Pitching wins. That’s the common refrain around baseball, and there is a lot of truth to it. So while many Mets fans may have been upset that the Mets offense is struggling, even against position players in a 20 inning game, I’m ecstatic that the pitching has been so good. It’s too early to tell for sure on the starters. Some velocity numbers seem suspect, but static numbers do not tell you everything. Pitch counts, and pitch speeds, are something that many managers and baseball experts are still working on. 20 years ago these things were barely more important than who won the airplane race. (On a side note, I kinda miss the airplane race. It was so perfect for the Mets, since Jets from LaGuardia fly over constantly.) Let’s give some guys a couple of starts to build up arm strength and get the early season jitters out of the way before we judge what they’re capable of for the season.
If the pitching is going to be this good, the Mets are going to rise to great heights. Santana is going to win games; I really don’t think there is anything to worry about with him. He’s had a little less velocity than we would like so far, but he’s also fresh back from surgery, and a slow starter. He did get up to 92 by the end of his appearance Saturday, and I hope it’s just a matter of getting his arm strength up to mid-season form. You could probably say the same thing about Oliver Perez, who looked masterful the night before. Perez mixed and matched pitches and location and speeds like a pro. Like Santana. He was _nothing_ like the Ollie we know. He wasn’t good Ollie, or bad Ollie. He was just a pitcher doing his thing. There wasn’t wildness, or getting unfocused. He was pitching, not throwing, as the adage goes.
There’s not enough to say about Pelfrey. He’s amazing. He leads the team in ERA, in wins, even in saves! He threw a masterful game in the low-oxygen Colorado game, threw a bullpen early Saturday and then still demanded the ball from Manuel in the 20th inning for the save on Satuday. If there’s anybody on the team you’re ready to say “Throw out 2009, it’s 2010 now and that’s what counts” with, it’s Pelfrey.
Now, the offense hasn’t been great. However, the offense is also underperforming. Bay, Pagan, Castillo, Reyes are all better players than they’ve played so far, and there is little reason to think they won’t get better. That will win games. They’re 4-7 right now and once the offense clicks they could easily rattle off a winning streak. Once we get Murphy back, or Murphy comes back and doesn’t improve and Ike shows up, the offense will get a boost as well. Like Murphy or not, he’s not the automatic strikeout that Jacobs is.
A lot hinges on tonight. Every other pitcher has shown that they’re going to put up some good games this year. Even Niese’s quality start is perfectly acceptable out of the 5th guy. Maine is the only holdout, and after scrapping the changes that didn’t work this spring, he’ll revert to what’s given him success in the past. It might be too soon to expect him to have that nailed down and for him to pitch a gem, but a competitive game over six innings or so that gives the Mets ample opportunity to win the game would be a great start.
The offense will work itself out, but if the pitching can do what it’s started to show it can do, this 4-7 record will be a mere slow start in a great season.