What happens when the Mets shut you out — with two guys who weren’t in the rotation ten days ago — two consecutive nights? You freak out. Phillies manager Charlie Manuel called a big team meeting after the Mets’$2 5–0 win last night, and Jayson Werth, in a far more dramatic and important move, shaved off a large part of his beard. We know, right?
For the second night in a row, the two-time defending National League champions looked helpless against the Mets. Tuesday night it was R.A. Dickey, and last night it was Hisanori Takahashi, who tossed six shutout innings and really never looked threatened. He has now wiped out the Yankees and the Phillies in successive starts.
The other beam of light last night: Jose Reyes, who had two more hits, including a monster home run to the deep part of right field. It was his first home run in more than a calendar year. He no longer looks slow and weak: He looks like Jose Reyes.
So! The Mets are now back one game over .500, out of last place in the NL East — well, in a three-way tie for third, which kind of makes them in last place still — and only three games behind the Phillies. Tonight, Mike Pelfrey faces Cole Hamels, for the sweep of a series that hasn’t involved Johan Santana. It’s the high point of their season so far, after they were so close to being dead (again). The Mets are so weird.