)
May 9: San Francisco 6, New York 5

July 15: San Francisco 2, New York 0
July 16: San Francisco 1, New York 0
July 17: San Francisco 8, New York 4

Giants lead series 4-2

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The second half of the season is going to start tomorrow, so it’s only fair to let the players know how they are doing right now.

Up where I go to college at SUNY Cortland we get mid-semester estimates. The professors let you know if you are on track to either pass the class or fail it. But they don’t give us a letter grade, which I would like to see; I should talk to the dean about that, but I digress.

I’ll give these players a letter grade, and I should let them know I’m a pretty easy grader.

Pitchers

Manny Acosta

Pitched in 12 innings in the first half and gave up four runs on eight hits and eight walks. Wasn’t expecting much from him, but he should think about coming to some office hours to improve his control. Grade: C

Elmer Dessens

He certainly gave this bullpen a big boast. Didn’t make the Opening Day roster, but stepped up when his team called on him from the minors. 18.1 innings pitched, three earned runs, well done. Grade: B+ 

R.A. Dickey

It’s scary to think where this team could be without him. Finished the first half with a 6-2 record and a 2.77 ERA. He won six starts in a row, and has given up three runs or fewer in eight of his 10 starts. Grade: A+

Pedro Feliciano

To be honest I was expecting a bit more out of him. He came out of Spring Training and wanted to be this team’s set-up man, but he hasn’t been able to lock down that position. His numbers are pretty good, but there is room for improvement. Grade: B

Ryota Igarashi

I was really high on this guy. In Spring Training, he looked like he could be the set-up man for this team, but he was just so inconsistent. An eight ERA? Really? You get a frowny face on your report card. Grade: D

John Maine

Ah, where do I start. He looked great for three starts in a row, but before that and after those starts, he was awful. Maybe you should try taking this class with a different professor. Grade: D

Jenrry Mejia

I think it was a bit early to take a course of this level, but he didn’t do to bad. He showed that he has potential to be a very fine major leaguer. He should think about taking the prerequisites first though. Grade: B

Jon Niese

Got to love the job this kid has been doing. Since coming back from his injury, he’s been great, at 5-1 with a 3.12 ERA. A very solid No. 3 guy, keep up the good work. Grade: B+

Fernando Nieve

5.26 ERA? When did this happen? You used to be such a good student—all this partying is catching up to you. And by partying I mean coming in to pitch every single game. Take it easy on him Jerry. Grade: C

Bobby Parnell

He’s come back to the team and has looked very good. He gave the team some much needed bullpen support at the end of the first half. He threw 11 innings of work, gave up two runs on 12 hits, three walks, and 14 strike outs. I think we’ll see some big things from him the second half. Grade: B+ 

Mike Pelfrey

Great work there Mike, we all knew you could do it. All-Star caliber performance in the first half of the season, but he’s dealing with some dead arm issues in his last few starts. Not to worry, Mike said he goes through this every year and he’ll be back in tip top shape soon enough—we hope. Grade: A

Oliver Perez

MR. BLUTARSKY—ZERO POINT ZERO. Grade: F- – 

Francisco Rodriguez

Blew four saves and got two loses, but he did post a 2.45 ERA with 21 saves. He worked a lot of innings in the first half, but hopefully he’ll be fine for the second. This team really needs him to be. Grade: B

Johan Santana

Despite everyone saying his arm isn’t what it used to be, he had a 2.98 ERA for the first half, which is very respectable. Take away that awful start against the Phillies and he has a 2.33 ERA. Santana is a second half pitcher though, so I’m expecting big things, especially since the way he finished up the first half. Grade: B+ 

Hisanori Takahashi

Had some very nice starts, and he’s pitched better than his numbers. However, he is better fitted for the bullpen, where he will be for the second half of the season. Grade: B+

Raul Valdes

Came out of no where and really impressed me. He had a two really bad outings against the Padres which blew up his ERA. Not sure what the team will get from him in the second half though. Grade: B 

The one weakness on this team is the pitching. The Mets need to go out and get a starting pitcher and a set-up guy for the bullpen if they want to be serious contenders for the World Series. Until then, they are just a borderline playoff team.

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The Mets were in dire need of a win today. The Braves threatened to sweep them, and increase their lead to six games over the Mets heading into the All-Star Break.

The Mets, especially Johan Santana, made sure that didn’t happen. Santana tossed seven shutout innings against the Braves, and the Mets actually scored some runs for him. It was a great game all-around, and it’s a good note going into the All-Star Break. 

Although Johan has been dynamite his last three starts, things haven’t always been so good this season. Santana had a string of so-so starts, and those outings were definitely not the norm for him.  

People began questioning who the true ace of the Mets pitching staff was. Mike Pelfrey or Johan Santana? Surprisingly, it seemed like people now trusted the “Big Pelf” more. 

Don’t get me wrong, Pelfrey has been fantastic this year. And although he has hit a little bump in the road, he is still the “Second” Ace of the team.

When people argued that Pelfrey was the true Mets ace, I shook my head. Johan is the Mets ace. I will always want him on the mound for the big game, and he proved why today.

Santana’s numbers for the first half don’t jump off the page, but a lot lies behind the numbers. Santana has seven no decisions, and in those no decisions he has an ERA in the one’s. 

If he won just four of those games, he would be 12-7. Pretty good, right? Johan has gotten no run support, and if he can just get a few more runs per game, his numbers would be so much better. 

Johan is a much better second half pitcher. His numbers in the second half are phenomenal and there’s no reason to believe that Johan won’t have another great stretch run in 2010.

When Johan wasn’t so good this year, it was because he hadn’t yet learn how to pitch with less velocity on his fastball. He was also tipping his pitches during some games.  The crazy thing is that Johan always tips his pitches. It’s just that, because of his surgery, his stuff isn’t as good as it used to be.

I think that at that point, Johan realized that he wasn’t the pitcher he used to be. The surgery took some velocity away from his fastball, which he found that out the hard way. 

Johan is one of the smartest pitchers in the game and he showed that by finding a way to be great again. He now relies more on control, because his stuff doesn’t overpower hitters anymore, and he has studied up even more on the hitters. 

I am positive that Johan Santana will have a huge second half. He has always done it, and he will keep that trend going. Santana is New York’s ace, and he will help the Mets compete in the second half.  Look forward to big things from Mr. Santana. 

Remember, “Don’t Mess With The Johan”.

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Baseball is mathematically past the halfway mark already, but many teams don’t see the first half as history.  Many teams still have many big games in the first half. 

There are 162 baseball games in baseball’s regular season, so 81 games is the mathematical halfway point in the season.  Even though that is true, many people look at the All-Star Break as the ending of the first half.

With that said, there are quite a lot of teams who have big series left in the “first half” of the 2010 MLB season.  Two of these teams are the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves.

The Braves and Mets top the National League East, with the Braves in first place by three games over the Mets, who currently stand in second place. It’s a very close race so far in the season.

The Mets are welcoming in the Braves Friday, for a three game set in Citi Field.  This will be a crucial series for both teams.

The Braves will try to extend their lead over the Mets, and the Mets will do their best to prevent that from happening.  If any team sweeps than it will dramatically change the landscape of the National League East going into the All-Star Break.

With a bit of simple math, if the Braves sweep the Mets than the Mets would fall to six games back, and if the Mets sweep they will be tied for the first.  This series holds many possibilities for both teams.

The Mets have played phenomenal at home this season and the only team with a better record at home is the Braves.  The Mets swept the Braves earlier in the season, but that was when the Braves were in their nine game losing skid.  They are a totally different team now.

If the Mets win the series then they will be trailing the Braves by two games going into the break.  If the Braves win the series then they will be leading the Mets by four games going into the break. 

The question is, is this a must win series for the Mets?  My answer to that question would be no.  I do think that it is a critical part of the season so far, and it would be fantastic to cap off a great first off with a big series win. 

However, a series win is not mandatory, but something is.  The Mets have to avoid getting swept.  If the Braves sweep the Mets it could really change things up.  The Phillies might swap places with the Mets, and two good teams in front of you in the standings is never good.

With that said, I do believe that the Mets will win two out of three in this big series.  They are currently going with a four man rotation and that means that Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana will be on the mound for the second and last game of the series.

R.A. Dickey will lead off the series for the Mets, and Jerry Manuel likes to have his knuckleballer lead off series because he believes it might throw off the team for the rest of the series. 

The Mets also have a hot David Wright, and if Jose Reyes is feeling good enough to swing from his left side again then he’ll be strong in this series too.  The Braves are a tough opponent, but if the Mets play good baseball then they can beat anyone.  I’m predicting a big series win for the Mets that would send them to the break in great shape.

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This article was written by Double G Sports contributing writer Marc A. Spallino.

With the Mets trailing the Atlanta Braves by only three games in the National League East , the Mets faithful are feeling cautiously excited.

The performance of the starting rotation is one reason contributing to the team’s success. Mets ace Johan Santana is historically a second half pitcher, but it seems that he has gotten off to an early start this season.

Coming off a complete game shutout Tuesday night against the Reds, Santana will have one more start on Sunday July 11^th before the All Star break. The Mets Ace will square off with their division rivals, the Atlanta Braves.

The series could not be more important to the Mets as they look to possibly move up into first place going into the break.

One other reason fans are feeling good is the Mets consistency. In previous years, the Mets were either on fire or down in the dumps. This 2010 season, the Mets have proved that they do not need to go on ten game winning streaks in order to be successful. But more importantly, they are winning series.

Another confidence booster has been the performance of Angel Pagan and Rubin Tejada. Pagan, who has been filling in for Carlos Beltran in center field, has been just short of brilliant. He is batting .300 with 6 home runs and 30 RBIs. What more can you ask for?

Ruben Tejada, who is a shortstop by trade, has been filling in for the injured Luis Castillo at second base and has also performed better than expected. Tejada is batting .221 with an on base percentage of .299. This has surely shocked Mets fans and most likely shocked the Mets coaching staff.

Mets fans surely have a lot to be excited about. But can anyone blame them for being cautious? After all, the past couple seasons have been heartbreaking.

For more Mets news, visit Double G Sports . Your stop for all things NY and NJ sports.

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NEW YORK– It has been pretty evident that the Mets have not given Johan Santana any run support this season. Knowing that, Santana promptly parked a home run off the right field foul pole in the third inning, his first career home run, giving the Mets a 1-0 lead off Reds starter Matt Maloney.

Aaron Harang, who was scratched from his Monday night start due to back problems, was placed on the disabled list before tonight’s game. With the lefty Maloney starting, shortstop Jose Reyes was inserted back in the lineup, as he can only bat from the right side with his sore oblique.

Santana didn’t only hit a home run, he was vintage on the mound. After allowing a leadoff double to Brandon Phillips, he retired 10 batters in a row, and didn’t allow another hit until the sixth inning.

The Mets offense though, looked like it wasn’t going to support Santana yet again. The first seven batters went down in order against him until a one out single in the third by Ruben Tejada.

Tejada was caught stealing second during Santana’s at-bat, before Santana went deep on the 12th pitch of the at-bat. During the plate appearance, Santana kept fouling pitches off, getting out in front, but after hitting one foul towards right, he hit one off the foul pole.

The Mets worked Maloney tough all game, putting together long at-bats in nearly 100-degree temperature. After Santana’s home run, the Mets didn’t get anything else until the sixth.

Jose Reyes bunted a ball back to the pitcher Maloney, who couldn’t handle it, giving Reyes a leadoff hit. After Angel Pagan hit an advancing groundout, David Wright was intentionally walked. Ike Davis then hit a groundball to first baseman Joey Votto, who through wide to second trying to get a forceout, but shortstop Orlando Cabrera through Davis out at first. Jason Bay then came up and singled both runners home, extending the Mets lead to 3-0, as Bay has now driven in 13 runs in his last nine games.

Santana walked a batter in the eighth, but produced three fly ball outs to right field, raising his pitch count after eight to over 100. He surprisingly came back out for the ninth, instead of Francisco Rodriguez, attempting a complete-game shutout.

He got the first out on the first pitch thrown to Joey Votto. Scott Rolen then got a single, and Jay Bruce’s fly ball to Bay in right was dropped, putting two men on. Manager Jerry Manuel came out to possibly replace Santana, but was convinced to leave him in. Santana then got the next two batters out on two pitches, thanks to some nice defense, giving Santana the complete-game, three-hit shutout.

After four consecutive starts of allowing four runs or more, Santana has now allowed one run in his last two starts.

Jose Reyes looked good in his return, batting right-handed against a righty once, going 2-for-4. David Wright went 1-for-3, nearly hitting a home run in the first, and lining out to deep right in the eighth, he also had a single.

The Mets will now go for the series win tomorrow night, with the ever-improving Jon Niese on the mound, against Met-killer Bronson Arroyo.

NL East standings (top 3 teams)
Atlanta 49-35
NY Mets 47-37 (2)
Philadelphia 43-39 (5)

Series probable pitchers:
July 7
New York: Jon Niese (2010: 6-2, 3.62 ERA) vs. Cincinnati: Bronson Arroyo (2010: 8-4, 4.25 ERA)

Upcoming schedule:
New York Mets:
July 7 vs. Cincinnati Reds
July 9-11 vs. Atlanta Braves

Cincinnati Reds:
July 7 @ New York Mets
July 8-11 @ Philadelphia Phillies

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Hopefully, after tonight, Johan Santana likes the National League a little bit more. While he has not found nearly as much success in the NL as he had in the AL with the Minnesota Twins, Johan tonight realized that the easiest way to win is to do it all yourself.

Santana provided the hitting and the pitching, en route to a Mets 3-0 win over the Reds.

Over the season, and to some extent throughout his Mets career, Santana has been the victim of poor run support. Prior to tonight’s game, the Mets had scored only 41 runs while Santana was on the mound. Only Roy Oswalt, of the dreadful Houston Astros, and Paul Maholm, of the dreadful Pittsburgh Pirates, have received less run support.

Luckily for Santana, he now plays in the NL and bats for himself. So tonight, he figured he’d give himself all the run support he needs.

In the third inning, Santana battled at the plate with Reds starter Matt Maloney. During that 12-pitch at-bat, Mets commentators Gary Cohen and Keith Hernandez commented on how well Santana handles himself at the plate. Hernandez added that one day, Santana is going to get his first major league home run.

A couple of pitches later, Santana hooked a ball foul that had the distance. A few pitches later he hit a rope off the right field foul poll for his first major league home run!

My dad and I are notorious for our ability to predict when Mets batters are going to hit a home run, but never had I seen a Mets hitter (a pitcher, no less) hit a home run literally minutes after a commentator made a comment about the batter’s ability to hit home runs. 

It was an amazing moment, which merited a curtain call for Santana.

The solo home run wound up being sufficient for a win, as Santana pitched a brilliant complete game, three-hit shutout, against one of the best hitting teams in the NL.

But in the sixth inning, the Mets also strung together a few hits, capped by Jason Bay’s two-RBI single to give the Mets a little breathing room—in case Jerry Manuel decided to put Francisco Rodriguez in the game in the ninth to blow the save (or, at least, give me some heart burn).

Santana’s offense aside, this was an important game for the Mets. Santana’s health and overall abilities have been questioned lately, as a result of a recent stretch, in which he gave up at least four runs and seven hits in each of his last four starts.

He bounced back by giving up one run in seven innings against the Nationals in his last start, but tonight’s performance was something that we had grown accustomed to seeing from Santana in years past.

Johan is well-known for being a superb second-half pitcher, and hopefully tonight’s effort is evidence that he is returning to form for the push into the playoffs. The Mets have been a great team with a mediocre Santana, and if he pitches like the Santana of old, it makes the Mets a playoff team without a doubt.

The only question remains, was tonight an aberration? Or is the Johan Santana we have grown to know and love back to form? Only time will tell.

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