Ride the Mets Roller Coaster

The season is barely a week old, but I'm already expecting a very bumpy ride this season. It appears that this Mets team is going to take us on quite a ride. Lots of bumps. Lots of drops. But also some thrills mixed in.

After winning three straight games, the Mets have now lost three straight in fairly embarrassing fashion. Walks are plaguing the pitching. Untimely hitting abounds and there's a general lack of clutchness.

Welcome to the 2011 Mets. I expect we'll see much of this throughout the year. Hot streaks followed by frigid slumps. This is a young team with a lot of new pieces. It will take at least the month of April for Terry Collins to figure out exactly what he's got out there, for players who were injured last year to get comfortable playing every day and for the new guys to find their niche in New York.

I'm excited about this season. Much more so than I thought I'd be. There's a scrappiness here that I like, but as I've preached countless times before it's the pitching that will ultimately decide the Mets fate.