Look Who's Not In Last!

Yeah, it's that kind of division. A sweep of the Giants puts the Mets in first. A sweep of the Mets puts them in last. A 12-1 victory in their doubleheader nightcap gives them a split, and puts them in third place, splitting the best division in baseball.

Unlike Lloyd McClendon, I can't say enough good things about Kris Benson. 7 innings, 98 pitches, and everyone made contact (no K's, no BB's). Carlos Beltran set the tone for Benson early, robbing Michael Tucker of a HR on the dead run, which put Benson in a good mood and made up for a tough day in the field during the matinee.

Kris Benson, right now, is the very definition of a pitcher who has total confidence in his stuff. He trusts it enough to let the batters hit it, knowing it won't sail 3 miles. It's good to see. Petunia's daddy also had a good day at the plate, smacking a double and driving in a run with a walk against Jason Schmidt, who was erratic in his four innings of work.

David Wright had a monster game from the 5th spot in the order, going three for five with a HR and two singles driving in two. As I said in the game one recap, and others have been saying for weeks and weeks and weeks, David Wright should stay in that 5th spot. Funny what 10 hits gets you. In game one, 10 hits = 3 runs. In game two, 10 hits (the first ten) = 10 runs. Coincidence the Mets are more efficient with Wright hitting 5th? I think not.

Cliff Floyd is finding his MVP stroke once again, going 3 for 4 with four ribbies, and two loooooooong home runs, both to center. (Note to the D.J. in the Shea scoreboard; is Macho Man by the Village People really the best option after a home run?) Floyd now has 14 dingers on the season. Victor Diaz also homered while giving Mike Cameron a rest in right field, and Jose Reyes went 3 for 5 in the leadoff spot.

It's June 5th, and all 5 teams in the N.L. Beast are seperated by 1 and 1/2 games. Let the pennant race begin.