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Wednesday, 07 July 2010 10:03 |
By Dennis Lowe
Following a difficult April and May, the New York Mets bounced back with a tremendous month of June, winning 18 games thus putting them into contention in the National League Eastern Division.
With consistent stellar performances on the mound courtesy of knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, Mike Pelfry and Jonathan Niese, strong outings by the bullpen and hot hitting, the early spring last-place Mets soared in the standings At months end, The Mets found themselves two games ahead of the rival Philadelphia Phillies and only a game and a half behind the rejuvenated first place Atlanta Braves.
The trio of starters combined for a record of 11-2 with an average ERA of just over three runs per game over a span of 106.2 innings pitched.
The surprise of the rotation was R.A. Dickey. The 35 year-old pitcher, was in total command of his knuckler, allowing only eight walks while striking out 26 batters over 32.1 innings. Niese finished the month undefeated with a 4-0 record including one complete game shutout.
The two workhorses out of the bullpen, Francisco Rodriquez and Pedro Feliciano dominated as expected in the late innings.
In 14 appearances, K-Rod was successful in nine out of ten save opportunities, striking out 23 batters in 15.1 innings. Feliciano, the crafty left-hander, stifled hitters with an ERA of 1.64 over a span of 14 appearances, whiffing 12 batters in 11 innings.
The Mets bats came alive as the ultimate offensive jump-starter Jose Reyes, finished with a .314 batting average for the month. The Dominican Republic native, collected 40 hits during the month including four doubles, two triples and five home runs while scoring 21 times. His 8 walks and 7 thefts on the base paths created havoc for both National and American League pitchers and catchers alike.
Third baseman David Wright’s bat woke up as well. The four-time All-Star batted a blistering .404 with eleven doubles, a team leading six round-trippers while driving in 29 runs.
The Mets offense was also led by outfielders Angel Pagan and Jeff Francoeur. Pagan hit .308 during June with seven doubles, two triples and five stolen bases. Francoeur’s .310 average, along with timely hits from Ike Davis, Jason Bay and Rod Barajas, kept the streaking Mets as one of the hottest teams in baseball.
July will be a challenging month for the Mets as the Cincinnati Reds and Atlanta Braves pay a visit to Citi Field just prior to the All-Star break. The team then heads out to the west coast for a taxing road trip taking on the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers and Arizona Diamondbacks before returning home to battle the St. Louis Cardinals and the Diamondbacks once again. |
