New York Mets: Hisanori Takahashi and R.A. Dickey Solidify Rotation

The Mets offense has been back and forth this season, but they average 4.4 runs per game, which is the league average.

Considering that big names like Jose Reyes and Jason Bay are now getting it going, run scoring is not the Mets' biggest problem. Plus, they have a built-in midseason addition in Carlos Beltran to bolster their offense.

With the offense more or less pulling its weight, the problem the Mets need to iron out is their rotation.

Oliver Perez and John Maine were the biggest problems, but now that they're gone they need to replace them. So far Hisanori Takahashi and R.A. Dickey have filled in and have done an amazing job, but can they keep it up?

If they can, the Mets will be a serious contender in the National League.

Right now the NL is wide open; not one division leader is up by more than two games, and there are nine teams within five games of the wild card. The Mets are right in the thick of it, just two games back in both the wild card and the NL East, which isn't bad for a team that has struggled with consistency all year long.

Believe it or not, the Mets are actually fourth in the NL in ERA at 3.64. That number is good, but it's important they don't let it slip.

The front end of the Mets rotation, Mike Pelfrey and Johan Santana, haven't been an issue and there is no glaring issue to make anyone think that will change. Jon Niese is currently out with an injury, but it seems like a minor one. The bullpen has been strong, but heavily worked. Thus, it will take strong performances from Takahashi and Dickey to keep them in the playoff hunt.

Right now Takahashi is in the zone with back-to-back shutouts against the Mets' biggest rivals. He's a 35-year-old rookie who has done a great job keeping hitters off balance. The league could potentially catch up with him, but he’s gotten a few looks so far and nobody has really come close to proving him a fluke.

What helps him is that he's a complete pitcher without overpowering stuff; there is no one thing that hitters can focus on.

Dickey has been almost as impressive in his couple of starts, but there are reasons to worry here. He came up as a completely different pitcher than the one we see today and has struggled with consistency since becoming a knuckleballer. He hasn’t had to deal with consistency problems this season, and if he can keep that up it'll go a long way towards strengthening the Mets rotation.

Takahashi and Dickey have both been good for the Mets so far, but they are big unknowns. If they can keep it up and stick in the rotation, then it is not only possible for the Mets to be contenders—it is likely.

In the upcoming weeks Santana's and Pelfrey’s starts aren't the most important ones, but without them this will all be for nothing. It's the starts of the two new guys that will be huge, because they're just as important.

Everyone starts once every fifth day, after all.

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