Peach Fuzz Power

Make it three in a row the Mets clubhouse converted into a barber shop. Maybe the excess shrubbery was weighing on David Wright early this season. Game winning double on Wednesday, a home run last night, and it appears the rough April is a past memory. More proof that hair is overrated, Wright’s cohort in the middle of the lineup and on the underperformer list, Carlos Delgado, homered as well.

Before we anoint this a statement game, or a potential NLCS match-up, lets remember its only May, and the Brewers still have to prove themselves. Milwaukee, some experts chick pick in the NL Central, has a young, hungry team, with good pitching, and comes in with the best record in baseball. A few games in May will not make or break either teams season. Sorry to downplay the significance, its just a fun series between two very good teams trying to be great.

Not only did the Mets take Round One, they beat Jeff Suppan. Some may remember him from last October, though Met fans try to forget as much as possible. The buzz-cut boys did what they could not do for a week in October, score runs off Suppan. In baseball, teams do not gain satisfaction for October failures with May successes. I think its more bittersweet. Met fans wanted this last season.

Two underlying story lines, Jorge Sosa and Damion Easley. Sosa was strong again, stifling the Brewers, before handing it over to the dominant Met bullpen, which slammed the door again. With Sosa looking more like the 13-win pitcher of two seasons ago, the pressure is on Mike Pelfrey to perform better right now, or pack his bags for AAA when El Duque comes back. Sosa is another pitcher who has the stuff, but struggled to become a pitcher. If Rick Peterson can do what Leo Mazzone did a few years back, the Mets have a nice back of the rotation find.

As for Easley, where did this come form. He hammered his fourth home run last night, and they have all been meaningful. If Shawn Green is playing like its 1999, of course before the buzzer started a 0-12 stretch, Easley is playing like its 1995 at the old Tiger Stadium. With the big guns coming around, the role players continuing to step up, and the pitching exceeding expectations, the Mets are in great shape. But, in baseball, as in life, anything can happen.