Talk about a day that the Mets can remember if things go well in October:
1) Glavine will be back, and only miss one start.
2) Shawn Green's coming to Flushing, and they only had to give up one prospect to get him (Evan MacLane). I've heard MacLane's name before, but never in the "blue-chip prospect" category, so this looks like a no-brainer for a team that's got a chance to win now.
[just checked the AAA #"s for MacLane this year: 9-8, 3.86, 1.41 WHIP, .285 BAA, 67 K, 35 BB, 121.1 IP. His bio: 23 year old lefty]
3) Delgado goes yard 2x for his 400th career HR, and he looks to be back.
4) Mets give the suppossed "other" best team in the NL a crushing loss with a Beltran walk-off homer, and get in their heads a bit before we face them in the post-season.
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I also found Maine's effort to be promising. You may say "How? He gave up two huge shots to Pujols!" To that I say "Ha!"
Yes, Maine did get himself into trouble by walking batters ahead of Prince Albert, which I do not like to see. However, after pimping Pujols in his first inning AB you could see Maine was not afraid to face him. After the 3-run shot he retired the next 3 batters. And the grand slam was hit off the end of the bat while leaning over the plate.
Pujols is the best right-handed hitter in baseball, if not the best overall. Yes, he pounded 2 HRs and drove in 7 last night. He will most likely win NL MVP (Mets votes are going to be split 3 ways) and yet Maine went after him. Smart? Not necessarily. Gutsy? Hell yeah! And guts are what I want to see out of a young pitcher. He'll learn what he can and can't get by certain hitters with time but at least he won't be intimidated.
I don't think I've ever been happier to see a pitcher get shelled...
BTW Fredo, I'm going to put the 20 year celebration on tape for you tonight.
Beating Cards at this point in the season is important as Fredo says to make sure we get in their heads. Those types of losses now can come back to weigh on them in the playoffs.
If Delgado can get back to even a fraction of how he was in April-May, our lineup is tremendous. What staff would possibly want to face Beltran-Delgado-Wright?
Getting Green was good move, costs only $$. His #s are not what they once were, but with Floyd uncertain and Milledge's performance making Jay Payton look like he really was a 5-tool all-star, the Mets had to make a move before playoffs. Hopefully he can have a little revival in this lineup, and make it even more dangerous. (We'll need all the runs we can get to beat the Janks.)
Of course, only negative last night was that Maine got roughed up after looking so good for so long. Hopefully he'll learn as DC says and lock them down next time.
DC will appreciate the NY Post referring to the "red-hot" heilman!
Apparently one other negative I didn't know about from last night: "...a Mets crowd of 49,661 that included former President Clinton..." (from ESPN.com)
Green is a .285/.350 OBP/20 HR/85 RBI guy now. He sprays the ball all over the field and is never an easy out. As a lefty he looks like a good fit to be in the 6 slot and protect Wright.
As with any talented player that comes to a major market for the first time (does Toronto count as a major market?), the first week will be key. I'd hate to see him go 2 for 27 to start his Mets tenure. The crowd could turn on him quick. That's Mel Rojas/Jorge Julio syndrome. Of course, with Green being as talented and experienced as he is, I don't see that happening.
I would guess fans might give him some time to step up, because while he is making a lot of $$, the Mets simply inherited his contract and also didn't have to give up anything significant to get him. Surely if we'd had to give up meaningful prospects he'd have a real short leash!
I'm also hopeful he'll get off to a good start, since there is no pressure on him to perform at this point, and as a veteran he should be able to recognize that (unlike Milledge who in reality also has no pressure on him, but is forcing things way too hard since he wants to 'prove' his value and skill.)
We're really not even paying Green that much--Zona had to pick up a chunk of salary.
As for Clinton, they asked Reyes if he gave the Mets an inspirational speech before the game and Jose replied "No, he just wanted to take pictures."
And it turns out he's a Cards fan (they have a minor league affiliate in Little Rock). What an ass...
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