The Life Frank Saves Might Be His Own

You do realize that if Frangag Frantsisk had blown Sunday’s game, he was walking to Pittsburgh.

Blame Bobby Parnell all you want for having an outing which ensured that Frantsisk had to come in to save a game (even though Parnell got a “hold” as a reward for giving up two runs). But Parnell hasn’t been a steaming pile of ulcers this season. Frantsisk has. And if Frantsisk had given Toronto the sweep … if he had allowed the Blue Jays to put the finishing touches on a sweep in which they would have beaten the Mets in a romp, a pitching duel, and a come from behind victory? That would have been the death knell to Frantsisk’s summer fling with the ninth inning. It would have been over. At best he would have had the mop-up role. At worst he would have been cooking beans on the side of the train tracks with D.J. Carrasco.

And it sure as hell seemed as if Frantsisk was leading us all into hell by giving up a walk and a hit to start the ninth inning clinging precariously to a one run lead. Yet Frantsisk reached back through the muck and summoned enough to strike out the next three, salvaging the third game of the series. I don’t know how he did it … and I don’t really care to know. Yet I believe that all this did was buy Frantsisk a few more days.

Mike Baxter got three hits today, giving him seven for the series (should have been eight). That thud you heard by the way was Jason Bay dropping a notch on the outfield depth chart.

David Wright is now hitting .412 after two more hits today, and will not share some of his extra batting average points to Ike Davis. Others are saying they’d be shocked if Wright signed a deal with the Mets before he got to free agency. At the beginning of the season I’d say they were right. And if the Mets don’t come up with the money to bring him back soon, then I’d still might agree with them. This is why the Mets need to come up with a strong contract offer for him in the next two years, or if they can’t … wheel him for what they can get. But with Wright doing what he’s doing, would fair value exist in the marketplace? And I’m sure other teams know that if he does indeed hit free agency they have a real shot at him so why trade the farm to get him? So that leaves the only real option for the Mets at this point:

Sign the man. Or risk losing him and Jose Reyes for absolutely nothing. Simple as that.

The Pittsburgh Pirates are next for the Mets … a team that was almost no-hit on Friday and struck out 17 times on Sunday (15 by Max Scherzer). This of course means they’re due to score 32 runs over the next three days. How many of those runs will be at the hands of Frantsisk? Guessing is half the fun.