Apathy is Setting In

Last night's extra inning loss should have been a painful, disappointing game for me as a Mets fan. Unfortunately it wasn't. It was a fully expected outcome. As I monitored Twitter to see what other Mets fans were saying, the dialogue was no different. A loss was inevitable.

No hits after the 6th inning. Substituting pitchers left and right until we were left with Oliver Perez. The game was almost scripted for Mets disappointment.

During the Giants series, each loss was excruciating as you waited for the Mets bats to break out. But by the time the third loss game in Arizona, apathy had officially set in and now each loss in LA comes with little or no surprise.

The Mets have a chance to split the series against the Dodgers which after this past week is a welcome outcome, but I have zero expectations that this will happen. Dickey will pitch well today, but winning games on the road requires you to score runs.

This feeling should not be. After what was an exciting first half of baseball, this Mets team has quickly turned anticipation into a repeat nightmare of 2009. Yes, there's still time to make up ground, but the Mets give little hope that a turnaround can be made.

Mets fans need some hope.

This Feels Like the 2009 Mets

Injuries. Under-performing superstars. A mid-season change in right field. Erratic bullpen. Absence of timely hitting. Unwinnable road trips.

Are we stuck in 2009? Because that's what it's starting to feel like.

After last year's All Star Break concluded with the Mets on an unbelievable 10 game winning streak they started their road to perdition that mercifully ended with a near basement dwelling position in the NL East. This past April, May and June we were led to believe that the 2009 Mets were a mere apparition. But now it appears the ghosts of '09 may be coming back to haunt us.

The lack of life in this team is palpable, and Mets Lifers everywhere have little confidence the Mets will end this West coast swing with even winning 1 more game. The Mets may very well return home over 8 games behind the front running Braves and flirting with the .500 mark.

How far has this team fallen from being 11 games over .500 and within a half game of first place just two weeks ago? The Mets need some hope. Will that hope come in a rearranging of the lineup? Fat chance. Will that hope come in the form of a new starting pitcher? Not sure if that's enough. Will that hope come with Jason Bay's revival? Don't think we can wait that long.

Hope comes in the form of a single letter: W. W's are what the Mets need and they need them desperately. A sweep of the Dodgers is a pipe dream. Winning 3 out of 4 is a pipe dream. For now a 2-2 series split would be a heaven sent blessing. But the Mets cannot get swept in LA.

If they do you might as well sweep this season under the rug.

The Mets Hole

This is a hole. It's one the Mets are currently digging. It's wide. It's deep. And it's the kind that you normally don't come out of. There's a chance you can get out of this hole. A small one. But it normally takes some outside help in order to get out. It's not the kind you climb out of. Unless there's a miracle.

A 3 win road trip and returning to New York close to 10 games out of first place will make this hole even worse. It could very well collapse on itself.

Long West Coast Trip

The Mets are showing signs of life, especially Carlos Beltran. So what's the last thing this team needs?

You got it, a long West Coast road trip.

This trip to California could not have come at a worse time. There are no off days this week and the Mets are as banged up as they come and have not had an off day in almost two weeks. They finished the game last night after 11 p.m. and had to fly across the country to play tonight.

This is brutal and the Mets do not need a let down at this point. So to make matters worse let's throw our most erratic pitcher on the mound tonight! Which Oliver Perez will show up? Will it be the 95 mph flame thrower with magic stuff, or will it be Mr. Walk 20 Batters and Can't Make it through the 4th Inning?

We're starting to play well in spite of some injuries. There's no reason why we shouldn't beat up on the Giants and continue this streak. But West Coast trips are rarely kind to the Metropolitans.

This will be a test of their mental strength as much as their physical abilities.

I Should Have Stayed on the West Coast

On Tuesday night I stayed up til the wee hours of the morning only to watch the Mets botch Tom Glavine's bid for win #300. I had to catch an early flight to California and went to bad angry at the Mets inability to drive in runners in scoring position, and the fact that I lost sleep to watch that horrible game.

As a Mets fan travelling on the West coast, you're pretty much reliant on your cell phone to keep you in touch with games while they're happening. I was shocked, that's right, shocked to see that the Mets went on a tare during my trip to CA. They went 9 for 12 with runners in scoring position in one game! When I heard that I just about passed out.

Then the next day they come from behind to win a game in the ninth by getting clutch hit after clutch hit. Is this the same team I left in New York?

No, it's not. And that's a good thing. This was going to be a key road trip as the Mets faced a very good Brewers club and a Cubs team that is on fire since the All Star break. Champions come through when they need to and the Mets are starting to show that they can be champs.

There's now some breathing room between the Mets and Phils/Braves and confidence is building. There's still two games to go before they return to Shea, but if this offense continues to perform like it has there's no reason why we shouldn't start feeling better about this Mets team.

The Time is Now

Tonight, begins the biggest test of the season for the Mets. They’ve had big games, big series already, but this West Coast trip will be the barometer for what this team is really made of. In many ways, this trip can define what they’re all about and the time for them to explode is now. It’s time for the heavy artillery to show up. Beltran, Delgado and Wright have to lead this team, and blitz San Diego and LA much like they did last season. When we visited opposing ball parks last year, we went in with a swagger, a bruiting confidence that just pummeled teams into submission. That intimidating attitude has been sorely lacking over the last 7 weeks and it’s time to bring it back.

Playing 4 against the Padres and 3 against LA again (thank you schedule makers), it won’t be easy. They are two of the best teams in the NL and as Dave posted earlier today, West Coast trips historically are painful for the Mets.

So far the formula for the Mets has been great starting pitching and a resurgent bullpen, who by the way has allowed only 1 run in their last 30 innings. If they want to repeat as division champs again, the bats will have to heat up in Sunny California. We’ve waited long enough. The time to unload is now.