Ike Davis is the Key to May

Ike Davis has been awful. He looks like Jason Bay at the plate only from the left side of the plate. He's lost confidence in his swing. And then yesterday he got a few hits including an extra inning seeing eye ground ball that ended up being the game winner.

Is Ike starting to break out of his slumber? I don't think one game can determine that, but if the Mets success in April is to continue to build in May then Ike Davis will be the key.

Look at what the Mets have done without Ike Davis. The Mets are 13-9 and a game out of first base without any production from Davis. Davis is batting .169 with 24 strikeouts and only 8 RBI while the Mets as a team are in the top ten in the league in average, OBP, SLG, OPS, hits, runs & home runs.

If Ike was his old self or the player we saw glimpses of last year, you would expect the Mets totals to be even greater. You also have to consider that at some point Thole is going to cool down as he's been on a hitting hot streak since the start of the season. Also David Wright is putting up MVP type numbers in April which you would expect to slow down in the coming weeks as well.

So it's imperative that Ike Davis adds some production to help offset any cool down from the red hot hitters in the Mets lineup. Davis is the linchpin of the lineup. His power bat and RBI threat is what can extend the batting order.

Plus the Mets have no other option at first base. They shouldn't move Murphy. Duda has had no real experience playing there and the two-headed monster of Baxter/Turner just aren't every day playing time options for what production you need from your first baseman.

It hinges on Ike. Davis can't control how the pitching staff performs, but if he can get back to the man he used to be the Mets will be in much better success to build on what they've done so far in April.