But for better or worse, the start of the working week ushered out the Texas dreams and the New York reality set in, and back to the elbowing subway traffic was I. And thankfully the Mets decided that a split of this four-game series was necessary, Carlos Delgado's 6 RBI and Mike Pelfrey's second consecutive complete game leading the charge as they head into Philadelphia for a critical two-game set, as the Phillies remain a half-game behind the Mets in the division (hey, formerly beloved Dodgers, remember how I thanked you for sweeping the Phillies? Well I take it back, since you just LAID DOWN AND DIED this weekend). Here's hoping they'll finally figure out how to hit against Jamie Moyer, but I'll be happy with another split in case they don't.

I'll unfortunately miss tonight's game as I will be attending the US Open just down the way from Shea. Apparently I'll be watching Venus Williams and Roger Federer, which is pretty cool except Venus always plays horribly in early rounds and I'm pretty meh on Federer, genius notwithstanding (I think in athletes I appreciate hard work over genius, hm). And to tie this into the Mets, last night James Blake won a five-set thriller over young Donald Young, all the while having the interlocking NY Mets logo on his left sleeve. James Blake, I find you bland and disappointing, but you've just won a point in your favor. I guess.

Certainly Heilman should have had a better fate had Argenis Reyes actually tried for that bloop single, and then later turned a coulda-woulda-shoulda double play, but a batter later we saw a four-run belt-loosening fresh-glass-of-water-ahhhh lead turn into a rocking-in-the-fetal-position one-run nailbiter. Thankfully Joe Smith and Scott Schoeneweis got the final two outs, Show earning the save and saying, "Me getting a save is about as much of a highlight as I ate the 1,000th cheesesteak served in the away clubhouse in Philadelphia this year. That's about what it's like. Right guy in the right place. Lucky." That's pretty good, Schoeny, especially considering your post-game interview with Ed Coleman was about the most incoherent, mumbled, pause-filled atrocity I've heard from an athlete in quite some time.

Not that it matters, but I also got a nice mild vindication for my previous post, where I stated that I was excited to see what these young kids could do for the team. Not that I think they're the answer, certainly--way too early for that--but as a fan I can't help but be sucked in by young blood. Daniel Murphy not only continued his Endy impersonation but also rapped a double for his first Major League RBI. He also worked two walks, which is probably even more impressive. Previous to that, Argenis Reyes had also worked a walk to get the rally started. Nick "I only get a hit every coupla weeks" Evans also hit a double, and two errors allowed Beltran to score what turned out to be the pivotal run. Now, if only we'd seen Eddie Kunz in the ninth, then the rooks would've been all accounted for (I'm not counting Carlos Muniz, because boy has he been lousy lately). It would have been nice for Kunz to make his first appearance at Shea, especially afforded a four-run lead; if he got in trouble then give him the quick hook. He certainly couldn't have done worse than Heilman.

Lost amid the Benny Hill bullpen was a nice performance by Mike Pelfrey, who worked 6 2/3 for his team-leading 10th win, as well as a perfect 1 1/3 by Pedro Feliciano, probably the best I've seen him all season. Pelf and Pedro deserve kudos for theoretically giving the bullpen some rest, before Heilman went up there and gave a man named Jody a marshmallow while singing "Kumbaya."

Oh, and there's this:

CAN YOU HEAR THE MUTHAFUCKIN DRUMS?!?!?!??!?!?!!!!

Where the hell would the Mets be without Fernando Tatis? That's not rhetorical, either; Howie Rose asked the same question last night, and if you think to the troubles the Mets have had both in the outfield and with their offense (the first, oh, five innings last night were downright anorexic), Fernando continues to show us his Tatis, hitting game-changing homers or coming up with clutch RBIs exactly when the Mets need them most. I am unable to recall how many times this season Tatis has been the hero of the game, because every few days or so it seems he's the one--not Beltran, not Reyes, not Wright; sometimes Delgado--who's making the big play.

I hope the man never stops drinking his Gatorade.

His maturation has been something to behold. What a stud.

Why does there have to be an All Star break? BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Weekend recap: I didn't get to see Friday's seeming nailbiter of a game as I was out celebrating a friend's birthday with Korean BBQ and then--seeing as we were in Koreatown--karaoke. I paid $12 for a Jameson neat. Are you kidding me with that bullshit, I thought, and then realized that I needed the Jameson in order to sing, like, "Summer of '69" and whatever assorted crap we all did (I did manage a lovely duet w/ Beth of my favorite ever song "Be My Baby," so go me). I checked my phone for scores off and on throughout the night, and when I saw a 2-1 victory, I praised yet another solid Ollie Perez performance and the Mets' continued winning streak.

Thanks to the generosity of Bill W, one of my four readers, I attended the game on Saturday. I remarked to Bill at some point during the game--as cheers were showered on every player, rhythmic two-strike claps filling the stadium, people getting out of their damn seats without having to be coerced--how the atmosphere at Shea has changed so much since the last time I was there, not even a month ago. A month ago, you had jeers and groans and the bullpen coughing up runs and the offense leaving men on base and a fanbase seemingly bored and compelled to accept mediocrity. Three weeks later the tension has lifted, the players look crisp, balls are finding gaps with men on base and two outs, scrubs like Tatis and Easley and Chavez and Argenis Reyes and Nick Evans are making stellar plays and driving in the big boys, the big boys are hitting like they're supposed to, and by God, the pitching has been lights-out. Times like these, the cheers flow easily.

As for Sunday, the late starting time worked out pretty perfectly for me: Along with a whole mess of other hipster fools, I went to McCarren Park Pool for the free Breeders show and stood in line for about an hour and half just waiting to get in. I finally get in and stand in a beer line for about fifteen minutes. I get my beer and just as I take a sip, the Breeders start their set. I ended up seeing my ex-something Anderson, along with a bunch of his Masshole friends, four guys and two girls. So I ended up hanging out with dudes with the following names: Andy, Marky, Mikey, Johnny, and Sully (I don't know his real name, and holy hell is that a joke or what). It was like NKOTB 2 or something. At one point, Marky left and returned holding three beers. "Thanks," I said, reaching for one. "No, these are all mine," he bellows in that horrific accent I love so much. Show's over and I head home, just in time to hear the Mets begin play. Roommate comes home, we drink more beer and listen to the game together as we talk about girls (well, he talked about girls at least) while I intermittently raised my hands in triumph thanks to a home run or double play or strikeout.

And what's there to say about Mike fucking Pelfrey? His confidence and dominance is a sight to behold. If I ever get me a Paypal account, I'm buying one of them shirts.

And he has. Unfortunately I had a prior commitment, but got to witness/hear most of the game. It was a funny little match-up; Big Phenom vs. Little Phenom, a guy drafted 9th in 2005 vs. a guy drafted 10th in 2006, both of them 24, both future-of-the-franchise type pitchers (with one excelling faster than the other). Howie Rose made an interesting comment that these two (but Lincecum especially) seemed to be pitching with a kid's mentality, a playground challenge. Except Big Pelf got the best of Tiny Tim today. Pelf strikes out Tim with an inside curve; Tim throws the same to Pelf in the next inning, only to see Pelf get a hit.

It's been dazzling to see Pelf pitch this way over the past few starts. He got into a jam in the first inning (thanks in part to a Damion Easley error) but came out of it unscathed and flew from there. This is not the Pelfrey you would have imagined earlier this season or last season. In fact, it sounds like Lincecum.

Lincecum also got into a bit of a jam in the first inning, but instead of working out of it, he threw a bad curve to Carlos Beltran, who shot it out of the park for a three-run homer. This is not the Lincecum you would have imagined earlier this season or last season. In fact, it sounds like Pelfrey.

Having a lead--especially against a lowly offensive team like the Giants--certainly only helps inspire confidence. But not only that, Pelfrey is pitching like a confident young man, and just rolled right through the meek Giants lineup, allowing only ONE hit into the outfield all night. ONE. And the offense wasn't done either; Delgado would hit a bomb, Beltran would single in Argenis Reyes (who got the first hit of his ML career, leading to some funny shenanigans from Tatis), Easley would drive in Beltran, and then just for kicks on a night the Jets were honored at Shea, Tatis kicked the extra point.

Johan Santana must've been thinking, "Why can't they do that shit when I'm pitching?!?!?!?" Because don't look now, but Pelfrey hasn't lost in eight starts, and his won his last five. Santana hasn't won in six starts, and has lost four of those. Much of that, certainly, has to do with the offense. Hopefully the Mets, who have gotten double digit hits in seven of their last eight games, can provide Santana with enough of a cushion so that he can grab himself a win and put things back on track. Otherwise, I'll have to repeat a notion from earlier this season that I found ludicrous but true: Pelfrey is our ace.

And I for one am glad to see it.

Looking pretty studly nowadays, eh?

Scoreboard watching the game today and am quietly stunned to myself regarding Mike Pelfrey's performance (while being flabbergastedly unsurprised by the lack of Mets offense). Then someone goes: "Pelfrey's pitching a no-hitter!"

Me: GROOOAAANNNNNNNNNNNNNN

Aaron Boone: /hits single

DON'T YOU PEOPLE KNOW NOT TO MENTION THAT SHIT OMG STFU.

But good job, Pelf. Let's hope the bats wake up.

Update: JESUS FUCKING CHRIST THIS FUCKING TEAM.

I don't know that I've ever cheered on a team whose players I love so much who, collectively, piss me off/make me tear my hair out/disappoint me so/break my heart. What incredible bullshit this game was.

Yes, Mike Pelfrey--the guy who wasn't even supposed to make it out of spring training--currently leads the team in wins and ERA. And he's become our stopper. THE Mike Pelfrey?! Yes.

What was so dazzling about Pelfrey's performance tonight was that he built upon his impressive debut. He looked more confident and pitched better and, even more importantly, he hung in there when previously he would have crumbled. Afforded a two-run lead thanks to David Wright, Pelfrey kept the Mets ahead as they flat-out refused to score with RISP (or, more specifically, with Jose Reyes on third base--way to welcome him back, guys!). He was almost never tested this game, except for the third inning: bases loaded and one out, he gets Ryan Zimmerman to pop out and Nick Johnson to strike out. That, my friends, was pure cojones. And finally, it was great to see how many groundouts Pelfrey got tonight. Proof that his stuff is working. I am overjoyed by his performances so far this season.

So that middle portion of the game when the Mets couldn't execute and add on some runs was entirely excruciating, another damn rewind to the weekend against the Brewers, but Pelfrey kept them ahead and eventually the Mets would finally get Reyes across home thanks to David Wright in the bottom of the seventh. For good measure, Wright would double in Castillo and Church in the bottom of the ninth. Great offensive performances by Reyes (a homer short of the cycle) and Wright (5 RBI); when these two are hitting, the team's in good shape.

Duaner Sanchez finally--FINALLY!--came back to the team and pitched scoreless ninth. Hopefully this win will be a building block for this team: the return of Sanchez, the re-emergence of Wright and Reyes, and the continuing development of Pelfrey are great narratives that should bode well for seasons to come.

Lastly, funny/slightly surprising to hear the boos to Lastings Milledge, who was caught trying to steal third and showcased some subpar defense. I am totally fine with Ryan Church in his stead.

Go Big Pelf!

Well that's more like it. Our nine-game losing streak to Phillies has finally (huzzah!) been snapped. Break out the bubbly!

After a stressful day of trying to find ANYONE who would go to the game with me tonight (considering all my friends were sick/busy/unresponsive after initial interest/had experienced in-person at least two Pelfrey losses last season and had had enough/more injured than Pedro, Alou, and El Duque combined), I warily posted an ad on Craigslist only to have a very nice Chicagoan via Los Angeles who'd spent time in New Orleans--attending many a Zephyr game--respond, and we had quite the pleasant evening, mist be damned. It helps when your team wins 8-2.

The offense tonight wasn't exactly sterling (how in hell do you manage to have the bases loaded in both the first and second innings and only score one run?!) but the Mets were able to capitalize on some ungodly/comical errors by the Phillies, including two by my favorite Phillie Eric Bruntlett. Can he play all the time plzkthx. That lovely man got a very warm Shea round of applause when he came up to bat later in the game.

The big story for me was seeing Pelfrey (of whom, ahem, I may have said some not-nice things about once upon a time) look loose and comfortable on the mound, doing a lot to alleviate at least some of the fears that Mets fans have regarding our starting rotation. Not all, of course, but some. If he can pitch with any semblance of the consistency and--forgive me--flat-out cojones of tonight, then I'll be more than happy to see him up here all year. What was most impressive to me was working out of that jam in the second inning: by rights he should've been out of it if not for a SPECTACULARLY HORRENDOUS fielding job by Jose Reyes on what should've been the inning-ending DP. I may or may not have yelled "Wake the fuck up Reyes!" with children around. A run would eventually score, but instead of channeling an '07 Perez/Maine Ritalin commercial, Pelfrey hunkered down and got through the inning relatively unscathed. I really wanna buy me one of them shirts.

Other tidbits:

• I am very excited for CitiField. I hope I'll be able to go at least once.
• There's some kind of ridiculous fan dance-off that occurs at some point. The PA guy played some Bee Gees and some white girl and some white boy were the contestants. After watching their atrocious moves I certainly screamed "Y'all whitefolk can't dance!" To the amusement of the Dominican father and son behind me. The white boy eventually won, mainly because he did a terrible worm while the girl just kind of did the "Wooo I'm so drunk!!!!" sorority girl shuffle.
• Very many people commented approvingly on my Mets-colored Converse sneakers, which I custom designed on their website. Dorky yes, but this happened when I was listening to a John Maine-pitched spring training game, and I was full of optimism and light.
• Phillies fans are really ugly and boorish. There was at least one fight that broke out, which prompted a lot of jeers and laughter from the Mets fans in attendance
• My favorite at-bat songs: Brian Schneider's "In The Air Tonight" (Phil Collins, lolz) and Pelfrey's "Nasty" (Janet, Ms. Jackson if you're...well you know. Song rulz!)
• There's nothing better than a 7-train ride home after a win and everyone in the car chants "Let's Go Mets!" and gives each other high-fives and fist-bumps and thumbs-up. Hey Mets, please give us fans more of these moments please and thank you.