After dropping two in a row to the Washington Nationals, tonight was the night for the Mets to ensure their surprising 4-0 start did not go to waste.
Odds against them, the Mets sought out to do so against the Philadelphia Phillies, arguably a potential leader in the NL East, with Cliff Lee on the mound no less.
R.A. Dickey took the mound for the Mets and collected yet another quality start, tossing seven innings of one-run ball, fanning seven in the process. The veteran Dickey is inching his way towards a title such as “Old Reliable.”
Hope springs eternal for the flatlining Jason Bay who showed a pulse tonight with his first home run of the year, a two run blast off Cliff Lee in the opening inning. Scott Hairston also took Cliff Lee deep, as the Mets tagged Lee for four runs over seven innings.
Going forward however, it was brutally obvious that the Mets lineup was lacking in the David Wright department. But again, Cliff Lee isn’t the easiest of arms to hit. The Mets will need to generate a ton more offense coming up on the schedule.
The top of the Mets lineup is looking pretty secure at the moment. Doubles from Ruben Tejada and Daniel Murphy to lead off the game were certainly promising.
Bobby Parnell and Frank Francisco pitched smoothly in the eighth and ninth innings tonight, keeping bullpen confidence up for the time being.
Now is the time for the Mets to tee off against a battered Phillies unit that is evidently missing the production that Chase Utley and Ryan Howard have to offer. The Mets have Jon Niese matched up against Vance Worley tomorrow. It is a golden opportunity for the team build off some very solid starting pitching.
