Almost Perfect Dickey

Cole Hamels was the lone blemish against Comeback Player of the Year candidate, RA Dickey, last night. It just figures that a pitcher would get a hit to blow the Mets chance at their first no hitter in team history. 

Dickey commented after the game that he could have blamed Jeff Francoeur for not throwing Hamels out at first, but decided to push through and finish the game. Not only has Dickey proven to be a tremendous asset on the mound, but his comments after the game are made for the New York media.

Dickey followed Santana's lead and came out with the goal of finishing the game and leaving no room for any bullpen drama. I don't think I can imagine how horrible this season would be without Dickey. It's bad enough the way the Mets have played over the last month, but with another question mark in the rotation we would have derailed back in May. Dickey should have 10+ wins by now and is pitching well enough to be considered the #2 starter in the rotation.

For the first time since June, the Mets finally won back to back games. Of course we have Pat Misch on the mound today against Roy Halladay so enjoy the feeling while it lasts.

Santana Out to Prove Something

After my post yesterday calling out Santana to prove to Mets fans he's still the pitcher we thought he was, Santana goes out and does just that. A complete game, shutout.

While I'm not about to pull a Jerry Manuel and call it a "gangsta" performance, it was a stake in the ground moment for Santana heading into the All Star break. Santana needed to dominate and come out with a win. In fact, he put the whole team on his back as he belted the first home run of his career. Hey, if no one is going to score runs for him, he might as well do it himself.

In the 9th I was pleased to see Manuel leave Santana in even when he got into trouble. This was Santana's game to win or lose. Nobody was going to take it from him.

The irony of Santana's 6-5 record at the break is it's the same record he had when he won his last Cy Young Award. It's true. Santana has always been a second half pitcher and I'm hoping and praying that he proves to be just that again this year. Santana's success not only helps the Mets win ball games, but it also takes pressure off of Pelfrey to be the #1 guy in the rotation.

The Mets still need to add another starting pitcher, but at least there's a new found hope in Santana that he can continue to be the ultimate competitor that we know he is.