The Smokin' Sports Gun

 

 

Seeing the Cardinals celebrating what won, celebrating what they took from the Mets right in front of their faces was exactly what this team needed to be motivated for the season. So they could see what an inferior team took from them right in front of their faces as reminder that they really need to get it done this season and this postseason. And judging from the response they gave us in their impressing 6-1 victory over the so-called World Champions on Opening Night the message came through loud and clear. Glavine showed that some things do indeed get better with age going 6 innings giving up only one run. And the offense, they did exactly what this team was put together to do putting up 6 runs on Chris Carpenter and the Cardinals’ bullpen.

 

Someone in the Cardinals PR department must have really known to stretch the celebration as much they could seeing as having to deal with the Mets this year they weren’t going to have much to celebrate afterwards.Because they decided to present the World Series rings on the second day of theseason after putting up the World Series banner on the first. Talk about giving the opponent a real reason to play. Despite only scoring two unearned runs and having the other two driven in by the pitcher the Mets also took care of business in the second game. Again, behind the supposed weakness of the team, the starting pitching of (41?) year old starting pitcher Orlando Hernandez giving up only 1 run in 7 innings. And the Mets had started brand new season 2-0.

 

Sweeping the defending World Champions, the same team who ended your year last season, to begin this season would be quite a statement. And that just what the Mets intended to do going to the third and final game of the series. And guess who was pitching for the Cards? Making his first career start, former Mets closer, the immortal Braden Looper. As many runs as he gave up in one ninth inning while pitching for the Mets, imagine how many he would give up against this lineup in 5 or 6. Not so fast…through the first 5 innings Looper had the Mets shutout! However Carlos Beltran’s first homerun of the season, a two run shot got the Mets on the board for the first runs of the game. Looper finished with a respectable line but a homerun from Reyes and yet another from Beltran got the bats really going en route to a 10-0 victory which really showed what this lineup can do. The really story however was the masterful performance of John Maine pitching 7 scoreless surrendering only one hit to the Cardinals lineup.

 

Beltran after his homerun

 

And there it was! The New York Mets went into St. Louis against the defending champs who eliminated them in playoffs and pulled off the sweep! And not only did they pull the sweep they did in a dominating fashion. Although it was only three games, just a small taste, those three games told you a lot. There were a few very important things to be noted here.

 

The first is by far the National League’s most potent offense touched up the Cardinalsfor 20 runs in just three games, which for most was to be expected. The second is that we have confirmation that our defense is not going to let us down, but rather it looks like it should be exceptional turning 7 double plays in the first two games and getting a couple web gems from Moises Alou and Jose Valentine in the series. And the third and most important is that pitching, the supposed achilles heel of the New York Mets that the Steve Phillips of the world (and we all know why he’s never going to say anything good about us) used as a reason to say the Mets weren’t going to finish well gave up 2 runs in three games. And particularly the starters showed the Mets have at least a solid first three. And with the other two being young former top prospects with Rick Peterson as the pitching coach I don’t think we really have anything to worry about. So overall I believe we should just sit back, relax, and watch this team play. This three game sweep of the Cards is just a little preview of what’s to come.