Yes, believe it or not, the New York Mets are undefeated, 3-0. That's right, UNDEFEATED!! The Mets best start since the 2007 season, and if New York should win the next two games against the Washington Nationals, it will tie for the best start in franchise history with the 1985 Mets! So who would have guessed that this Mets team, which is arguably the worst collection of talent in the history of the franchise; the worst talent since the dark days of the mid-to-late 1970's and the Mets inception of 1962; yet here they are, 3-0, in sole possession of first place in the National League's Eastern division.
Granted, the Atlanta Braves are no better. Everyone knew that this would be a tough year for Atlanta with Chipper Jones near retirement, and Tim Hudson, once again injured, but nobody thought they would be abysmal and uncompetitive.
The fact that the Mets swept Atlanta is both a testament to the hard work Terry Collins has put in during Spring Training to separate his players from an off-season full of embarrassment and humiliation as owner Fred Wilpon dragged the franchise through a financial maelstrom. It is also a testament to how bad the Atlanta Braves really are.
In game three, the Mets dominated early thanks to an incredible performance by Jon Niese. Niese, who received a five year extension worth $25 million, a contract that might seem undeserved for a pitcher who has been mediocre and never seems to stay healthy, but Niese earned his weekly check this time out. He had a no hitter through six innings, working around a handful of walks, and keeping a weak Braves lineup quiet for much of the afternoon.
Offensively, the Mets broke out. Instead of the Mets offense consisting of the David Wright Show; the others delivered big time. Ruben Tejada, who has struggled offensively of late, broke out with a 4-for-5 day including scoring on a Daniel Murphy two-run double to give the Mets a 4-0 lead.
Later, after a Jason Bay walk and Lucas Duda single, Scott Hairston doubled both runners in to make it 6-0. Then, Tejada capped off the offensive outburst with another RBI double to make it 7-0.
Niese took the no-no into the seventh before falling apart, giving up a walk, two hits and an error that scored three Atlanta runs. Niese gave up four runs on the day, but only three earned. In spite of the bad inning, it was still a solid outing for Niese, who improved to 1-0 on the season.
With the win the Mets, believe it or not, are now in first place at 3-0, and they have a chance to pad their standing when the second place Washington Nationals come to town on Monday.
No comments:
Post a Comment