Kick'em when they're down

Finally, the Mets are starting to have some consistency against bad teams. Last week, after the bullpen gave up a game they were leading by four in the ninth against the Pirates, the Mets went on to sweep a three-game series in Washington against the Nationals. The final two games in the series were blowouts: 12-0 and 9-3, but the first game was encouraging. Johan Santana started that game and pitched seven solid innings, leaving the game with a tenuous 4-3 lead. Now, the bullpen has blown six leads for Santana this season, so instead of being 16-7, his record is 10-7. This time, Pedro Feliciano was able to nail down the save. The series was encouraging from the standpoint that bullpen needs to show some life. They weren't responsible for any run given up to the Nats.

Currently, the Mets are 2/3 of the way through a series with the Pirates at PNC park in Pittsburgh. Mike Pelfrey pitched extremely well in the first game, and the bullpen held on for the 2-1 victory. The second game was nice because Pedro Martinez pitched seven innings for the first time all season, and he also looks a lot more comfortable than has all season. He allowed one run through seven innings. Unfortunately, this game also showed just how rusty their recent AAA callup, Eddie Kunz, is. He has been tagged as one of the possible replacements for Billy Wagner in the closer's role. Yeah, giving up three in the bottom of the ninth isn't going to cut it. He hadn't pitched in a game since last Sunday, and pitchers really need the repetition of pitching often to maintain a rhythm. They still won the game 7-4, but Kunz made it shaky. He's been a pretty closer for Binghamton and New Orleans, so hopefully he can pick it up a bit, especially since Wagner is feeling pain in his shoulder after the rehab appearances he has been making.

The Mets are now in a five game winning streak and lead the Phillies by 2 games in the division.