The first month of the season is almost in the books, and any Met fan will tell you that, aside from yesterday’s game-winner from Ike Davis, we haven’t gotten much from this team’s projected clean-up hitter when the season started.
With Ike, the attention started going negative when he was diagnosed with symptoms that were similar to those affected by Valley Fever, a condition that wreaked havoc on Conor Jackson, a former Diamondback slugger that has been only a shell of his former self since the incident.
For Ike, it was more about technique. Watching at home, it was blatantly obvious where his shortcomings lied. Off-speed pitches away and fastballs up have been too much for Ike, but he had to do what every great hitter has done in their career. Make some adjustments. Colorado is a good place to go if you’re in a slump. Just as Ruben Tejada, who saw his average jump more than 70 points during the last series. Ike hit some balls with authority, but he was not getting results, with only a couple of hits sprinkling in here and there.
Although he didn’t hit the ball all that hard, Ike’s last at-bat Sunday was very encouraging. With a drawn-in infield, Ike took an outside pitch, one that he’s been taking for strike three called consistently, and he chopped it between third base and shortstop. The Mets took the lead for the third time in the game, and unlike the first two times, they wouldn’t relinquish it.
Ike’s got to take his approach one day at a time. Sure, his average is nothing to celebrate, but if he stays consistent and doesn’t try to do too much, it will start creeping north in no-time.
