To Be The Best, You Have To Beat The Best

Jenrry Mejia photo by Evan Vucci/AP

The Mets have the best record in the NL East since June 18, playing .600 ball over the last six weeks.  Slowly, but surely, they have been creeping closer to the Phillies and Nationals in the standings.  They are also starting to appear in the Braves' rear view mirror, although Atlanta is still a safe distance ahead on the highway.

New York is defeating everyone these days.  They're beating lefties, righties, rookies, veterans.  They're even defeating pitchers who rarely lose to anyone.

Here is a list of some of the pitchers the Mets have defeated this year, along with their win-loss record or number of saves for the season:

• April 21:  Mets defeat Jordan Zimmermann (12 wins, 6 losses).
• May 9:  Mets defeat Jason Grilli (league-leading 30 saves).
• May 16:  Mets defeat Adam Wainwright (13 wins, 5 losses).
• May 28:  Mets defeat Mariano Rivera (second in the majors with 33 saves).
• June 12:  Mets defeat Shelby Miller (10 wins, 6 losses).
• June 20:  Mets defeat Mike Minor (10 wins, 5 losses).
• July 2:  Mets defeat Patrick Corbin (12 wins, 1 loss).
• July 21:  Mets defeat Cliff Lee (10 wins, 4 losses).
• July 26:  Mets defeat Jordan Zimmermann again (see record above).

There are five pitchers in baseball with 30 or more saves.  The Mets have pinned losses on two of them.  There are four pitchers in the National League with 12 or more wins.  The Mets have defeated three of them, including the Diamondbacks' Patrick Corbin, who has not lost to anyone else this season.

In addition to the above pitchers, the Mets have also defeated Roy Halladay, Stephen Strasburg, Dan Haren, Matt Cain and Cole Hamels (twice).  All of those pitchers have had very successful careers - except against the Mets in 2013.

The Mets still have a sub-.500 record.  But they are getting strong pitching, clutch hitting, and they are beating some of the best pitchers in baseball.  That's a recipe for long-term success and makes the Mets a formidable opponent.

There is no pitcher in baseball and no team in baseball that is scaring the Mets right now.  But perhaps it should be the Mets' opponents who should be scared of them.  To be the best, the Mets have to beat the best.  They've been doing just that and are showing no signs of stopping.
 

In Santana We Trust

Tonight is the rubber game of the three-game series in Philadelphia between the Mets and the Phillies. The Mets head into the series finale holding on to a razor-thin half-game lead over the second place Phillies after Roy Halladay shut down the Mets' offense on Saturday with a complete game shutout and Mike Pelfrey came back down to Earth after his phenomenal and mostly scoreless April.

Just as Halladay did for the Phillies after his team lost to the Mets Friday night, it is now up to Johan Santana to be the stopper for the Mets. Santana must be the ace he's expected to be and pitch the Mets to victory tonight.

The Mets now have a renewed feeling of positivity following their recent eight-game winning record. A winning attitude has been permeating through the clubhouse and everyone is subscribing to it.

Therefore, it behooves Santana to follow Pelfrey's poor performance on the mound with a Santana-esque outing.

In 2008, Santana was 8-3 following a Mets loss. Last year, despite the fact that the Mets finished 22 games under .500, Santana finished with a winning record (5-4) when he pitched after a Mets defeat. Therefore, despite the fact that the Mets' record over the past two seasons has been below .500 (159-165), Santana has done his best to prevent losing streaks from getting longer, going 13-7 in his outings following a Mets loss.

Tonight will be the latest opportunity for Santana to pitch the Mets back into the win column after they made an appearance in the loss column in the previous game. That's what aces are paid to do. The Mets will need their ace to do just that if they want to remain in first place in the NL East.

Winning creates a positive attitude in the clubhouse. Roy Halladay gave the Phillies that feeling yesterday. It's time for the Mets' ace to do the same for the Mets. After all, in Santana we trust.