Breaking Bad: Mets Borrow Victory from Br*ves, Promise to Give it Back Soon

The Mets must keep Ollie at Bay if they are to survive the second half. 

"Hello hello. Anybody there?"
--Fox Sports South announcer Chip Carey after power surge from heavens.

Was the massive power surge that disrupted the broadcast of the last game before the break in Taxpayer Field some kind of message from the baseball gods?   The Br*ves announcers inflicting themselves upon me seemed ready to phone in the rest of the game, which is luckily the task Atlanta players decided to take upon themselves.  If that's not a sign, what about Jason Bay being benched on his own bobblehead day? Just what do the baseball gods have planned for the Metropolitans?

Now that Lebronnukah is over, and the bar for athlete conduct, not to mention pointless narcissism, is set a notch lower.  Lebron couldn't have known Johan Santana was about to limbo under that bar when his majesty planned "the Decision," but the King (along with soccer) may have done the Mets ace a favor by hogging all available media outlets.

The dog days of summer are here and the sports stage is cleared for baseball.  If you're a Metfan, no one can blame you if you suspect the stage is also set for disappointMet. After hanging improbably with the NL East for most of the first half, have the Mets served notice that this mirage is about to melt away into a sandy horizon? Or are they about to go on a tear and displace the pretenders from Atlanta while tasing the resurgent Philies of Philadelphia town?  If only there were a way casual fans could keep electronic diaries to record their thoughts on the keys to the Mets' second half. That would be swell.

Troubles:
1. Starting pitching. Santana struggles have abated over the last two starts, thankfully. Perhaps it really was just a matter of building up arm strength.  But lately Big Pelf looks spent, and the Mets lost out on Cliff Lee to the nearly bankrupt Rangers. If the Pelfrey pretense is really over, you wonder how long Niese, Dickey and Co. can keep it up. Will landing a non-Lee pitcher really make that much of a difference?
2. Reyes is injured yet again. This probably should be numero uno. It's a bad sign and I don't wanna talk about it.
3. Francoeur is still playing regularly. The Mets got what they wanted with this guy, but with Pagan's emergence and Beltran supposedly back, is it finally time to cull this badger?
4. Impending date or something with Oliver Perez.
The latest report I have read has Perez right about where he usually is:

Perez had a rough outing Sunday in his third minor league start and first for Class AAA Buffalo. He allowed only one unearned run in five innings, but they were five extraordinarily ugly innings: Perez gave up three hits and five walks, hit two batters and threw two wild pitches.
Only 52 of his 100 pitches were strikes, and he also made a throwing error.

It would be revolutionary if the Mets cut ties with this left-handed potsie for good.

Revelations:
1. Pagan worship. What can we say, Angel Pagan has been ritually magic. We'll see if getting less playing time does anything to his performance. Watching some old video of the Beltran-Cameron collision wouldn't hurt either.
2. Wright Worries over? Davey boy seems to have righted the ship and has some well struck balls to match his well-plucked eyebrows.
3. Interior Defense: While he has started to struggle offensively, Ike has played well enough in the field to help give the infield, so long as Jose Reyes is playing, the feel of a playoff team.
4. Beltran's Back? I still will have to see it before I believe it. But tonight, we will see our first glimpse of the man who has clear goals for the Mets--to help the club "try to be in the playoffs." Of course, expect disaster but try not to cringe, otherwise you'll give yourself away as an unseasoned Metfan.

As you may have noticed, I have had difficulty of late upholding this blog's original purpose, to unfailingly inform insult enlighten amuse opine aimlessly for my audience of juveniles literate parolees ne'er-do-wells pikers esteemed colleagues.  But together, we have survived so much over the past 5 years of yuks so I am moved to press onward through the disappointments of another season.  In other words, let's go Mets.