The Mets have regrouped nicely since a 2-6 start and were guaranteed a second straight series win entering last night’s game against the Braves.
Coming off of a 70-92 season that saw players spend more time on the disabled list than on the field, there is a very real opportunity for a winning month — and possibly a better than expected season.
The Mets entered last night’s game a half game ahead of the Braves and were tied for third in the NL East with Washington.
“We’re staying positive because we know what we’ve got. We’ve got a healthy team,” right fielder Jeff Francoeur said. “Last year we didn’t quite have the healthy team. This year we do. We’ve got some healthy guys.”
Guys like Jose Reyes, Johan Santana and John Maine. The arms have been of utmost importance this young season. The team’s starters rank sixth in the NL with a 3.69 ERA and the bullpen ranks second at 2.66.
“Our pitching has really gone above and beyond what any of us expected. For us, as an offense, it’s up to us to start scoring some runs and helping this team win,” Francoeur said.
The lack of run support has been a long-term issue. This year, it’s a lineup-wide problem as the Mets rank 26th with a .230 batting average and average 4.1 runs per game. A healthy Carlos Beltran and a few more games under Ike Davis’ belt should eventually help that mark.
“Sooner or later we’ll pick it up,” Ike Davis said. “It’s a long year. We’re not going anywhere.”
