The Countdown - 4 to go

This is getting harder and harder to write, each time out...

I could look on the negative side, which is what every Met fan did over the final three innings. I could think about how David Wright could be in the top 5 in the league in RBIs and still bat under .250 with runners in scoring position. How he couldn't come through with a fly ball in the ninth after rookie Daniel Murphy tripled to start the frame...

I could think about Ryan Church stranding runners at third with less than two outs twice and how a win would have gave the Mets a chance for a first-place tie going into the weekend.

I could think about all that or I could think positively.

I could think that if you told me in June when the team was in fourth place and 7.5 out that we would be in this position this late in the year, I would have likely took it.

If you told me that we would have three guys with 100 RBIs, that Jose Reyes would have 200 hits and that despite all the injuries, we would be in a pretty good position to play postseason baseball at the beginning of the year, I would have likely took it.

But we don't have time machines and we, as a society, never live in the past. We are a What Have You Done For Me Lately people except when it comes to the Great Collaspe of 2007, which everyone feels the need to bring up over and over again.

Listening to Max Kellerman's radio show, he brought up the point that the 08 version of the Mets is currently one game behind the win total of the 2007 team. He's a big proponent of using Johan Santana in the bullpen on his off-days to ensure the playoffs and other silly things that come from the mouth of an irrational Yankee fan.

(The other point he brought up is that Yankee fans, at least the loud mouth ones that post on newspaper sites and call into talk shows, are acting like Red Sox Nation fans used to when they take any joy in the disfunktional existence of the city's other franchise. Do you think I take any joy that the Yankees' aren't in the playoffs this year? It matters little to me and the same approach is rarely taken the other way around.)

I've forgotten my point and I hope the Mets, as a team, forget about last night. They've done a good job this year and if they put their heads in the sand and somehow win 3 of their next 4, they've got a 75% chance of avoiding an extra game.

Next Up:
Rich Harden, RHP (10-2, 2.03) vs. Pedro Martinez, RHP (5-6, 5.50)
On paper, this looks like a mismatch. On recent history, this looks like a mismatch and with the importance of the game unchallenged, this looks like a mismatch...

So let's look someplace else for pleasure.

The Brewers send Yovani Gallardo, RHP (0-0, 1.80) against the Pirates and Zach Duke and I've got to hope that Pittsburgh can show some sort of ball sack and get it done with a win. They've played the Brew Crew close, but failed to assist the boys from Queens.

After that, the Brew get the Cubs and who doesn't want to see another road sweep like they did a couple of weeks back when both teams were close atop the NL Central?

Meanwhile the Flilthies have today off (and hopefully will only lead the East by one game after it's done), then throw Joe Blanton, Jamie Moyer and a starter to be announced on Sunday. It will clearly depend on what's needed and the Mets need to make sure and force them to throw Cole Hamels on short rest or hope that Brett Myers remembers he's not as great as he's been down the stretch.