Circle the Date, Part II

After gutting out an impressive 19-9 May, the Mets turned back to pumpkins in June, getting swept by the hapless Pirates -forget Turner Field, PNC Park is the real house of horrors for the Mets- with very little resistance. Omar Minaya rolled the dice assuming his AAA team sprinkled with some major leaguers could pad some wins against patsies like the Pirates and Nationals, but he didn't count on hiccups from Johan Santana -a correction period, he isn't going to pitch to a 1 ERA- and an outright disaster from Mike Pelfrey -whose AWFUL peripherals are becoming a warning sign, you can't miss this few bats and survive- culminated in a very damaging sweep that underscores how inconsistent the team is: they'll keep exchanging good and bad months until they're home again in October. Minaya could peddle some of his mediocre prospects for a first baseman -Daniel Murphy should be playing everyday in Buffalo- or corner outfielder -Fernando Martinez does not appear overwhelmed at the plate at least-, but the team also needs another starter -in the short term Nelson Figueroa is a capable replacement for Tim Redding- and reliever to replace J.J. Putz.

A word about Putz: very few questioned Minaya's 'two closer' strategy last winter, but considering how badly the Mets were burned by the damaged goods they got in the Scott Kazmir-Victor Zambrano debacle, shouldn't they have had some concerns about Putz' health in 2008? The team's mishandling of Ryan Church, Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes and their maladies implies total incompetence from the team's medical staff.

Godspeed to Minaya, because he is well aware his job is on the line.