Mets Need a Win To Salvage First Week

The first week of official major league baseball action is almost over. In this first week, there have been a few pitchers flirting with no hitters. There have been a few hitters with multiple home run games. There has even been an incident of a home team Phillies-fan-invasion-was-orchestrated-by-th?urn=mlb,232653">creating controversy with promoting ticket sales for fans of a rival.

In this week, locally, the New York Mets have had a lackluster week at best. A roller coaster of extremes to be sure. They lost two games to the division rival Florida Marlins. But are in position to take their first series of the season against the Nationals. In the words of Meatloaf 'two out of three ain't bad'. That's what the Mets are hoping for after a week of uninspiring baseball.

Opening day was a splendid experience, as I'm sure the fans who crossed the gates on Monday would attest to. The combination of staff ace Johan Santana and capitalizing on mistakes, led to an exciting win. The night opener was an entirely different story. John Maine was horrific. His ineffectiveness was the catalyst to an embarrassing loss.

By the third game, the fan base was beginning to feel slightly uneasy. A gutsy performance by Jonathan Niese was ruined by missed opportunities, cold bats and extra innings. Another loss, but the fan base was hopeful. His performance revealed that he could pitch well at the major league level. That was the biggest question going into the game for some.

By game four, the fans were starting to feel the moans of seasons past, as word was spreading of a potential injury to Luis Castillo. The revelation sparked debate after debate of whether to keep youngster Rueben Tejada with the club, or cut Frank Catalanotto. Even questions arose whether to demote Fernando Tatis to the minors.

Mike Pelfrey answered some of the questions surrounding him. He had a solid performance and took advantage of an explosion of power by Jeff Francoeur and Rod Barajas who combined for four home runs, a pair each, to earn the win. The fifth game was a lot closer than the score would indicate, as Oliver Perez once again struggled to find the strike zone.

A late game rally was thwarted with good defense by the Nationals and poor clutch hitting abilities by the Mets. The return of Jose Reyes from injuries after nearly a year's absence and a much heralded off season was uneventful. The record after five games now stands at 2-3. Hardly impressive to say the least, however it is still a hopeful position to be in.

They are a game under the benchmark of .500 and have shown inconsistencies in every facet of the team at different points of the week. The team has shown some fight and some grit, but some lack of focus and some lack of fundamentals. The fans are also showing some lack of patience already. I must admit, I have been one of those fans this week. But with cooler heads now prevailing, I am able to properly evaluate the situation and report damage control.

There are several pieces of good news. First, staff ace Johan Santana pitches tomorrow. Second, there is no rain, so far, in the forecast. Finally, they are playing the Nationals. This is a team that is already weaker than most in the league, who during Saturday's game had to replace their captain, Ryan Zimmerman, at third base due to a slight twinge he felt in his hamstring, according to WFAN's game broadcast.

This all adds up to a win. If Johan can be as sharp or even better than he was on opening day, they may even flirt with a no hitter. Then, I think the fans would forgive the entire results of the season, should those results be a poor showing. Either way, a win on Sunday would accomplish two things.

One, it would bring them back to an even record and avoid an early hole in the standings. I realize that it is far too soon to discuss standings, however, when the injured Beltran and Murphy come back to help, how far down will they be? Standings must be at least mentioned because, contrary to popular belief, you can lose divisions and playoff spots in April just as much as you can in August and September.

Every game is important. Particularly those against divisional opponents. A record with 7 to 10 games down by the end of April, could lead to a deeper hole than they are capable of climbing out of immediately. The earlier the hole, the more time they will have to dig out of it, but they would have to play at an even higher level to make up the ground they've lost. Even in April and May. If the start is bad enough, they may be sellers in July's trade deadline.

Second, a win on Sunday, could build confidence as they prepare to go out on the road. The team will be embarking on a six game road trip that will take them to both Colorado's era inflating Coor's Field and the devastating offense of the Cardinals in St. Louis. Both teams are an enormous challenge, in a young season, for a team who's pitching rotation has so many questions. Especially with the ace, Johan Santana, projected to pitch only one of those road games.

They will have a travel day on Monday, which will be a little amount of time to rest up and prepare for the grind that is to come. On Tuesday, the team will have to have the type of confidence they need to succeed in their division and in the National League. They can possess such confidence and develop that needed swagger with a win.

It can be a second start. It all starts with Johan. A .500 record in week one will be better than several teams have and a decent start to a season that has already started with such turbulence. Buckle up Mets fans, it's been a bumpy week.