Unbridled enthusiasm is hard to come by for Mets fans these days. Such is the life of the fan of a .500 ballclub. The Mets get a couple of wins and we think, "The magic is back!" Then come the disappointing losses and we think, "Wait til next year."

So Pedro Martinez returned last night and gave us hope that the magic might truly return in the 2008 season. Perhaps this is what we've been waiting for. A healthy Pedro could energize the rest of the squad into performing at the level we know they are capable of performing at. At the very least we hope Oliver Perez will be inspired.

So far the 2008 season has been a tough one for us Mets fans. After all this time our team is in fourth place with only a .500 winning percentage. It's like were back at opening day again. So is the glass half empty or half full? I think it's half full and here are three reasons why.

1. Winning the last three games. Not just winning them but how the Mets have won the games. Late inning rallies. Two-out RBIs. Great relief pitching. Solid defense. These are the Mets that were advertised prior to the season.

Just when I begin to lose faith the Mets go and win a pair against the Yankees and in Yankee stadium no less. The wins feature solid pitching, timely hitting and four RBIs for Jose Reyes. All of this I like and want more of. So I hope the Mets are not teasing us as they continue on their longest road trip of the season.

The funny thing about the victories versus the Yankees is the fact that the wins didn't elicit the same feeling as they usually do. Instead of elation over beating a hated rival I felt more of a sense of relief that the recent slide was halted, if only for the moment.

All of a sudden the bats come alive yesterday. Combined with a stellar performance by John Maine the Mets are able to eke out a 3-3 West Coast road trip. The Mets should have done better. Tuesday's game was well within reach given the number of opportunities. Had the Mets won that game I think we could have called the trip a success.

Meanwhile John Maine continues to show me that he is maturing even as Oliver Perez is collapsing on us. Thank heavens for Maine and Johan Santana. We'd be down with the Nats if it wasn't for those two guys and Ryan Church. Speaking of Ryan Church. I'm going to talk about him on the next podcast. He has been a revelation so far and definitely the biggest surprise of the season for me.

Watching the highlights of last night's game against Arizona I felt like I was watching a different team. I saw great hitting, great pitching and great defense. This isn't the team that lost to the Pirates on Wednesday afternoon. And they do this against the Diamondbacks who have the best record in baseball. The word schizophrenic comes to mind when evaluating the situation.

The only answer can be that the Mets bodies have been snatched by aliens determined to see them win this year. Or perhaps their bodies were snatched last Wednesday. Whatever it was, I hope and pray that the magic is back. Perhaps Moises Alou is the magic?

I don't care how ugly it was. I'll take last night's win and the sweep of the Nationals. Here's something to think about. The Mets have won both games started by Nelson Figueroa. And the bullpen threw seven scoreless innings last night.

Let's not celebrate too much though. The Mets hitting was horrendous. Twenty-five runners left on base and seventeen strikeouts. Better hitting means more wins and a bullpen that doesn't get worn out early in the season.

This series wasn't much of a test. We played the Nats after all. This was merely prep for a very important series against the Phillies this weekend. Look for Johan to bounce back from a tough outing to start the series right with a win in the game tonight.

Let's Go Mets!

The last two games have not been that pretty but at least they show that the Mets can win even when not firing on all cylinders.

On Wednesday the Mets were beneficiaries of sloppy play by the Phillies. Credit to the team for capitalizing on that sloppy play. Last night's game proved that Wednesday wasn't a fluke. There is no hex. The Mets can beat the Phillies anytime they want to.

Here are some of the positives and negatives on my mind after last night's game.

Positive

1. Angel Pagan has been a revelation. He puts the bat on the ball. He's fast. And he gets clutch hits. He should be in the two spot in the order even after Castillo returns.

Is it me or are even wins excruciatingly painful. Injuries, rain delays and assorted drama are taking their toll on me.

The Phillies are doing what they have do and beating the bad teams in the National League East. So why the hell aren't the Mets doing that?

This team has a screw loose right now. The bats have been producing runs but they are making foolish errors and the bullpen is a black hole. How can a playoff team make as many errors as The Mets have made this week?

All of a sudden we are in a sprint to the finish in this division. This is really a test of the team and our skipper Willie Randolph. They need to play well and Willie needs to make his best decisions. If that doesn't happen our Mets might be spending October on the sidelines.

Welcome to September baseball folks. The good news out of Florida tonight is that the Phillies lost 7-6 to the Marlins which means that we've gained a pair of games in the standings over the past two days.

I think it is going to be an exciting month. Hopefully not too exciting, especially if the Mets are able to turn things around and win most of their games.

Sweeping the Braves is a good sign. Delgado is thawing out. Mike Pelfrey could provide us a much needed boost either as a starter or out of the bullpen.

There's plenty of work to do. Jose Reyes is slumping. Billy Wagner will probably give us heart attacks. And the team has been getting caught way too much on the basepaths. I'm looking to Willie Randolph to figure out how to effectively use his bullpen.

I have to admit that last night's game conjured up a feeling that I've been missing all season. It felt like Met Magic.