It certainly would have been a lot nicer had the Mets won the final game of their series with the Braves. It's hard to complain about a six and two home stand but when you consider where they are headed, the Mets could take all the wins they can get.
The Mets begin a very difficult ten game road trip starting tonight. First, it's four in San Francisco where the Giants have played extremely well this season. It's a night game tonight and tomorrow then a Fox afternoon game on Saturday before concluding on ESPN Sunday night at 8:00PM Eastern.
Then the Mets head down the coast to Los Angeles to play the first place Dodgers who recently lost their first couple of home games of the season and Manny Ramirez for breaking baseball's drug policy. It's three night games in Dodger Stadium, Monday through Wednesday, before the Mets have a day off to jet all the way across the country to the coziest ballpark on the planet, Fenway Park.
The Mets will play the Red Sox in the season's first installation of inter-league play for three games Memorial Day weekend. I don't think it could get much harder for the Mets than the next ten games.
Consider the Mets will play three teams whose combined home record is 61-39. The Mets will have to be on top of their game to come home in good shape.
No question, the Mets have played better recently. But what concerns me is the little things the Mets are not doing. Their defense has been less than what it should be. It's not that the Mets are making lots of errors but they are not thinking smart in the field. Fundamentally, the defense has been lacking and it is affecting outcome.
The base running has been awful, especially for Jose Reyes. If you believe that Reyes might have made it to third in the 12th inning yesterday, then that's three base running mistakes he made in two games. The other two were getting thrown out at third when running from second on a ground ball to short and trying to stretch a double into a triple and getting thrown out at third as the tying run on Tuesday night. For all the raw talent Jose Reyes has, he has little baseball instincts. He's not a raw rookie anymore either. He is a five year veteran. I do not understand why Reyes does not use his speed to bunt his way on base more often. He still does not understand his talent and what to do with it. I'm starting to wonder if he ever will. I know he's an exciting player but his thought process does not match his talent. Jimmy Rollins in Philadelphia has less talent than Reyes but plays at a higher, smarter, and more intense level although he is struggling this season too. But I digress.
What would Mets fans settle for on this trip, six and four, five and five? I would hope the Mets win at least five games. More would be sweet but let's be realistic, a west coast trip followed by a series in Boston is no picnic.
Last season the Mets split six games in San Francisco and Los Angeles. The Mets won two out of three from the Giants but only one against the Dodgers. The Mets have not faced the Red Sox, in regular season play, since 2006. That year, also at Fenway Park, the Sox swept the three game series in embarrassing fashion.
The Mets need to win four of the seven games on the west coast then win at least one in Boston. That would insure a .500 trip. It's not going to be easy especially without Carlos Delgado, a team lost on fundamentals right now, and figuring out who is to replace Oliver Perez while he works out his issues in PSL.
Some late nights await. Get some sleep.
