2-0 Win as an Old Favorite is Back

On a day a Mets tradition made it's triumphant return, RA Dickey was once again masterful. With the help of an RBI single from Daniel Murphy (the 104th run scored with 2 out this season) and help from the Padres' catcher Nick Hundley, the Mets cruised to a 2-0 win at the Citi. It was their 6th win in 8 games and a much-needed series victory with the Phillies and Cardinals coming to town.

First things first: while I was not able to make the game, it was awesome to see all the video and photos of the banners people made. My only experience with Banner Day was from watching Mets Yearbooks, and the formerly-annual event should have never gone away. There were some very creative banners out there all showing Mets love, and it's hard for me to lock down a favorite with so many amazin' ones. Here's to them bringing back Banner Day once again every year.

RA Dickey is getting into quite the groove. Yes, the Padres' lineup is anemic, but guess what? They scored 11 runs off us one game, so no matter the opponent, you have to locate, and RA did just that. For a second, I thought we were going to have back-to-back starter shutouts, but then I realized his pitch count was a little higher than Johan's was up till whatever point I checked. While he is a knuckleballer, and generally they can go longer than conventional pitchers, it is important to keep him fresh. I'm looking forward to the Knuckleball Summer Swing.

It was also important for a couple arms in the bullpen to get some game-time as well, with Tim Byrdak stranding a couple more runners (he leads the league in runners stranded) and Frank Francisco continuing to bounce back from ineffectiveness. While The Byrd is on his way to too many appearances, for some reason I'm not worried. That guy's a beast. In terms of Francisco, I am happy to see his pitches are much sharper than they had been. Glad they could get him a opportunity in this series.

Edinson Volquez was actually quite effective for the Fathers. He leads the league in walks, however, and that came to bite him in the 1st inning when he walked David Wright with 2 out. Nick Hundley didn't do him any favors as well, and while the last pitch of a walk to Lucas Duda was scored a wild one, word is it should have been a passed ball (I was listening to the radio at this point in the game), and Wright, who had just stolen 2nd a pitch ago, took 3rd. It was nice to hear Murph continue to emerge from that slight slump he was in by providing another 2-out RBI single. We lead the league in 2-out runs, which is a fantastic category to lead.

Mike Baxter doubled to lead off the bottom of the 5th but should only be given an assist for helping Nick Hundley hand over the 2nd run. Before Kirk Nieuwenhuis could strike out swinging, another wild pitch was charged to Volquez, sending Baxter down to 3rd, and then Hundley let a ball pass him, plating Baxter with that 2nd run. The ball even got away from Hundley when Kirk struck out, having to throw down to 1st for the out. Thanks, Nick Hundley.

Today, for my 4th game in 5 days, the Mets take on those Philadelphia Phillies, the 1st of a 3-game set. A couple lefties face off, with Jon Niese matching up against Cole Hamels. Tune in at 1:10PM. Let's continue to make an early statement, Metsies.

LET'S. GO. METS.

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