Game #38: Mets 6, Astros 4

Justin Turner scored on a two-run homer by Fernando Martinez (26) in the eighth inning. (NYTimes.com)

Maybe it was the jet lag, but the Mets' bats were a-snoozin' for the first 6 innings of tonight's game in Houston. But when they woke up, oh did they wake up with a bang.

David Wright scorched the go-ahead homer in the 8th and the Mets' bullpen shut the door on the Astros, giving New York their third straight win.

The Good Stuff:

• Gee, I wonder if that day off did David any good? Down 4-3 with two outs in the 8th, Wright became Mr. Clutch and nailed Jeff Fulchino's 2-1 slider over the left field fence to put the Amazin's up. This is the first time in recent memory David has delivered in pressure situations, but a welcome surprise it was, indeed.
• Speaking of breaking out of slumps, Jason Bay gave the NY offense a jump start in the 7th, blasting a towering solo shot into the Texas night. Bay hit well all night and gave the Mets their previous best chance to score in the 4th; unlucky for him, but Carlos Lee was able to snag his line drive and save two runs. Jason also delivered with his arm, gunning down Lee at home in the 2nd.
• Before Wright's 2-run blast, Fernando Martinez did his part as a pinch-hitter, hammering his own 2-run homer in the 8th (the 2nd of his career). The SNY TV team said it best: "You put pinch hitters up there to swing." And oh, did F-Mart ever.
• NY picked up some insurance in the 9th on a Jason Pridie 2-out double that scored Justin Turner.
• The bullpen continues its hot streak, bailing out starter Dillon Gee with 4 solid innings of relief. Pat Misch picked up his first win of the year and accounted for nearly half (1 2/3) of the 'pen's work. Fransisco Rodriguez was brought in for a 4-out save, and despite the 2 hits, got the job done. K-Rod has converted 11 straight save ops and his ERA is now down under 1.00 (0.96).

The Bad Stuff:

• Continuing an unsettling trend, Jose Reyes was picked off after a leadoff single in the 1st. He's done that a couple times recently; I know he loves to run but sometimes it's best to play it safe.
• Dillon Gee wasn't horrible in his 4th start of the year, but he lands in Bad Stuff tonight because it was his worst outing of the year against the worst team in the NL. 5 innings of 4-run, 5-hit ball are acceptable against STL or Cincy, but against the struggling Astros, he could have done better. Add in 4 walks and his WHIP is just under 2.00 for the night (6 Ks are nice to see though).

Final Analysis:
How can you not be smiling after a win like this? Biggest comeback of the year for the Amazin' Mets, and two of the guys who needed to step up (Bay & Wright) did, in fact, step up. It's a welcome sight, and hopefully these guys (and the team itself) can use Space City as a launching pad into a hot streak.

With their third straight win, the Mets now sit in a tie with Washington at just 2 games under .500. Yes, the talking heads will be quick to point out it's still last place, but think of it this way: at 18-20, New York is the best last-place team in the league, and its record is identical to that of Boston's. Things are far than over for this Mets team.

MM

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