Mets win, still searching for Wright way

It was a cool, cloudy afternoon at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday, much like how the three game series has gone for the New York Mets, and almost exactly how the last week or so has gone for Mets' third baseman David Wright. The stands were half-empty but, even after absorbing Wednesday's 12-1 pummeling, the Dodger glass is still more than half full. Los Angeles has won 11 of its last 13 games, all led by an offense that has seemingly found itself.

The Dodgers lineup was decrepit, at best, before they begun to get healthy on the likes of the Colorado Rockies. Now, the hitters are swinging with confidence, working themselves into good hitting counts, and allowing their newfound confidence to shoot balls into the gaps. That didn't quite carry over today, but when things are looking as bright as they are, it is easier to chalk these types of stinkers up to, simply, the game of baseball. One bad day. One bad game. Move on.

But it was all about the New York Mets, for this day at least. John Maine set the tone from the beginning, turning in an overall dominant performance. Maine was asked to do a little bit too much last year when the club lacked a bonafide ace. Now with the presence of Johan Santana, and the return of Pedro Martinez on the horizon, Maine is pitching in the middle of the rotation, more of his comfort zone.

And comfortable is exactly what the righty looked like on the mound on Wednesday. Yes, he rocked back, kicked his leg up, and proceeded to fire bullets to both sides of the plate-- 93-95 mph bullets, to be precise. His fastball had some of the best life it has had all season. That was evident has his four-seamer ran had some run and late explosion to it; Maine ran a 95 mph fastball back over the outside corner to get Russell Martin looking early in the game. Filthy.

That isn't the whole story, though. What Maine does better now is use his breaking ball and complementary change up to keep the hitters honest and, more importantly, keep them from sitting on his number one weapon-- the gas. Maine looked like a polished pitcher as he went 8 1/3 innings, allowing four hits to go along with four strikeouts. He was sniffing a complete game shutout until Matt Kemp singled in a run in the ninth inning.

It took the Dodgers nine frames to crack that goose egg on the scoreboard, but it only took the Mets two innings to reach the same goal. Early and often was the motto today against Dodgers' starter Brad Penny, as a trio of Mets-- Anderson, Casanova, Castillo-- put a quick four runs on the Dodgers' ace before LA made its second trip to the plate.

Luis Castillo has proved to be another catalyst at the top of the order, a guy who will be a tremendous relief to Jose Reyes. Reyes is undoubtedly still the heart and soul of the lineup. The Mets will rarely be effective if Reyes isn't leading off and getting on base at a good clip. The firery, fervent kid in the leadoff hole is back to being the personality that made him a quick star in New York and a fan favorite across baseball.

Ryan Church went 3-for-4 on the day, scoring three runs, and driving in one run. The Mets were in need of a big bat this offseason, one to add depth to the middle of the order. When Carlos Beltran is slumping and Carlos Delgado isn't healthy, there is a huge burden on Reyes and David Wright to account for the majority of the run production. Delgado has shown signs of slowing down lately, and who knows what his numbers will be at the end of this season. Could this be the end for Delgado? Not likely, but there really is no question that we are nearing the end. Especially if his body starts to give.

But who would have thought that the run producer the Mets were looking for, the guy to score runs and drive in runs, and all around force, would be Ryan Church? I never saw that coming for one, and I would argue that Mets' GM Omar Minaya didn't exactly have these expectations in his plans. The trade that brought Church to New York-- the Mets sent Lastings Milledge to the Nationals-- was highly criticized in the New York papers. Ripped even. Fans were outraged that a young kid with as much potential as Milledge has could be cheaply shipped out for a guy who hit .272 with 15 homeruns in 2007, and a guy who only played in 71 ballgames in 2006. And, really, how could you blame those who voiced the cries of vexation?

Well, get a good, healthy chunk of these 2008 Ryan Church numbers: Through 30 games, is batting .314/.379/.508 (BA/OBP/SLG) with 5 homeruns, 23 RBIs, and 24 runs scored.

Not to compare anybody here, but breathe a sigh of relief here New Yorkers, take a look at these 2008 Lastings Milledge numbers: Through 33 games, is batting .262/.328/.361 with 1 homerun, 11 RBIs, and 15 runs scored.

It is clear that Minaya has a vision in mind, and that vision is win now. Now is the time that a core group of superstars are together in a Mets uniform, and now is the time that the pitching has enough veterans to stabilize and endure the growing pains of the kids.

The lone ranger, or invisible one at that, has been David Wright. Wright has been struggling and had struck out four times in the first two games of this series against the Dodgers. Wright was in a 1-for-20 slump until the fifth inning of Wednesday's ballgame when he roped a 2-run double to left field. He has been tinkering and searching, waiting and hoping for a few games now. Yes, the ire of baseball is even bestowed upon the greats sometimes.

There is nothing out of the ordinary about the week that David Wright has had; merely a stretch of games where the timing is off and his pitch recognition is probably not at its best. One at-bat in Tuesday's nights game really told the tale of Wright, as of late. The Dodgers brought in hard-throwing Jonathan Broxton out of the bullpen in the eighth inning, and Wright was the third batter of the inning. Broxton comes set and delivers a 95 mph fastball on the outside corner for strike one. Looking.

Wright takes a slider to srike two. Now this was an all right pitch, but it wasn't the nastiest slider Broxton has ever thrown, nor do I believe it was the nastiest breaking ball Wright has ever seen. The pitch even backed up on Broxton a little bit, ending up right down the middle. A hanging slider over the heart of the plate, and Wright was completely fooled. The knees crumbled a little bit and the upper body buckled, the whole deal.

What happens next? Broxton pumps 97 mph cheese over the inside part of the plate and Wright looks at the third, and final, pitch of the at-bat, notching a backwards "K". I will give it to Wright on this pitch. It was 97, and it was down towards the knees. Lord knows, it was all that and a box of cracker jack to handle. But, no, the pitch wasn't that hard, at the knees, and painted on a corner. It got a fat part of the plate. The thing is, it was supposed to be a fastball away. Broxton just missed as it ran back over the plate. Wright demolishes these types of mistakes, typically, but last night he couldn't even get the back off of his shoulder. It was like Wright had to pay for the baseballs out of his own pocket and he was afraid to foul off a pitch or two.

It was blatantly obvious that he wasn't seeing the pitches like he normally does. The swings that he did take were not his usual force-filled hacks. They looked like a lonesome piece of lumber, crying out for help, hoping to meet its counterpart. The stroke looked long, and that is what usually happens when doubt enters the mind, when the baseball suddenly doesn't look as attractive as it once did.

Now, this is quite a small sample size-- i.e. not an Andruw Jones' type slump. This was four or five games, a bad week at the office for one of the game's brightest stars. On the same note, Wright has 6 homeruns, 26 RBIs, and has walked more than he has struck out this season. He is batting .265.

Wright will get his 30 homeruns, he will drive in over 100, his batting average will nestle over the .300 mark, and he will probably be high up in the heated discussion for the National League Most Valuable Player. Really, there shouldn't be much concern about this guy. But when health is a serious issue for a ballclub, and major bats tend to struggle, Wright needs to be the unwavering, constant threat that can team up with Reyes and Johan Santana and get this thing done for the Mets. It is easier to replace Carlos Delgado. It is possible to substitue for Carlos Beltran. It is impossible to supersede Wright. That is the gospel of the New York Mets, and when David Wright is missing his swing, the gospel is missing its most powerful words.

Funny thing, this game of baseball.