Offense and Pitching Together Will Keep the Mets Consistent

What's the difference between the Mets 9-1 run to first place earlier this season and the 10-1 run toward first they are on now? A nice balance of offense and defense.

On the 9-1 run in May, it took top notch pitching performances by everyone to make it happen. 8 of those 10 games had the Mets giving up 2 runs or less. This is something that just can't be sustained for an extended period of time. Yes, Pelf is doing awesome, we have one of the greatest pitchers in baseball in Santana, and the other three guys are doing great, but if you think the Mets as a whole will be able to limit opponents to 2 runs or less on a regular basis, you're drinking koolaid even better than you'll find here.

Over the past 11 games on the Mets current streak, the team has given up 4 or more runs 5 times. That said, the Mets have scored 5 or more runs during that span 6 times. Obviously, the Mets aren't always going to score a ton of runs either.

The big difference is the Mets are going from streaky baseball to just good baseball. Everyone is hustling, smiling, and having fun. Sure, this happens always when a team is on a winning streak, but this one feels different than last time. Last time, I think all Mets fans had in their heads was, "This is great, but when is this going to end?" This time, I don't feel this way and I'm guessing you don't either.

I started to calm down with Pelf's game on Sunday (don't you love that him giving up 3ER is now an off game for him?). He gave up a few runs and I was all ready for the Mets to not back him up offensively, but they went out there and put up 11 runs on the game and made it a laugher. This is not a streak. It's not even something out of the ordinary for a successful baseball team.

Over the course of a long season, teams are going to have great pitching performances and great hitting performances. There are going to be bad days for both too, but as long as any day can be a good day, the team has a chance to win, and the fans are going to have fun. Thanks goodness baseball is fun again for us. Drink it up.