Johan Santana’s complete game Sunday was the Mets first since the 2006 season and could not have come at a better time.  Following a 14 inning war Saturday night, the bullpen truly appreciated the night off, and the Shea faithful appreciated a rare lopsided victory, and being able to relax and enjoy the replays of the Catch of the Year by Carlos Beltran with the big lead in place.  Beltran’s over-the-wall extension and snow cone grab of a Ryan Ludwick would-be homer probably didn’t change the game, since there was an 8 run lead and the next hitter Albert Pujols hit a homer anyway, but it sure made for some great Sports Center watching, and was nice visual symbol of the Mets hotness and luck of late.

 

The re-emergence of Carlos Delgado as a feared slugger is the biggest story of the last month, and his two homers in Saturday’s game were an announcement to the world that he is on fire and should likely be pitched around.  Delgado has taken over the cleanup spot from the slumping Beltran. (Great move for now to motivate both players). And if Beltran starts heating up, there really will be no place for opposing pitchers to hide against the Mets lineup.  A 2-for-5 day plus the catch could be the start of something but take it with a grain of salt, Beltran is hitting around .500 on his career against the Cardinals “ace” Kyle Lohse.

 

David Wright continues to be clutch, on a pace to get 120 RBIs for the season.  Wright does not miss those “cheap” opportunities to drive in runs when there is a guy on third and a fly ball or appropriately placed ground out does the trick, and he also steps up with hits in big spots.  With apologies to Reggie, Wright is the straw that stirs the Mets drink and is their most consistent offensive force.

 

I’ll continue my love fest with praise for Endy Chavez, the best drag bunter I have ever seen.  Chavez in the #2 hole in the lineup has been brilliant, his speed and ability to move runners makes everyone around him more effective. 

 

And Fernando Tatis who has homered in two straight games, what more can be said? 2008 may be “the year of the comeback” with all the great stories on Josh Hamilton and Rick Ankiel (and even ex-Met Mike Hampton who returned after 3 years of injuries) but don’t forget Tatis.  SNY reported that Tatis, who only played 28 games in the bigs from 2003 on before this season, was motivated to return to baseball this year to get more money to put towards a church he and his wife want to build in the Dominican Republic.  Not even Disney could write something like that.

 

My favorite moment of the weekend was hearing the Shea crowd chant “Jerry, Jerry” when manager Jerry Manuel went out to argue a call Saturday.  And I liked his hand clapping style of arguing by the way. 

 

As the red hot Mets prepare for their stretch drive, (starting with a three game set against the division rival Marlins, who are only two games behind them) it appears that they will pass the trading deadline Thursday without a deal being made, with an acquisition of Raul Ibanez as a potential exception.  Ibanez I think is a good fit, a veteran bat who can get a hit in a pressure spot.  Either way, the clubhouse will remain essentially the same, and the Mets must rely on continued production from Tatis and Chavez.  Ryan Church is still a question mark, but the decision of whether to acquire Ibanez should not be based on yet another hackneyed assessment by the team of when Church’s concussion woes will clear up.  In other words, they haven’t had a clear answer on Church all this time, so why expect one to emerge this week?  Just get Ibanez, and keep Fernando Martinez in Binghamton where he belongs.  (If the Mets were pursuing a Jason Bay for example it now looks like they would have to trade Martinez, to which I say “don’t do it.”)

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