If Jerry Manuel loses his job, the first person I had wanted to go with him was Dan Warthen. None of the starters appeared to be improving under Warthen. But now it looks like Warthen’s methods are starting to pay off. Every starter except John Maine has looked good the last time out. And after tonight’s win over the Cubs, Mike Pelfrey has an ERA of 0.86.
If not for Pelfrey’s heroics, this might have turned into a typical Met loss. The 3 through 6 hitters were 0-for-13 with seven strikeouts. And that includes no. 6 hitter Ike Davis, who was 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, a walk and run scored. David Wright is hitting .229 and heard loud boos. Jason Bay is hitting .235. Jeff Francoeur is 0 for his last 18. At least Jose Reyes finally broke out with four hits. But there never seems to be more than one or two Met hitters hot at the same time.
Ryota Igarashi strained a hamstring and needs an MRI. Carlos Beltran visited his surgeons in Colorado and was told he cannot begin running. Daniel Murphy’s recovery is going slower than expected. Same old same old.
But when you have pitching, suddenly there is hope. It’s not just the starters – as Metsblog noted earlier in the day, the Mets have the best bullpen ERA in the National League.
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