Blueprint

Seeing Livan Hernandez and Dave Bush go at it Friday night was like watching slow pitch softball with their 60 mph dipsy doos and their fastballs that would make Reid Cornelius laugh. Saturday was fast pitch. And then faster pitch, as Johan Santana and Yovani Gallardo matched each other pitch for pitch, K for K.

The difference today, as was the difference last season, as the Mets hope will be the difference in a different way this season, was the bullpen, as Putz and Frankie out-foxed Carlos Villanueva out of the bullpen, albeit barely as the Mets scored their only run on a walk, and error, and a fielders choice. Put it all together, you have the first 1-0 Mets win since Paul LoDuca had to be convinced that Wyoming wasn't a country.

The blueprint for Mets success so far, at least when Santana on the mound, is working. When Johan starts, he gets the game to the brand new bullpen and the machine hums like a Harley. When anyone else starts, the vehicle is more like a Wild Wacky Action Bike. (Almost impossible to steer, and on certain nights when David Wright drinks a little too much Vitamin Water, glows in the dark.)

Now, the Mets have their foots on the necks of the Brewers, poised to sweep. It was frequently an issue for the Willie Randolph Mets to put the clamps down on a sweep game. Maybe now that the Mets are against Willie they'll put the hammer down, especially going against a pitcher who's 0-2 with a 12.91 ERA. However, that pitcher's name is Jeff Suppan, so maybe he's just saving the most gratifying win of his career for Sunday.