Slugging Pitchers

Game 2: Mets 4, Cardinals 1
2-0 for the season

I saw very little of last night's game, since it was played during seder. My favorite Cardinals fan was at the seder, and claims that he'll still be happy if the Cards go 0-162 on the season, because the '06 pennant will still be there in St. Louis. He's being hyperbolic, but I know what he means. When we were asked to talk about the things that have changed since pesach last year, I graciously mentioned that his team won a world championship in the time since last passover. Then I closed my eyes and hoped we'd beat his team again in last night's game.

Clearly, I have a closer connection to the fates of baseball than my favorite Cards fan does. At least so far this season, I do, because the Mets beat St. Louis again in their second game. Though I'll obviously be elated if we sweep, I think even taking 2 of 3 from the World Champions is an auspicious start to the season.

We got our first game update just as the matzoh ball soup was coming out-- JW's boyfriend was getting text updates on his phone, and let us know that the Mets scored a run in the first inning. We listened to the fourth inning in the car on the way to my parents' place, where we were disappointed to find that Howie Rose wasn't calling the game; apparently he'd been at the Rangers game, which doesn't seem to me a decent excuse for missing calling the ballgame, but it's obviously not up to me.

As expected, the game was on the TV with the sound muted when we got to my folks, so I did see El Duque drive in two runs. Glavin had a hit on Sunday night that started a scoring rally, and last night the pitcher got himself two RBIs. If our pitchers keep hitting like this, it should be a very fun season; but if our pitchers (especially the relievers) continue to perform this way on the mound, we'll stop hearing about our fragile pitching staff soon. Reyes was also on fire, doing what he does best-- getting on base by any means he can muster, and scoring a lot when he does.

My dad is concerned about hitting from the outfield, and perhaps he's drawing on the performance during spring training that I completely ignored. But this pessimism strikes me as being like his pessimism about the prospects for all of last year's season in April/May '06, when my sister was the one who was so clear eyed about how well the Mets would eventually do that my dad admitted at the end of the season that she'd been more right than he about how the season would go. In Game 1, all three outfielders hit-- Beltran and Alou each had one hit, and Green hit two. Last night, Beltran hit again and Endy hit when he replaced Green in right field. So the outfield, while obviously not as productive as the infield, doesn't seem to be doing badly to me.

Maybe my dad is just reticent to be too excited about our chances so early in the season, and that's probably a smart position.

Only five more days until Opening Day at Shea.