The Campfire Still Burns

Very nice job by Ruben Tejada driving in four runs on Sunday … three of them with a fly ball over Matt Diaz’s head in the fourth … to lead the Mets to a 7-5 win over the Braves to give the Mets the series win, and the season win in Turner Field. Now, I’m just scared that the recent trend of Tejada hitting fly balls will continue. Maybe it’s been because he’s tired, but now Tejada might think he’s some sort of slugger or something. Tejada’s average on fly balls is .108 … totally unfair comparison: Albert Pujols is hitting .231 on fly balls, so I’m guessing the average is somewhere in between making .108 look like those sparrows that the cats who live under Citi Field eat for breakfast. If Terry Collins wants to motivate, maybe he should institute that 20 push up rule for every ball hit in the air, because Tejada is popping them up like Willie Mays Hays … the Omar Epps version.

And what of Bobby Parnell, who got two outs and walked two batters (and somehow was credited with a hold out of that) before being pulled for your 2012 closer, Manny Acosta (there’s medicine for those chills you’re feeling right about now.) At least now when Parnell can’t find the plate, or has his 100 mph fastball hit back at him at 150 mph, we can easily blame John Franco. Franco may have better luck teaching Parnell to navigate the Atlantic Ocean than navigating a late inning. (The Mets will have Tim Byrdak for another season … maybe he can tutor D.J. Carrasco.)

But the Mets at least have the feather in their cap of being the first team to score runs off both Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel, obviously not an easy feat if this was the first time this happened. Maybe Terry did knock some sense into them with the “fold up the tent” speech, though I still question the cause and effect along with the risk factor of a rant like that at that point in the season. Even David Wright hinted that it’s mere coincidence. But it’s obvious that some sort of campfire is still lit, the Mets are gathered around it eating smores, and the tent is still up, if only for a few more days.