Let's not get ahead of ourselves yet. The Mets have by no means locked up a spot in the postseason, but last night's game against the Padres and Jake Peavy had me considering Milledge's roll in the postseason lineup.
Lastings Milledge has been a great asset to this team in the second half. He's hitting for average, but also getting big hits with men on base and clutch hits as was evident on Tuesday night. He should absolutely start in front of Shawn Green for the rest of the year.
Last night I thought would be a good test for Milledge facing a stellar starter in Jake Peavy. Peavy is the type of pitcher that Milledge would face in the playoffs on a regular basis. Milledge struggled mightily last night going 0 for 4 with 4 strikeouts. There wasn't a single at bat where Milledge looked comfortable at the plate.
I can see Milledge struggling come playoff time. There are very few young players who perform well in their first postseason appearance, so we need to keep getting Green some regular at bats because we may need his bat if we reach October.
The same thing can be said about Delgado at this point in time, but after his playoff performance last year I'm holding some hope that if the Mets make the playoffs he'll come through. It's a dream, but it's my dream.
I hope I'm dead wrong. I hope the Mets make the playoffs and Milledge continues his clutch hitting, but I'm cautious at the same time.
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