Mets Beat Braves 3-1, Have Won 5 of 6

What did I tell you? A week ago the Mets looked awful as they dropped their fourth consecutive series to start the season to open the season.

Well, after winning two consecutive series and five of their last six games, things are looking good in Flushing.

Don’t kid yourselves, this team does have problems, but they weren’t as bad as they were a week ago.

Today, they won behind a good day from their starter Jon Niese and a pair of RBI doubles from Jason Bay and Jeff Francoeur, as they got another strong performance from the bullpen to win 3-1.

Notes

• Don’t look now, but Jason Bay had a good game. He went 3-for-4 with an RBI.
• Angel Pagan , Alex Cora, and Jose Reyes , the 1-2-3 hitters, went a combined 0-for-9 with three walks, two by Reyes and one by Pagan. Reyes also scored.
• David Wright and Ike Davis went a combined 0-for-6, Davis walked and scored.
• Jeff Francoeur went 1-for-3 with a RBI double and a run scored.
• Jon Niese wasn’t dominant by any stretch, but he had a productive game. His line: 5.1IP, 5H, 1ER, 5BB, 6K, 0HR.
• Manny Acosta , Fernando Nieve , Pedro Feliciano , and Francisco Rodriguez combined for this line: 3.2IP, 1H, 0R, 2BB, 3K.

Thoughts

• Back to .500 baby!
• Niese gutted out a strong game today. Nothing to get excited about because he allowed 10 baserunners over five innings, but if he can do even this consistently it will go a long way in helping the Mets.
• Bay had a great day today. Hopefully this is the start of something good.
• Another great game by the bullpen. It’s still too early to get excited by the bullpen, but if they can keep it up for a little while longer it might be time to start thinking of them as a legit weapon.

Quotes

“.500 is nothing to throw a party about, by any means,” Francoeur said . “It’s a stepping stone.”

Line of the Day

DP – 2 (J Francoeur-A Cora-D Wright-J Reyes, H Blanco-A Cora). The double plays went a long way in keeping Niese and the Mets in this game. Great job erasing baserunners.

Up Next

• The Mets are going for the series sweep tomorrow and they’ve got Big Pel on the mound. I think they can do it.
• Sunday, April 25: RHP Tommy Hanson (1-1, 2.81) vs. RHP Mike Pelfrey (3-0, 0.86).

Related Stories

• April 20, 2010 -- Ike Davis Helps Mets Beat Cubs 6-1 (0)
• April 9, 2010 -- Mets Drop Series Finale to Marlins 3-1 (0)
• April 23, 2010 -- Reyes Will Bat 3rd This Weekend (1)
• April 17, 2010 -- Quotes from Jason Bay About Start with Mets (0)