Nick Evans Kicks the Mets Offense into Gear

You may have wondered, as I did, who the heck is Nick Evans? Well, he's the young [22] 1st baseman/3rd baseman/ outfielder that was hustled onto a flight from AA Binghamton to Denver. He proved his worth at the plate and in the field with 3 doubles, 2 RBI, and 6 putouts in his MLB debut'.

When I commented on last night's game I said that there may be a silver lining to the Anderson injury. I said that maybe Omar would call up a young hustler who wanted to prove he belonged, and Evans did his best to make that point. The first time up, he drilled a double in the corner of right field and didn't stop there. He had 3 doubles [all to right field] and played a good defense in left field. He hustled around the bases and didn't seem nervous at all. These are the kinds of players Omar should be stocking the team with. Not the old broken down players he's so in love with. Maybe we'll get to see Evans play some 1st base against left-handed pitchers, and give Delgado a few days off here and there.

Beltran cleared the bases in the 1st inning with a double in the gap, and the Mets didn't stop scoring. David and Delgado both had solo home runs, Castro had 3 hits, Castillo and Reyes pulled a double steal, and the defense was good today. Vargus did great today on the mound. Going on 3 days rest, he looked like the second coming of Ron Darling. He walked only 1 and gave up only 4 hits thru 7 innings. I had my doubts about him pitching on short rest, but he proved he was up to the challenge. If he continues to pitch like that, he'll have a future with the Mets.

Overall the Mets played the way we all hoped they'd play since opening day. They hustled, hit with runners on base, pitched deep into the game, and kept adding runs on during the game. Now it's up to John Maine to finish this trip with a nice tidy outing. 7+ innings and 2 runs or less would be nice. If the offense gets going, and the pitching comes thru, it will make for a much happier flight back to Queens. Winning 2 games in Denver may keep the fans a bay for a day or two, and allow the team to think about filleting the Fish, and not about Willie's job status.