Time to Wake Up The Bats

By Ed "In Westchester" Semlies
Posted Tuesday, June 5, 2007

June is going to be the biggest test of the year for our Mets. At the end of a good April, they were 15-9, in second place by .5 games, and at the end of a fantastic May, they were 19-9 and ended the month in first place by 4.5 games. On the road, the Mets are 18-7; at home however, they are only 17-13, and stand at 3-3 on their present homestand.

June is fraught with potential pitfalls. This is the month where they either show they are a team with what it takes to win it all, or one that will fall short. I’m not trying to be a "gloomy gus" here, but facts are facts. The key is going to be the lineup. They need to get healthy, and they need to start hitting. The June schedule is very tough.

They just finished a three-game set against the hot Diamondbacks, going 1-2. Here is how the rest of the month goes

Philadelphia Phillies (3)
@ Detroit Tigers (3) (p)
@ Brooklyn Dodgers of Los Angeles (3) (p)
Off day
@ Yankees (3) (p)
Minnesota Twins (3) (p)
Off Day
Oakland A’s (3) (p)
St. Louis Cardinals (4) (p)
@ Philadelphia Phillies (3)

They have only two days off the rest of the month. Notice the (p)s; those denote playoff teams from last season. The Mets play a stretch of 19 games against playoff teams from last season. Now, I grant that the Cardinals are having trouble, and the Yankees are most likely dead, but that is still a very tough stretch. The potential is there to go under 500, particularly if the injury bug is still flying around. The word is that Beltran will be back tonight, and that Green, Alou and Valentin will be back next week. That will get the team back to full strength in the lineup, something that will be vital to how the team does during this upcoming stretch.

The pitching staff, from the starters to the pen, has been the key thus far. The lineup has mostly underperformed; it is pitching that has allowed the Mets to open up a lead. Perez and Maine have done well. El Duque has been gold. Glavine would have at least 2 more wins if the team had scored some runs for him. Jorge Sosa has been a revelation. Outside of Mike Pelfrey, the starters have gotten the job done. The pen, save for a couple of poor games, has done its job as well. They need to keep this up. And they need the bats to awaken.

They will be facing many top tier starters in the next month. Verlander and Bonderman of Detroit; Lowe and Penny of the Dodgers; Santana and Bonser of the Twins; Haren and Harden of the A’s. That is a tough stretch of guys to face. If the lineup cannot hold up its end of the bargain, the pitchers are going to be in trouble. Each of the teams coming up has the potential to put some serious numbers up on the board. Delgado, Wright, Beltran, et al, need to step it up, Reyes needs to find a middle ground between his fantastic April and his tough May. The pitchers have carried the team for the first two months. Now it's time for the bats to lend a hand.

Ed in Westchester likes the month of June; it is perhaps his favorite month. You can read more of his ramblings at http://edinwestchester.blogspot.com/