Mets 7, Nationals 1: Quick Hits on Yesterday's Game

Hey everyone. So I've got something a bit more ambitious planned for later today but I wanted to throw up some quick reactions to yesterday's 7-1 win over the Nationals.

Starting with Brian Bannister, it may sound crazy, but I'm still kind of in wait and see mode with him.

A week ago I wrote the following in response to his first start (link: http://yankees2000.blogspot.com/2006/04/we-want-ben-son-clap-clap-clap-clap.html):

"As stingy as Bannister was with allowing hits, he was behind in the count an awful lot last night, and I've heard Tom Seaver broadcast enough games to know that that's not traditionally a recipe for success. Bannister lost 4 of those batters to bases on balls, and he beaned another two, one of them, Alfonso Soriano, in the dome."

The good news for Bannister is that he didn't walk or hit anyone yesterday, but he was behind in the count to nearly every batter in the early part of yesterday's game, and he even had one stretch where he started 3-0 on three consecutive batters.

It's a testament to him that he's been so effective without his best control, but you've got to want to see some improvement in this area.

I'd also like to see him strike a few more batters out. His K/9 is currently a dismal 3.46, but so long as his WHIP remains in 0.69 range and batters continue to hit .116 against him he should be alright.

The point is that's asking a lot. He doesn't need to be Dr. K out there, but upping his K ratio would reinforce his effectiveness in the long term.

At the end of the day though, you've gotta like what you've seen out of Bannister so far. He's put the team in position to win both of his games, and he's gone deep into ballgames both times out. If we get this kind of production all year from him, great, and if he manages to up the Ks and cut the deep counts, look out.

The other thing you had to like about the game yesterday was the continued productivity of our offense.

I read an article in which David Wright said the Mets didn't do a good enough job of putting teams away last year. We would get a lead, but it was never the kind of lead where you say the game's pretty much over.

We did that yesterday, and we've done it, for the most part, all season.

Before Beltran slugged that homerun yesterday, I said to myself, Come on, Carlos, put this one out of reach; he then proceeded to do just that.

Do I think the Nationals would have come back from a 5-1 deficit in the 9th? No. But that bases loaded jam Billy Wagner worked himself into in the 9th yesterday would have been a lot more nerve-racking if the Mets had been up 5-1 rather than 7-1, eh?

So the offense is clicking nicely. We can expect Xavier Nady and David Wright to cool off (to greater and lesser degrees, respectively), but we can also count on Cliff Floyd heating up and more consistent productivity from Beltran, who is now 5 for his last 12.

About the only negative yesterday was the continued underwhelming performance of Wagner. My buddy Nails was at the game yesterday. After about the second base on balls was delivered, I got a message sent from his Blackberry asking when we should start to worry about him.

I'm not quite there yet. He missed time during spring training, and while it sucks that he's catching up during games that count, the guy's not going to the minors so it's the way it's gotta be.

I say, give Wagner a couple weeks. If he's still consistently hitting 94 on the radar gun, I'd say we've got cause for concern.

- A.F.O.M.G.