‘WORK TO DO’
Last year, Mets fans savored their team’s huge lead over the All-Star break like a great summer book at the beach. This year, there’s blood in the water and a growing concern about sharks.
A little while before his injury-depleted team finished the first half with an 8-3 loss in Houston on Sunday, manager Willie Randolph declined to give a public assessment.
The numbers, though, speak for themselves. The Mets (48-39) are clinging precariously to a two-game lead on Atlanta after kissing away too many games with poor play in June and July.
The reality of 2007 is evident to all, and Randolph knows it. He’d love to be where the 2006 club was: 12 games up.
Heck, he’d take 10 up.
“Who wouldn’t?” Randolph responded Sunday, before quickly adding, “But you know what? A lot of teams wish they were where we are right now. Having said that, we have a lot of work to do … a lot of work to do.”
From injuries (Moises Alou, Endy Chavez, Oliver Perez) to listless play (Jose Reyes), concerns abound. Mets hitters say the work must come on their end.
And they’re mostly right: The Mets staff owns a 3.91 ERA that’s fifth-best in baseball, while the lineup has produced 394 runs – 21st in the majors.
“I think we can step up our offense,” David Wright said. “We need to go out there and consistently score more runs – do a better job of, with runners in scoring position, getting that big hit.
“Carlos Delgado is starting to get hot. If he gets hot, he can carry the team for weeks at a time. [Carlos] Beltran has swung the bat well the last couple of days.”
Beltran and Delgado agreed with Wright that a first-place record at the break was something to be proud of. Still, as Delgado put it, “There’s a lot of need for improvement.
“I look at it in a positive way – it could’ve been a lot worse,” Delgado said. “[But] we have to clean it up a little bit.”
Although Randolph has seen evidence of listlessness, he said he was proud of how his team fought through first-half adversity.
“People sometimes look at the last month or three weeks and start acting like the sky is falling and stuff like that,” Randolph said.
“It’s not about the last three weeks. It’s about the season.”
Alou and Chavez should bolster the team’s confidence if and when they get back up to speed. If Pedro Martinez returns in August close to his Cy Young form, the jolt could last through October.
