The Mets remain the team to beat in the NL East, but have inexplicably played like a team waiting to be beaten.
- They’ve stopped coming up big in the clutch most nights
- The bullpen has been inconsistent
- The Carloses have not been the Carloses
- There have been an assortment of injuries — some expected, like Moises Alou’s — that have not helped, though they cannot be used as an excuse
The question with the Mets is can they turn it back on and create some distance between themselves and the Phillies (a team that too often finds ways to beat itself) and the Braves (a team that is running on fumes, but still dangerous). I think they can, but they have to reverse the first-half trend and get real production from Delgado and Beltran, consistency from Aaron Heilman and Guillermo Mota, find another pitcher who is ready to contribute and hope that Lastings Milledge is ready.
Yes. Lastings Milledge. I believe that, had he not gone down with the ankle injury shortly after being optioned to New Orleans, he would have been called to the big club and plugged the gap in the outfield.
I still think this team is going to win between 92 and 95 games, which should be enough to win the division. What happens in the playoffs, however, may depend on whether Pedro can be Pedro when he gets back.
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Hank Kalet 