The New York Mets: Four Wins in a Row Reason for Excitement?

The New York Mets have (temporarily at least) put a hold on the end of the 2009 season.  They've won four games in a row, quite impressively in fact, and seem to have a new found swagger that they've been missing all season. 

Dare I say, they even seem to be having fun!

The question that begs to be answered: Does any of it matter?

Is this small scale surge "too little, too late?"  It's hard to say. 

Winning four in a row, followed by a three- or four-game losing streak, and you're right back where you started.

Winning four in a row, followed by mediocre .500 baseball and you're a little better off than you were before, but you still have a six or seven teams to jump past to make the playoffs. 

Taking four in a row, and building on it; making it six or seven in a row, that's the key to making up ground. Even when the winning streak comes to an end, starting a new one should be top priority.

I was beginning to believe these Mets were incapable of playing the type of baseball they have been playing over the past week. 

They've played from behind and come back. They've played from ahead and held the lead.  They've played solid defense. They've done all the things they weren't doing for the longest time.

Even the starting pitching, although not outstanding, has been good enough to keep the team in every game. The last time a starter has had a bad outing, strangely enough, was Johan Santana's last start.

The bullpen has been outstanding. The hitting has been clutch.

All the Mets need is for this level of play to remain consistent, and they still have a legitimate shot at the postseason.

That said, I'm still not a believer. I'm standing by my decision to not pass judgment until the homestand is over. For now, I'm happier than I was last week, but that's not saying much. I was pretty unhappy last week.