I would've hoped that the Mets could parlay the energy from the victory Sunday into a game 1 win in St. Louis. Especially with John Maine on the mound. For one night Mr. Maine became possessed by the bad Oliver Perez. Sloppy defense and no offense added insult to injury.

This is just a bad team, no getting around that anymore. I don't want to hear anything about how good the Mets are "on paper". Inconsistency breeds mediocrity. You can even hear how down people are getting on this team even from guys like Ed Coleman and the rest of the Mets beat (FAN) staff.

Looking at the Cardinals, specifically Lohse, I see the kind of magic we used to pull off with our starting pitching, getting great starts out of veterans, diamonds in the rough, what have you. I also see the consistent hitting (.310 in the last 15 games) that helps propel runs. They would be better off selling some of their veterans, like Billy Wagner, Aaron Heilman, Oliver Perez, and Carlos Delgado, for youngsters, if the can get something tangible in return. Our minor league system is mostly devoid of talent. The best teams build from within over the long haul, and we could certainly pull that off if we had the patience to do it.

I hope that the win last night doesn't become another lonely win surrounded by losses. The Mets haven't won three in a row since the end of May. And before that you'd have to go to the middle of April to find a streak of three or more games.

Jerry Manuel's quote after the game last night echoes my feelings in general.

"I have to see this on a consistent basis," he said. "When you perform the way we did tonight, it gives you hope. You know it's there. It's just a matter of it becoming consistent. If we can get to that, we'll feel better about ourselves."

Tuesday nights win was indeed a lonely one. The offense showed up on Wednesday night, but the pitching (both starting and relief) stayed home. Each loss to St. Louis is tough because they are the Mets chief rival in the wild card race. A win tonight salvages a split which really doesn't help the Mets.

Another hugely important series is coming up with the Phillies. I don't expect much to tell you the truth. Series splits are all the Mets can seem to muster these days.

The Mets have escaped St. Louis with a split after the 11-1 win last night. It's not good considering that we're trying to make up ground on St. Louis in the wild card standings. All the team can do now is focus on Philly. Anything less than 3 of 4 wins vs. Philadelphia will be unsatisfactory.

Mike Pelfrey was the real bright spot for the Mets last night. He now has won four starts in a row. He is still shaky at times but considering everything Mike Pelfrey has pitched well since the beginning of June. Ryan Church is getting back into the groove nicely. He had 6 hits and 5 runs scored in the Cardinals series.