Well, the winning streak stops at one. I had hoped the Mets would get on a role heading to the All-Star game but alas, that was not to happen. Despite the loss, I actually felt there were some big positives out of yesterday’s game. Mike Pelfrey looked sharper. That is good. Still, he does need to start winning games.
The second part of the game I liked was Willie Randolph’s reaction to Jose Reyes not running out a play. Reyes is one hell of a ballplayer. It is fun watching him and he is the catalyst for the team. Still, Randolph let it be known he was not going to show favoritism. If he is willing to pull Reyes from the game then seemingly he would be willing to pull anyone from the game.
Randolph also showed that despite players having so much control in this day and age, he still was going to show a strong backbone and insist that things are done his way. I tip my hat to Randolph for doing this.
Now comes the tough part. Somehow, he has to motivate them to go on a tear, on a long winning streak. There have been some well pitched ballgames against them this year but good teams need to find a way to win. Also, last year when the Mets scored first, or when they scored in the first inning, they had a remarkable record. This year they are playing closer to .500 when they score in the first inning. They need to go back to the formula that worked for them last year, basically scoring early and often.
I still fully expect the Mets to finish first in the NL East but I would like to see them improve on last year and that means going to the World Series and of course, if they are there, are want them to win. I do think they have the right manager at the helm, they just need to start playing more consistent.
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