The 6 Positives of Going 7-8

Let me take you back to Monday, May 8. One day earlier, the Mets learned that their No. 4 starter, Victor Zambrano, would be lost for the season. Zambrano's injury came on the heels of Brian Bannister's hamstring injury two weeks earlier.

Uncertainty abounded as the Mets boarded the plain, train, or automobile that took them from scenic Shea to unfriendly Philly, where the Mets began their most trying stretch of the season to that point.

We had all heard the whispers of uncertainty. Yes, the Mets were 11 games over .500 to that point, but who had we beaten? Well, the Marlins and Nationals mostly, and a Braves team that stumbled out of the gate.

The next two weeks were to be the litmus test for this club. How would we fare on a tough two-week stretch against four of the better teams in baseball, played mostly in opposing parks?

Things started out poorly for the Mets, as they lost 2-of-3 in Philly, Milwaukee, and St. Louis, but the club rebounded to win the final two series' at home against the Yankees and Phillies.

All in all, it was a 7-8 stretch. Not normally the stuff that celebrations are made of, granted, but consider a few things:

1. The Mets ran Jose Lima and Jeremi Gonzalez out there for 4 of those games.

The Mets' record in those games? 1-3, and the one win (a week ago against the Yankees), could hardly be credited to Gonzalez.

Do the Mets win all these games if Lima or Gonzalez don't start? Can't make that conclusion. Would the Mets have had a better shot at winning had neither started? I'd say that conclusion is fair.

2. The Mets lost one game 2-0 in five innings.

I mean, salt, it happens, but not exactly representative.

3. The Mets won 5 of their games by 1 run.

Not sure this is worth mentioning, I mean, the bullpen is a minor part of a team after all, but this is still pretty impressive.

(For more on how unimportant the bullpen is, read Matt Gelb's article over at MetsGeek: http://www.metsgeek.com/articles/2006/05/26/a-real-relief/).

4. In 6 of their 8 losses, the Mets brought the tying run to the plate in their half of the 9th inning.

It's become a little cliched to note how this time never gives in, how it always keeps fighting, but that doesn't mean it's not true. The statistic above speaks for itself. Would it have been nice to get the big hit and to have won those games? Of course, but speaking of that...

5. The Mets erased early deficits to in 4 of their 7 games; 3 times that meant overcoming deficits of 3 or more runs.

... it turns out the Mets do get the big hits from time to time, but chances are you didn't need me to tell you that. Chances are you saw Mr. Glass get that clutch home run in the bottom of the 8th on Tuesday. Or you saw Delgado crack a 3-run homer against the Yankees on Sunday. Or you saw Beltran announce that the Mets weren't about to go quietly against the Deflating Unit last Friday.

There are qualities that latch on to a winning ball club. Winning the games you should. Playing hard for 27 outs, or more if necessary. Staging comebacks. Check, check, and check, for the most part, so far.

(For more on this, be sure to read Mike Lupica's excellent column in today's NY Daily News: http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/baseball/story/421156p-355526c.html).

6. The Mets are still 4.0 games up on their closest NL East opponent.

This one's the real kicker for me. When we began this tough 15-game stretch, we owned a 4.0 game lead on the second place Phillies, who at that point had won 8 straight games. Today our lead on the Phils is likewise 4.0 games.

The Braves have made strides, we knew they would, and are now 4.5 games out of first, a difference of 3.5 half games from May 8, when they were 8.0 games out.

But all in all, the Mets just played through 5 tough series' against 4 tough teams, some of the best in baseball, at least among the teams the Mets will see in the regular season.

They are none the worse for wear, and now, having won 4 of their last 6 ballgames, having gained a No. 4 in Orlando Hernandez and having gained hope of a No. 5 in Alay Soler, you might say that the Mets are sitting a hell of a lot prettier than they were two weeks ago.

Tonight we're in Florida with our ace on the hill. Tomorrow we throw Tommy Glavine, who's matched Pedro pitch for pitch this year, or maybe bettered him. Then on Sunday El Duque makes his debut.

Having weathered the storm these past two weeks, it's time to take care of business in Miami.

And for a lot of us, it's time to take care of business on a 3-day weekend. So enjoy yourselves, Mets fans, and be sure to keep checking in with Y2K over the weekend -- you just never know.

- A.F.O.M.G.