A Series of Miracles

I can't make up mind as to which miracle is more amazing. Is it the fact that Mike Pelfrey pitched one hit baseball through 6 innings en route to the Mets win on Saturday? Is it that Tom Glavine actually held the Braves in check at Turner Field while facing off against his buddy John Smoltz? Is it that Billy Wagner came in on Sunday and yet again gave up a run and brought the tying run to the plate only to get out of the inning?

But I think the real miracle is that the Mets were able to overcome their getting swept in Philadelphia and come into Atlanta and sweep the Braves.

I posted the past few days how we as Mets fans need to start believing in this team. For the first time in a long time, I see that this team is starting to believe in themselves. No one had an outstanding series, but each game someone came through when they needed it.

From John Maine on Friday, to Delgado & Pelfrey on Saturday, to David Wright on Sunday, the Mets finally played like a team on a mission.

I feel good about this team. I actually feel better about them after this series than when we had a 7 game lead. A true test of a champion is their ability to win when they need it.

And no team needed to win more this year than the Mets did this weekend.

Let's continue this streak with Pedro tomorrow.

If You Thought the Series Against the Phillies Was Big. . .

This series against Atlanta has just become huge. I thought the Phillies' series was going to be the turning point of the season. Well, I was wrong. It's now this Atlanta series.

The Mets have had a problem all year of long losing streaks. Just think of the months of June & July and you'll know what I'm talking about. The Mets need to stop the bleeding by winning game 1 tonight. By winning game 1 the Mets will be able to shake off the shadow of the Philadelphia series and focus on the games with Atlanta. Another loss would just continue their depression.

We've got John Maine, the 5th starter, and Tom Glavine pitching for us against Tim Hudson, John Smoltz, and some other guy who doesn't really matter. Not quite an even matchup, but that's what will make a win in Atlanta that much more precious.

Turner Field has forever been the Mount Doom of the Mets. If we really want to see what this team is made of, this series will prove it. Can this team come back from being thoroughly beaten by the Phillies? Can Wagner get his act together and still be a big game pitcher? Can this offense give our pitchers a lead to work with? Can Willie Randolph do anything to get this team back on track?

All of these questions will be answered in this series against the Braves. We'll have to wait and see whether or not we like the answers.