The Mets just completed a seven game road trip on which they won five games and lost two, a very successful trip you would say. Prior to the trip, most of us would have gladly taken a 5-2 record, especially considering the general visiting-team malaise the Mets have endured this season. Yet there's still a bit of emptiness in that mark, having actually sat through all seven of those games.
The Mets fully annihilated the Diamondbacks in sweeping the first four games of the trip, but the offense sputtered and all but disappeared in the final three, scoring just enough to win Friday's game and just enough to lose both weekend affairs. Armando Benitez continued to torture the Mets, prolonging a streak that extends back to when Benitez was actually playing for them.
The kids carried the Mets in Arizona, as David Wright, Jose Reyes, Mike Jacobs and Victor Diaz accounted for much of the offense that dominated that series. Cliff Floyd and Carlos Beltran were notably absent from the assault, and their ongoing slumps, Beltran in particular, played a large role in the Mets' failures in San Francisco.
After coming back from his collision with Mike Cameron, Beltran drew seven walks in his first six games, showing a patience at the plate that was missing for most of the season. He hasn't drawn a single walk in the seven games since, and has only four hits in 23 at-bats and just one extra-base hit (a double). He is hitting .240/.363/.320 in August, and the biggest concern is the complete and utter lack of power. He has collected just four extra-base hits all month in 75 at-bats: three doubles and one homerun. The homerun was back on August 4th, and that drought is slowly turning into a 400-pound gorilla. If any of this is related to the collision, Beltran certainly isn't saying. His play in centerfield hasn't given anything away, as he's been very good defensively.
David Wright is awesome. He is currently:
- 5th in the NL in BA (.314)
- 9th in the NL in OBP (.394)
- 8th in the NL in R (84)
- 10th in the NL in OPS (.927)
He's 22. We discussed it a little on MetsGeek, but are there even five players in all of baseball that you would trade Wright for if salary were not a consideration?
Steve Trachsel is apparently the odd man out, and despite his outstanding start on Friday, will be heading to the bullpen, at least for the time being. Victor Zambrano will undoubtedly be kept on a short leash, and should he falter in the coming days or weeks I would expect Trachsel to wriggle his way back into the top-five.