Mets Finally Clicking: Rise Into First Place With Sixth Straight Win

When Mike Gonzalez retired Ryan Howard for the final out of the Braves vs. Phillies game, it represented an exciting moment for Mets' fans everywhere; rising to first place.

Yes first place; the Mets have finally pulled themselves into the top spot in the National League East.

The Mets this afternoon defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates 10-1 for their sixth straight win, and impressive one in that eclipsing their highs in runs and hits.

The Mets were given a great start by John Maine whose only mistake was an inside fastball that Pirates' pitcher Paul Maholm hit over the Modell's sign in right field.

I'm sure that Jerry Manuel enjoyed watching his team win by a considerable margin without him in the dugout (probably asking why his team can't score that many runs for him).

The Mets offense was impressive with each starter having a multi-hit game except for Ramon Castro who left the game and is listed day-to-day.

Regardless, the Mets are finally in first place, ahead of the Phillies and Marlins by a half game.

So what does this win mean for the Mets?

For one, the Mets are finally showing signs of being able to slam the door on the lesser teams by scoring early and often against these Pirates. They will go for the sweep tomorrow and their seventh straight win.

Second, the Mets received another great outing from the new 40-year-old wonder Ken Takahashi, and saw John Maine throw six solid innings, his third consecutive quality start and win.

Third, every starting position player in the lineup had a multi-hit game except for Ramon Castro.

Fourth, today was Autism Awareness Day at Citi Field, a tradition that has continued from Shea Stadium. This day is set aside to continue to increase awareness about the disease and try to help people who want to help get the necessary information.

Finally, the Mets are in first place. This is probably one of the most important things for the Mets simply because everything is starting to click together and the Mets are winning ball games.

We, as Mets' fans, just have to hope that the team continues to work game to game and look to win series after series, especially against teams that are struggling like the Pirates.

So Mets fans, things are finally starting to brighten up for these Mets and lets hope they keep it up. Let's go mets!