David Wright is batting .261 and only has 4 RBIs with 0 HRs so far in the early season.  Plus he already has struck out 20 times in 76 at bats.

Ok, that's a slump but it is early and Wright will snap out of it.  Everywhere you turn it's making headlines that Wright is slumping but has everyone forgotten that every player slumps at several points in their career?  The season is a series of hills and valleys in regards to a player's performance and who doesn't have faith that the kid will work his way out of this.

Don't believe me? Tim Marchman at the New York Sun writes a great article that agrees with this.

Although Wright's swing has been ugly at times, it's not anything to be concerned about just yet.  Wright has been exploited on every magazine, video game and attends endless events  so he just needs some time to get his head back in the game and get in a groove.  It will happen, and when it does we'll quickly forget about this slump that is both normal and sure to end.

In addition, the Yanks with A-Rod, the hottest player in the majors are in last place and the Mets with a "slumping" Delgado and Wright are in first.

Also, if I sit next to anyone booing Wright as I have started to hear occasionally and sparsely, I will throw a slice of pizza at them (see 4/18 post).

And check out Lastings Milledge's Myspace...not sure if this is really him or not but it looks authentic.

The Mets have a deep bench which was exemplified last night in a 2-1 win over the Rockies in the 12th inning.

Damion Easley came off the bench to tie the game at 1 in the bottom of the 10th inning after being down 0-2 in the count against the usually solid Rockies closer Brian Fuentes.

Then, Endy Chavez ("N-D-C" as I sometimes chant but no one understandably gets it) came through yet again with a surprise bunt which scored Shawn Green who had reached third on a very unusual balk by Rockies reliever Ryan Speier to win the game.  If this was almost any other player I might question his self-made decision to bunt but Endy is as Endy does so he gets a free pass.  Plus the 1B and 2B were playing him especially deep.

Has any bench player in recent history endeared themselves to a team's fanbase more than Endy friggin' Chavez?  I can't remember one ever, especially on the Mets.

These are the close games that are going to test the Mets makeup this year.  Just like in 2006, grit and determination are going to help them win games like this in what is shaping up to be a dogfight in the divisional race this year.

On another note, doesn't Damion Easley kind of resemble Sam I Am?

The Mets' bench consisting of Julio Franco, Endy Chavez, Ramon Castro, David Newhan and Damion Easley is now batting a collective .302 with 5 HRs and 13 RBI in 52 AB.

Also, during Wright's recent slump I swear I can hear some boos eminating from the crowd when he strikes out.  This has to stop.  It's only a matter of time until he snaps out of his funk so glare down any fake fans you see who are booing Wright under any circumstance.

Last night, John Maine had another great outing to get his third win of the season.  MetsBlog points out that Maine is yet to give up more than two hits in an inning and opponents are batting just .169 against him this year.

I have been fortunate enough to attend several games already this season and last night I saw something that I thought was a bit strange.  Willie came out to get Maine after he had pitched superbly for 7 2/3 innings. I feel this move was warranted since he was starting to give up hits and the Mets needed to lockdown the victory, especially after the rough weekend.

What struck me as odd was as Maine made his way back to the dugout, he shook his head despite the fans going ballistic for him as he walked towards us - no hat tip or anything.  Was this because he wanted to finish the game? Perhaps he felt he had earned the right to atleast finish out the 8th. Your guess is as good as mine.

In his post-game comments, Maine remarked how appreciative he was of the fans' reaction to his performance, but his demeanor when he came off the field was that of disappointment.  Most great athletes are never satisfied which is why perhaps John Maine wouldn't allow himself to be last night.  If this is the case, I hope he remains hungry and continues to challenge himself throughout his budding career.

In the 7th inning last night, the Braves were winning 4 - 0 and had control of the game. I was there, and it easily could have been worse.  However, the game was not out of reach when Willie Randolph decided to bring Ambiorix Burgos into the game.  Burgos, the second of four relievers, walked in one run and allowed another to score on a wild pitch.

The bases were loaded and I feel Willie should not have brought in someone with control problems.  Burgos has been improving but is not the person I want taking the ball when the Mets needed an out via strike out or ground ball.  The Cracker Jack guy had better accuracy than Burgos last night.

Perhaps Scott Schoeneweis, Joe Smith or even Aaron Sele would have been better choices. For now, Burgos should be left for times when the Mets have a lead and it is a non-pressure situation until he can prove that he can handle himself in such circumstances.

I understand that Willie has been working Burgos up to pitch in just a situation, but I really feel he needed a few more outings to find his location.

I'm not saying the Mets would have won if Burgos didn't come in, but perhaps that 9th inning rally might have meant a little more if he didn't.

Now that the season is in full swing, the cruising Mets will face their first big challenge this weekend as the Braves come into town. Up to this point no team has really challenged the Mets, especially not the Phillies who up to this point have the "team to beat on" rather than the "team to beat".

The pitching matchups for the series look to be the following:

Friday

Tim Hudson vs. Mike Pelfrey

Saturday

Chuck James vs. Oliver Perez

Sunday

John Smoltz vs. Tom Glavine

I can't wait to go to Sunday's game to watch the masters as work.  Although I have complete faith in the Mets, this series will be a lithmus test of sorts to gauge who is truly the team to beat this year in the division. The Phillies, Marlins and Nationals have not yet proven worthy of my concern at this early point in the season, but the Braves have looked strong.  If the Mets can put the hammer down yet again in this series it will prove that for now they are the cream of the NL East crop.

Let's turn the tomahawk into a broom and sweep the Braves out of town!

The rescheduled pre-game Jackie Robinson tribute will begin tonight at 6:30.

During last night's game against the Marlins in Florida, they showed the scoreboard when a Met was up at bat.  It had the usual picture of the player and their name, but in the corner there was a picture of Borat giving the thumbs up sign.

What was that about?  When Shawn Green was at the plate, Gary Cohen jokingly said something about how he was surprised that Borat would give him a thumbs up...I assume because of his Jewish heritage but Cohen wisely didn't elaborate.  If only it had come out of Keith's mouth who knows what he would have come up with.

The crazy Kazakh certainly brought the Mets some luck as Maine shut down the fish and D-train got blown up. Great Success!!

Update...

On Thursday night's game Borat was nowhere to be found yet the Mets still pummeled the Marlins again.  I guess they don't need his luck after all.  He must have been off gathering gypsy tears or something.

With Mark Buehrle's no-hitter last night, the Chicago White Sox are tied for the most no-hitters in MLB history with 16.  John Maine had a no no through 6 last night but close doesn't earn you a cigar.

As everyone painfully knows, no Met in team history has ever thrown a no-hitter.  While watching last night's game I jinxed Maine by realizing he hadn't given up a hit then *WHAM* a single to rightfield.

It gets to a point where you wonder if it will ever really happen but hey if the Red Sox can come back against the Yankees three games to none and go on to win the World Series, maybe...just maybe a Met will throw one some day. 

I propose that when it does -  and it will probably be some Anibal Sanchez type of pitcher, Jason Vargas maybe - the Mets should retire their number, have a ticker-tape parade on 5th avenue and construct a statue of them outside of Citi Field.

Here's a quick rundown on what's happening in the Mets' farm system:

AAA New Orleans Zephyrs

AA Binghamton Mets

A Savannah Sand Gnats


Advanced A Port St. Lucie Mets


For daily updates on minor league highlights, check out Toby's Mets Minor League Report, and also see Craig's position and pitching prospect rundowns.