Happy Recap: Mets 4 Phillies 2

There is no such thing as a coincidence.

It's not an accident that Billy Wagner keeps blowing saves in crucial situations.

Nor is it a surprise that Fernando Tatis keeps coming through in those big spots.

I can't say enough about how much I love Tatis and his knack for getting that game-winning hit.

Nor can I say how much I despise Billy Wagner for his inability to nail down a game when the Mets need it most. This is now his 6th blown save of the season. I don't care about his 2.31 ERA, that's way too many blown games.

The Mets are now 9-9 in Oliver Perez's starts, the exact same record as they have when Johan Santana starts. That doesn't mean Perez is as good as Santana, but it does show that the Mets are a .500 team, and has bad as Perez has been, he's not killing them. It also demonstrates that when he's on, he's awesome. They just need to figure out how to get him to be on in 75% of his starts, instead of 50%.

In fact Perez seems to only get up for the big games. This year in 3 starts over 18 1/3 innings against the Phillies he has yet to allow an earned run. Against the Yankees over the last 2 years, Perez is 4-0 with a 1.52 ERA and only 7 walks compared to 23 strikeouts. If only he could pitch like that against the bad teams too.

In addition to Perez, perhaps the other most maligned Met was key to yesterday's victory. Carlos Beltran's homer was the only run in the first 8 innings, and his 2 out single in the 9th drove home Reyes with a key insurance run, after David Wright struck out.

Excellent job by Joe Smith in 2 roles he is unfamiliar with, long reliever and closer.

Endy Chavez made another incredible catch. He really could be a gold glover if he hit well enough to play everyday.



An absolutely huge victory but if form holds, this is a .500 team so they will lose the next game, making it their third straight split of a 4-game series. Pedro Martinez has been awful but the Mets need him to come up big to help give them a leg up on the Phillies.