Gentlemen, Move In This Wall!

At Citi Field in 2011, long fly balls came, they died and opposing teams conquered in 2011. The Mets finished with their worst home record (34-47) since 1993, hitting 50 HR at Citi Field in the process. That came after a 49 HR season in the ballpark's inaugural season and a 63 HR campaign in 2010.

All year long, Sandy Alderson heard the fans crying for the fences to be moved in to allow for more home runs by David Wright, Jason Bay, et al.  In fact, If I had a dollar for every time an announcer said "that would have been a home run at any other ballpark" after every long fly ball crashed into the Great Wall of Flushing, I'd be able to afford seats at Yankee Stadium (which I would sell on StubHub, naturally).

So what did Alderson say after witnessing his first season of Mets baseball, a season in which Carlos Beltran's 15 homers led the team in that category, despite playing the last two months of the season as a San Francisco Giant?

"Gentlemen, move in this wall!"

According to Adam Rubin at ESPNNewYork, Citi Field's dimensions will indeed change in time for the 2012 season, with some changes being significant.

The aforementioned Great Wall of Flushing, the 16 foot monstrosity in left field that has seen more dings than dingers, will not be lowered because it is a structural part of the ballpark.  However, a wall half its height (8 feet) will be erected in front of it, with all balls clearing it now being home runs instead of doubles or long outs.  That will cause for a modest reduction in distance down the left field foul line and a more significant reduction in distance in the power alley.

In addition, the MoZone area in right field will be no mo', as that area will be filled in, thus eliminating the overhang of the Pepsi Porch and allowing for more balls to leave the yard in right field.

The most significant change will be in right-center, where the deepest part of the ballpark once stood.  That area, which had been 415 feet from home plate since 2009, will now be moved in to 390 feet, a 6% decrease in depth.  The change will allow for more home runs by David Wright, who prior to 2009, was an excellent opposite field home run hitter, and will give Ike Davis the opportunity to hit balls 60 feet over the wall instead of just 35 feet past it.

Of course, the changes in Citi Field's dimensions will also mean that Mets pitchers will have to pitch differently, as the luxury of throwing a pitch where the hitter could hit a deep, but playable, fly ball will no longer be an option.  (Are you listening to me, Mike Pelfrey?)  But this change will clearly make Mets hitters breathe a sigh of relief, as they will no longer be frustrated by home run trots that turn into slow walks back to the dugout after the ball is caught near the wall.  It will also allow for free agent hitters to not automatically say "thanks, but no thanks" when the option of playing 81 games a year at Citi Field as a Met comes up.

Let's face it.  David Wright has not been the same player since Shea Stadium was renamed Parking Area B.  Jason Bay has also not lived up to his $66 million potential (a.k.a. his contract), although he does hustle and play better than expected defense.  Moving in the walls and lowering the fences should make both players' power numbers approach the levels that were expected of them.  It should also (for the front office's sake) put more fannies in the seats, as attendance at Citi Field has dropped significantly in each of its three seasons.

The fans have spoken and the Mets have answered.  Citi Field will now be a "fair" ballpark (a la Shea Stadium) as opposed to being a pitcher's park.  Let's just hope the cosmetic change to the ballpark does more good for the players dressed in the home whites than the ones in the road greys. 

Song Parody: Save The Worst For Last

The Mets went into their just-completed nine-game homestand with visions of a .500 record dancing in their heads.  With a 70-71 record entering their make-up doubleheader against the Atlanta Braves on September 8, it wasn't much of a stretch to think the Mets could go 5-4 at the very least to end the homestand with a .500 record, especially considering that the final seven games would be played against the lowly Chicago Cubs and Washington Nationals.

But we are talking about the Mets here and it is September, the month in which the Mets usually start packing it in while crowds at Citi Field do the exact opposite.  Therefore, it should come as no surprise that the Mets went 1-8 on the homestand, which culminated with a four-game sweep at the hands of the not-so-lowly anymore Nats.

Their performance during the homestand dropped them to 31-44 at Citi Field this year, putting them one step closer to finishing with their worst home record since the 1993 Mets went 28-53 at Shea Stadium.  (The 2003 team went 34-46 at Shea.)

It wouldn't be a stretch to say that the Mets, who were overachieving during the first two-thirds of the season, are now playing their worst baseball, in essence saving their worst play for last.  On that note, I believe it's time for the latest Studious Metsimus song parody.

The Mets are far from being No. 1, but Vanessa Williams' song, "Save The Best For Last", spent five weeks at No. 1 in 1992 (the year Mets fans rooted for "The Worst Team Money Can Buy").  Therefore, it's fitting that we should parody that song to reflect this year's team, a team that knows how to "Save The Worst For Last":


Sometimes the Mets compete in June
Then they go through their annual swoon
Four months of passion in their eyes
Hoping for more was ill-advised

There was a time when all we did was wish
Not to be dragged in the mud
But all we get is a tease of something grand
Followed by a big thud

Other teams fight in a pennant race
While the Mets fall into fourth place
Time for competing has now past
'Cause the Mets saved the worst for last

All of the nights we went to Citi
Seeing too many oh-for-threes
So many players we could boo
When they play like it's '62

Mets fans won't give their love to someone else
They're Wright to love Davey
But sometimes the players that we loved before
Just make "E" after "E".

So now it's time to just save face
Instead of being a part of the chase
October baseball would've been a blast
But the Mets saved the worst for last

When .500 is all that you're looking for
You'll never catch the Phillies...

Sometimes the Mets compete in June
Then they go through their annual swoon
Being swept by the pesky Nats
Proved that they saved the worst for last

They went and saved the worst for last...

Jason Bay Says "Let Them Eat Crow!"

Longtime readers of Studious Metsimus probably know that Jason Bay has been a target of our wrath for the better part of his two seasons in New York.  We called him a human windmill last year, a benchwarmer this year, and have advocated booing him at Citi Field.

Despite all his troubles at the plate, Bay has continued to be a professional and has done other things to help the team win.  He has played a very good left field, has been patient at the plate (Bay's 50 walks lead all current Mets - Carlos Beltran drew 60 bases on balls before being traded to San Francisco), and has been an intelligent baserunner (11 stolen bases in 12 attempts), hustling on every play, both on offense and defense.

Earlier today, Jason Bay was named National League Player of the Week, becoming the second consecutive Met to win the award (David Wright took home the honors last week).  For the week ending Sept. 11, Bay hit .481 (13-for-27) with five doubles, two home runs (including a grand slam) and 10 RBI.  Bay also had five multi-hit games for the week.

Up until recently, you had to have knowledge of Photoshop to use a picture like this.

For the year, Bay is now hitting .246 with 12 HR and 56 RBI, numbers that are still far below expectations.  Despite that, Bay still has a chance to lead the Mets in both home runs and RBIs.  Carlos Beltran collected 15 HR and 66 RBI before he was dealt away.  Bay leads all current Mets in RBIs and is tied with David Wright for the team lead in home runs.  With four more homers and 11 additional runs batted in, Bay would surpass Beltran's totals.

Who would have thought that Jason Bay would be mentioned in a sentence about team leaders in the power categories?  Certainly not us.  But over his past 63 games (since June 28), Bay has picked up 13 doubles, 9 HR and 40 RBI, striking out only 49 times in 262 plate appearances.  Prior to June 28, Bay had a mere four doubles, three home runs and 16 RBI.  He was also victimized by strike three 52 times in only 219 plate appearances.

It's time to eat the proverbial crow on this one.  Jason Bay has finally arrived in New York.  It may have been almost two years too late and not exactly during a pennant race, but it sure makes things interesting for 2012.  Bay might not be a question mark entering next season the way he was this past April.  Who'da thunk it?

The Batting Title Is Slip Slidin' Away For Reyes

A little over a week ago, I wrote a piece on the Mets' pitching staff needing to be able to keep Ryan Braun at bay when the Brewers visited Citi Field. Jose Reyes' batting average was stuck at .336 since he was placed on the disabled list in early August and Braun was beginning to creep up on the Mets' shortstop.



Of course, since they're the Mets, they failed, allowing Braun to hit .400 in the three-game series (in addition to scoring six runs, driving in three more, cracking a home run and stealing three bases, which I guess contributed more to the three-game sweep than the 4-for-10).



Since that series ended last weekend, Braun has continued to do everything offensively. In five games, he's ripped five extra-base hits (four doubles, one home run), crossed the plate four times, driven in five and stolen an addition four bases. Oh, yeah. He also hit .389 (7-for-18) over the five games, including last night's 2-for-2 performance that raised his average up to .333.

Don't slide, Jose! Just keep running! Ryan Braun is on your tail and he's gaining fast!

When Jose Reyes was placed on the disabled list for the first time in early July, he was hitting a robust .354. That number stayed unchanged until he returned to the Mets on July 19. When Reyes came back from the disabled list, Braun was only hitting .315, nearly forty percentage points behind Reyes.



In the time between his first and most recent DL stint, Reyes played in 18 games, hitting only .256. From July 25 until the day he re-aggravated his hamstring injury (August 7), Reyes hit a Mario Mendoza-like .208. The multi-hit game, which had become a staple for Reyes during the first half of the season had all but vanished, as he collected three multi-hit games (never getting more than two hits in any of those games) in his final 12 games before he checked back in to the DL Hotel. Over the same time period, Reyes was held hitless five times.



Since July 19 (the day Reyes returned from his first DL stint), Braun has taken off, hitting .374 (49-for-131). In addition to challenging Reyes for a batting title that appeared to be his in early July, Braun has transformed himself into the National League's leading MVP candidate. For the season, the Hebrew Hammer has a .333/.404/.592 split. That .592 slugging percentage leads the National League, as does his .996 OPS. He also leads the league in runs scored (91) and is in the top ten in hits (160), total bases (265), doubles (33), home runs (25), RBIs (86), stolen bases (30) and extra-base hits (62). With the Brewers opening up a commanding lead in the NL Central, Braun is clearly forging his way to the top of the MVP consideration list.

Ryan Braun lets David Wright know that he's about to pass Jose Reyes in the NL batting race.

Unfortunately for Jose Reyes and the Mets, that's not the only thing Braun is forging his way to. Reyes' lead in batting race, which was once formidable, is now precarious. By the time Reyes comes back from the disabled list on Monday, he might be looking up at Ryan Braun on the batting race leaderboard rather than looking for him in his rear view mirror.



The Mets have never had a batting champion in their history. If Reyes is going to become the first player to do so, he's going to have to earn it, as Ryan Braun appears to be slump-proof. With the Mets out of postseason contention, a batting title for Reyes is all the fans have to cheer for over the final month of games at Citi Field. It's time for Jose Reyes to come back off the DL, stay off it for the rest of the season and become the multi-hit machine he was in the first half of the season. It might be the only way for him to keep Braun at bay and claim that long overdue first Mets batting title.

Halfway To Sanity: First Half Recap

The Mets lost to the Detroit Tigers today by the score of 5-2, ending their four-game winning streak, a streak that pushed them over .500 for the first time since the fifth game of the season. With today's loss, the Mets dropped to 41-40 at the midway point of the season.

While some people expected the Mets to be right around the .500 mark, including yours truly, the fact that they've achieved their record without Johan Santana throwing a single pitch and with their corner infielders and leading power hitters (David Wright, Ike Davis) disabled for a good chunk of the first half is all the more Amazin'.

Now that the Mets have reached the 81-game plateau, let's look back at the first half and dig up some interesting stats on your fav'rit men in blue and orange.

By pitching the final inning of today's loss, Francisco Rodriguez reached the season's midway point with 30 games finished, putting him on pace for 60 such games, or five above the 55 needed for his contract to vest for 2012. Even if K-Rod doesn't get traded to another team, he might have difficulty reaching 55 games finished, and it might be his own fault. Here are his stats before and after his team's 81st game over the past few seasons:

• 2010: First half - 1.99 ERA; Second half - spent most of it either disabled or in handcuffs.
• 2009: First half - 1.59 ERA; Second half - 6.67 ERA.
• 2008: First half - 1.88 ERA; Second half - 2.70 ERA.
• 2007: First half - 2.27 ERA; Second half - 3.41 ERA.

Historically, Frankie Rodriguez has performed extremely well in the first half of the season, only to come back to Earth in the second half. If 2011 becomes his fifth consecutive season with a sluggish second half, he might be taken out of games he would normally finish, due to a rough outing or twelve. So far this season, he has finished 30 of the 38 games in which he has appeared.

Jose Reyes. What else can we say about him that hasn't already been said ad nauseum? After today's 2-for-3 performance, his batting average is up to a lofty .352, with an on-base percentage hovering around .400. He leads or is among the league leaders in batting average, hits, multi-hit games, runs scored, doubles, triples and stolen bases. But there might be some things you didn't know about his historical season.

Did you know that Reyes is also the toughest player to strike out in the National League, fanning 26 times in 374 plate appearances? Did you know that Reyes is sixth in the National League in slugging percentage (.529), despite having only three home runs? Did you know that Reyes has more triples (15) than eight National League teams do? (For the record, here are the other teams and their total number of triples: St. Louis (13), Los Angeles (12), Florida (11), San Francisco (11), Washington (11), Pittsburgh (10), Cincinnati (9), Atlanta (6).)

For our final stat, let's look at the team as a whole and compare them to the Philadelphia Phillies. No one will confuse the Mets for the Phillies, the team with the best record in the National League and one of the favorites to represent the NL in the World Series. However, statistically speaking, the Mets are better than the Phillies in a number of unexpected categories.

The Mets are "up top" in many offensive categories that the Phillies used to dominate.

The Mets are second in the National League in batting average (.264). Where are the Phillies? All the way down at No. 10 with a .246 average.

For all the great sluggers the Phillies have, it is the Mets who have the higher slugging percentage (.388), while the Phillies are 11th in the league with their .375 mark.

The Phillies have a number of players who might receive an intentional walk or two. However, it is the Mets and their singles-hitting lineup who lead the National League in walks, drawing 293 free passes over their first 81 games. The Phillies have 272 in the same amount of games.

As expected, the Phillies have more home runs than the Mets, leading New York in that category, 67-52. But for all those balls leaving the yard, it is the Mets who have crossed the plate more often, and it's not even close. The Mets have outscored Philadelphia over their first 81 games, 369-327, showing that small ball can be just as effective in the run-scoring process as looking for the three-run homer.

Alas, despite the unexpected offensive superiority of the Mets over the Phillies, they still trail Philadelphia by 9½ games in the NL East. Why is that? Well, the Phillies happen to lead the major leagues with a 2.98 ERA, while the Mets are near the bottom of the league with their 4.06 ERA through 81 games. As the old saying goes, pitching wins championships. It also does a good job of hiding the fact that the Phillies are a very flawed team offensively, while negating many of the fine hitting performances by the Mets.

As much as it pains me to say it, the Mets' pitchers have to bow down in front of the great Phillies' staff.

If the Mets are going to compete for the a playoff spot in the second half, they'll need to improve their pitching. Their starters have been decent, for the most part, but decent equals mediocre. They'll need to step it up on the mound if they're going to go far enough above .500 so that they don't even see it in their rearview mirror. And if they can do that, they'll also lose sight of various National League teams in the rearview mirror as well.

The second half of the season will be very interesting indeed. The team that finishes the second half might not be the same team that begins it tomorrow against the Yankees at Citi Field. David Wright, Ike Davis and Johan Santana may or may not be back in the second half (let's cross our fingers and hope for "may" instead of "may not"), but at the same time, players like Carlos Beltran and Frankie Rodriguez might be trying to help another team get into the postseason.

To paraphrase one-time Mets' nemesis, Joaquin Andujar, the baseball season can be summed up with one word, and that word is "you never know". With the 2011 Mets, you never know which team is going to show up. Will they be the team that scored 52 runs in four games or will they be the team that mysteriously forgot how to use their home field to their advantage?

You never know with these Mets. That's why they're so much fun to watch.

Carlos Beltran Campaigns For Jose Reyes' Return

According to Mike Puma in today's New York Post, Carlos Beltran has expressed his desire to see Jose Reyes in a Mets uniform in 2012 and beyond.

After the Mets scorched the Pirates for seven runs over the final three innings of yesterday's 7-0 victory, Beltran had this to say about the front office and his teammate:

"They should make the effort and try to sign him, for sure. He grew up in this organization. I don't know what's in his mind, but players like him, they don't come too often. He's had nothing wrong with him. He's playing the game and having fun every day, so you want to have a player like that."

Carlos Beltran has always been a quiet leader on this team. His words are few and far in between, but when he says them, they're meant for people to listen. Beltran has been in the league for many years and knows a good player when he sees one. But Jose Reyes is more than just a good player. He's a great player, the type of player you build a team around, the type of player you win with.

Although Carlos Beltran might not be patrolling the outfield at Citi Field next season, he knows that the Mets shouldn't part with Reyes. Supposedly, Jose Reyes' agents have not been contacted by Sandy Alderson as of this time. It would behoove the Mets' GM to begin the conversation with Team Reyes soon. Any time wasted is time ticking away towards Reyes' departure from the only organization he's ever known.

Alderson might shy away from long-term deals, but we're not talking about D.J. Carrasco and R.A. Dickey here, who both got two-year contracts during the off-season. This is Jose Reyes, the "real" face of the franchise. (Sorry, David Wright, but this team is winning right now without you. The same would not be the case if Jose Reyes were on the DL.)

Carlos Beltran can see it. I can see it. Heck, Stevie Wonder could probably see it. Hopefully, the Mets' front office will see it as well. Jose Reyes should be a Met in 2012 and beyond.

Tom Seaver will always be known as "The Franchise". But Jose Reyes is "The Franchise" for a new generation of Mets fans. If the front office truly wants to do what's best for the team, they must re-sign the new version of "The Franchise". The Mets already had a dark time from 1977-1983 after Tom Seaver was let go. Re-signing Jose Reyes would ensure that the light of hope will continue to flicker at Citi Field for many years to come.

Freddy Got (Middle) Fingered

The Mets didn’t have a game scheduled for today, but they’re still all over the back pages of the tabloids. No one threw a firecracker in a crowded parking lot. No one threw bleach on anyone. No one shouted homophobic slurs at anyone. In fact, no players were involved in the controversy. But the man who pays them is.

Mets’ chief cook and bottle washer Fred Wilpon made some interesting comments recently that were published in this week’s edition of the New Yorker magazine. In particular, he singled out four of the team’s best players. But perhaps the article may have been edited before it went to print.

The Studious Metsimus staff believes we may know what Mr. Wilpon really said to the New Yorker. After all, we once got an e-mail from him that started with “Dear Mets Friend”, so you could say we know what makes him tick. (Never mind that thousands of other people received the same e-mail. He sent it to us with love!) Here is what was printed in the New Yorker followed by what he really meant to say:


What He Said:
“(Jose Reyes) thinks he’s going to get Carl Crawford money. … He’s had everything wrong with him. He won’t get it.”

What He Meant:
“I wish I had Carl Crawford’s money.”


What He Said:
“We had some schmuck in New York who paid (Carlos Beltran) based on that one series. He’s sixty-five to seventy percent of what he was.”

What He Meant:
“He hit the Cardinals so well in the ’04 NLCS. Why couldn’t he take the g*dd*mn bat off his shoulders against them in the ’06 NLCS? Adam Wainwright’s got a good curve, but it ain’t no Sandy Koufax curve.”


What He Said:
“(David Wright is a) really good kid. A very good player. Not a superstar.”

What He Meant:
“David Wright is a really good kid. A very good player. But he’s not Sandy Koufax.”


What He Said:
“(Ike Davis is a) good hitter. … Sh**ty team – good hitter.”

What He Meant:
“Ike Davis is a sh**ty hitter on a good team. No, wait. Ike Davis is a good hitter on a team with a sh**ty owner. No, that can't be right. Ike Davis took a sh*t today. Ah, f**k it! Ike Davis is Jewish like Sandy Koufax - that makes him good.”






Fred Wilpon has been alive for three-quarters of a century. He’s been collecting Social Security for over a decade now. (Hope he’s saving it.) In other words, he should be retired already! If Julio Franco could walk away before he was half a century old, than why can't his former employer do the same?

If Fred Wilpon truly loved the Mets, he’d sell the team and quit while he’s behind. The Mets have a long way to go before they can hand out World Series rings. Hopefully, the next time they do, none of them will say Wilpon on it.

Le Grand Justin Turner

Rusty Staub was beloved as a Met, setting numerous club records during his underrated career. So cherished was Rusty in New York that the team honored him with "Thanks Rusty Day" on July 13, 1986.

Mets players poured out of the dugout wearing red wigs in appreciation of Le Grand Orange, a key player in the march to the National League pennant in 1973 and one of the best pinch-hitters of all-time during his second stint with the Mets in the 1980s.

It's been 25 years since the Mets honored their red-headed sparkplug. Now the Mets have another in Justin Turner.

The arrival of Turner came "Justin" time for the Mets.

Justin Turner quietly put together a successful minor league career, hitting .309 in five minor league seasons. A doubles machine, Turner hit 124 two-baggers in the minors, a number surpassed by only 16 players in Mets history (including Rusty Staub, who hit 130 doubles for the Mets).

Now given the chance to play every day for the Mets due to injuries to Ike Davis and David Wright, Turner has flourished. Entering tonight's game, he was hitting .364, continuing his doubles onslaught with seven two-base hits in only 55 at-bats. With his first-inning RBI single, Turner broke Ron Swoboda's 46-year-old rookie record for consecutive games with an RBI (seven). Over those seven games, Turner has driven in 12 runs.

Terry Collins will have a dilemma on his hands when Ike Davis and David Wright return from their injuries to play first base and third base, respectively. Who will lose playing time between Daniel Murphy and Justin Turner? Will the lefty-swinging Murphy platoon with the right-handed hitting RBI machine? Has Turner earned the opportunity to play every day? Will someone be traded?

One thing's for certain. In the '70s and '80s, Mets fans were treated to the fantastic play of Le Grand Orange, Rusty Staub. It's been over a quarter century since Rusty announced his retirement. Now the fans have a new redhead to cheer. Le Grand Justin Turner is winning the hearts of Mets fans all over the city and making opposing pitchers see red every time he drives in another run. Not bad for a guy who only had four major league hits before 2011.

News about the Mets read like Onion Headlines

Seriously, if I were to write a parody about the Mets misfortunes how could I POSSIBLY come up with two more insane headlines than:

"METS STILL OWE BOBBY BONILLA $30 MILLION!"

or

"DAVID WRIGHT DIDN'T REALIZE HE HAD A BROKEN BACK!"

Man oh man.

Better start trading the veterans away now... if for no other reason than for mercy.

The $66 Million Catalyst

The Mets began the 2011 season by drawing comparisons to the original 1962 team. Their abysmal 5-13 record (which included a franchise-worst 1-8 start at home) had put them in last place in the NL East and had made even the most optimistic fans wonder if the Mets would be playing meaningful games in May, let alone September. Then last Tuesday, Jason Bay returned to the lineup for the first time since last July. Since then, the Mets have yet to lose a ballgame. Is it a coincidence or something else?

Last year, when Ike Davis was called up to the major leagues on April 19, the Mets were struggling. They had lost eight of their first 12 games and appeared to be falling out of contention before the season got underway in earnest. With Ike providing the Mets another solid bat in the lineup, the team took off, embarking on an eight-game winning streak in late April. Over his first two-plus months in the major leagues, the Mets went 39-24, propelling themselves into the wild card lead.

Of course, once the second half began, the Mets went on their season-changing road trip, where they lost nine of 11 games and the services of their left fielder after Jason Bay ran head first into the fence at Dodger Stadium.

When Jason Bay played his last game for the Mets last year, the Mets had a winning record (50-49). The Mets played the final 63 games of 2010 and the first 18 games of 2011 without Bay, which is the equivalent of half a season of missed games. In that time frame, the Mets' record was 34-47.

Of course, when Bay was healthy, he was performing far below what was expected from him. However, his absence from the lineup made it easier for opposing pitchers to pitch around other batters in the lineup, particularly David Wright. Prior to Bay's injury, Wright was hitting .298 with a .372 on-base percentage. Once Bay's name was removed from the lineup, Wright's batting average fell to .253 and he reached base at a .321 clip.

The same formula continued over the first 18 games of the 2011 season. With Bay on the disabled list, Wright began the season by hitting .229. His on-base percentage and slugging percentage were .304 and .386, respectively. Wright also struck out at an alarming rate, with 22 whiffs in 70 at-bats.

Then Jason Bay returned to the lineup on Tuesday. David Wright had another bat to protect him in the batting order and he hasn't stopped hitting ever since.

David Wright gives Jason Bay a hand, but in reality, it's been Bay's return that has given Wright a hand.

In the four games since Bay's return, Wright has hit .429 (6-for-14) and has reached base in 10 of his 18 plate appearances. He has also banged out more productive hits, driving in six runs over the four games. In addition, Wright has picked up four extra-base hits with Bay in the lineup, three of which cleared the outfield wall. His slugging percentage over the four games is an eye-popping .889, giving him a 1.445 OPS. That's a far cry from the .690 OPS Wright was producing out of the three-hole over the first three weeks of the season.

The most important stat that has come out of Bay's return is not Wright's re-emergence as a potent bat, but the number in the win column. The Mets have won all four games since Jason Bay came off the disabled list. Similar to Ike Davis' addition the lineup in 2010, Bay's return has brought a winning atmosphere to the team. His presence in the batting order has given opposing pitchers something else to contemplate (Bay's batting average, on-base percentage and slugging percentage since his return is an impressive .333/.412/.667.) and has awakened a number of sleeping bats in the lineup, most notably David Wright's.

The Mets may have paid Jason Bay $66 million over four years to provide a powerful bat to a lineup that lacked firepower in 2009, but what they may have gotten as a bonus was a catalyst. Even if Bay doesn't come close to reproducing his 2009 numbers in Boston (36 HR, 119 RBI), his return to the Mets gives his teammates a better chance to put up the numbers expected from them. Jose Reyes might be considered by some to be the spark plug of the team, but Jason Bay, whether he knows it or not, is the one who's lit the fire, and the Mets are a better team because of it.

Joey's Small Bites: Do You Believe In Miracles?

Last night, I took a one-day sabbatical from watching the Mets. In lieu of watching the team with the worst record in baseball, I did some light reading, ate some Chinese food and went to bed without knowing the outcome of the game. This morning, I woke up refreshed and ready for my day's activities, which began with a quick check of the morning paper.

As I was perusing through last night's boxscores, something caught my eye. At first, I thought it was a typo, but upon closer inspection, I realized that it was not. Faster than I could say "holy chicken nachos, Batman!", it hit me. The Mets had actually won last night's game.

Click on the photo to enlarge the boxscore so you can see that my eyes didn't deceive me.

It's not just that the Mets won. It's how they won. The 9-1 victory over the Houston Astros represented the Mets' largest margin of victory of the season. It also gave the Mets their second one-game winning streak of the week (the team rolled off another such streak when they defeated Atlanta last Sunday).

Many things happened in last night's game that hadn't been seen in quite some time. If you didn't see the game, here are some small bites of what you missed.

Jason Bay returned to play in his first major league game since introducing his noggin to the Dodger Stadium left field fence last July. In four at-bats, Bay hit a ground-rule double and scampered around the bases when Hunter Pence made a Metsian error in right field.

David Wright proved that every once in a while (and by a while, I mean every hundred or so at-bats), he actually can provide a clutch hit. With the Mets holding on to a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning, Wright's home run (which broke an 0-for-20 slump) ignited the offense. In the fifth inning, Wright's two-out double plated two more runs and knocked J.A. Happ out of the game.

David Wright is stunned that he could produce two extra-base hits in the same game at Citi Field.

Ike Davis proved once again that Citi Field isn't as cavernous as some third basemen think. Davis' 456-foot eighth inning blast was hit so far to center field that the home run apple had to duck for cover. It eventually dusted off its cobwebs and made its third appearance of the game (Mike Nickeas had started the home run parade in the third inning with his first major league homer) as Davis rounded the bases.

Chris Capuano pitched seven strong innings, allowing one run on six hits. He walked two batters and struck out four to notch his second victory of the season, which leads all Mets pitchers. Not bad for a pitcher who was supposed to be the No. 5 starter on the team.

Terry Collins was ejected from the game before the tens of dozens of Mets fans in attendance had purchased their first Shake Shack burger of the night. The fiery manager was thrown out of the game after home plate umpire Doug Eddings had ruled that Mike Nickeas had not caught a foul tip cleanly. The Mets responded to their skipper's ejection by tying their season-high with nine runs.

Terry Collins doesn't look like he's arguing here. Perhaps he got thrown out for wearing black instead of the traditional blue and orange. (Photo by Andrew Theodorakis/Daily News)

Tonight, the Mets will attempt to do something they haven't done since last October 1 and 2. If they can pull off a victory in tonight's series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks, it will mark the first time since those dates that the team has won back-to-back games at Citi Field.

For a team that used to believe in home field advantage, consecutive wins at home have been hard to come by. I'll be watching tonight, hoping to see the Mets stretch that winning streak to two. Miracles do happen, right?