Mets Win Again: John Candy Would Be Proud

For those of you who are asking yourselves who John Candy is…shame on you.

He was the star of many movies, and he was one funny individual.

The movie in which I am referencing with the title, is the classic, “Rookie of the Year,” in which he states, “The Cubs have their longest winning streak of the season…two!”

That is certainly the feeling that I have in regards to the Mets who narrowly escaped with a 4-3 victory over Atlanta to sweep the Braves in their short two game series.

The defense was a bit sloppy today, as Luis Castillo and Carlos Delgado both botched routine plays.

Delgado’s was more important though, as it eventually led to Chipper Jones getting an at bat with a chance to win the game.

Luckily, history didn’t repeat itself, and Chipper flew out to Ryan Church to end the ballgame. I felt a few gray hairs grow in as the game ended.

Ramon Castro had a big game, and that is something to be talked about.

His average is slowly approaching .300, and it is becoming clear that he is the better candidate to get more playing time than Omir Santos.

Castro seemed to be ticked off when Jerry Manuel pinch hit for him a couple of days back with the bases loaded, and he has taken the best possible action...he took his frustrations out on the baseball.

That’s how you get back into the manager’s good graces and Castro seems to have done just that.

Carlos Beltran continues to be the hottest hitter in the game, and he had a couple more hits tonight to drive his average up and above .400.

He is just seeing the ball so well right now, and he is showing some glimpses of 2004 in the playoffs with the Astros. If Beltran continues this pace, the Mets will certainly be alright, and they will probably have the National League’s MVP.

Bobby Parnell continues to impress me.

He battled through adversity tonight, and he succeeded while facing some pressure situations.

This Mets’ bullpen is solidifying.

Now…if the starting rotation is more consistent, maybe we can band a few wins together. Nice job by Livan tonight, who pitched 6.1 innings of one run ball. Tomorrow, the Mets will once again get the chance to tangle with the Phillies.

Johan Santana gets to duel with Chan Ho Park in what should certainly be a mismatch.

The fans will be booing loudly as the Phillies make their first trip to Citifield in 2009.