Game #2: Mets 6, Marlins 4 (10)

David Wright's third hit of the game scored Jose Reyes with the go-ahead run in the 10th inning. (NYTimes.com)

David Wright hit his first home run of the new campaign and drove in the go-ahead run in the 10th inning as the Mets picked up their first win of the season, beating the Florida Marlins 6-4.

A Josh Thole RBI single in the top of the 9th initially put New York up 3-2, but closer Francisco Rodriguez blew his first save opportunity since last summer's incident with his girlfriend's father, giving up three singles and a walk, including the tying hit to pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs.

If had this been last year, the Mets may have simply curled up and died. Not this time: Jose Reyes, Angel Pagan, and David Wright started off the extra frame with three straight singles, with Wright's bringing home Reyes. Three batters later, Willie Harris provided a perfect insurance plan: a double to right field which brought home both runners for a 6-3 lead. He gave up a run in the bottom of the 10th, but Blaine Boyer buckled down and picked up his first save.

Despite a rocky two-run first inning, Amazin's starter Jon Niese was able to keep the lid on the Marlins through seven innings, allowing just that pair of runs on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Bobby Parnell came in to provide a scoreless eighth, striking out two of the three Marlins he faced, including shortstop Hanley Ramirez.

Wright got the offense rolling in the fourth with an opposite-field solo home run off Florida starter Ricky Nolasco. The slugging third baseman is on the right start to match his 29 dingers last season. In the sixth, Ike Davis brought home Carlos Beltran on a game-tying double. The Mets finished with a whopping 13 hits, including three each from Wright and Josh Thole.

Final Anaylsis:
Smile, Terry! I doubt we would have seen the Mets come back to win this game last year. Collins seems to have injected life into this once lethargic group of 25. Not a good sign for K-Rod; let's hope he can finally live up to his contract and regain the form he had in Anaheim. Encouraging to see Wright doing what a #3 man should do: getting clutch hits and not striking out. Davis continues to impress; I'll say it again: keep an eye on him. I don't know how many games we'll win this year, but one thing is for sure: Terry Collins won't let his team quit. And if only for his sake, I don't think they will quit.

On a completely different note, Go Butler! Good luck in Monday's championship game.

MM