Johan Santana

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NEW YORK—The last time the Philadelphia Phillies came to Citi Field, they left without scoring a run. No, not just the last game they played—the entire series they played back in May.

What Johan Santana did today for the New York Mets was nothing short of amazing, and this is a franchise that knows from amazing.

Much the same way he pitched a gem when the Mets needed a win at the end of the 2008 season, Santana came up huge a day after the Mets saw another eighth-inning lead disappear, only to have their closer, Francisco Rodriguez, arrested for assaulting his father-in-law near the clubhouse after the game.

Do we have a Flushing Zoo on our hands?

Forget the countless injuries to Carlos Beltran and Jose Reyes.

Or the fact that Bobby Bonilla, who last played with the team in 2000, is reportedly on the payroll.

Those are just minor problems compared to what the New York Mets truly face.

On the field, things appear grim.

Despite Major League Baseball's fifth-highest payroll, the Mets look to be missing out on the playoffs for the fourth straight season.

For two consecutive years (2007-2008), the Florida Marlins eliminated New York from fall ball down the stretch. 

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I was watching this team play baseball yesterday in what was a must-win game for the Mets. They knew how big these next six games were going to be. They needed to show in last night's game that they were ready to do anything to win and that they would not go down without a fight. But they didn't do that.

MLB: New York Mets, July record of 9-17, overall record of 53-52, third place in NL East, seven games back

Position Player of the Month: Outfielder, Angel Pagan

In a month in which the Mets plummeted down the standings, Angel Pagan was one of the lone bright spots on an otherwise anemic offense. The switch hitter managed to get on base even during the roughest of patches for the Mets and has continued to hit will with runners in scoring position.

The Mets shockingly blasted Cardinals' ace Adam Wainwright last night, and continued to prove they have a significant home-field advantage.

The Mets have the right pitching matchups on hand over the next two days to do some damage if they can hit like last night.

Tonight, the Mets will have their ace Johan Santana on the mound, trying to win the series and give the Mets a reasonable shot to sweep on Thursday.

When Omar Minaya was brought to New York to take over as general manager of the Mets, New York was divided equally into two sections: lovers and haters. 

The New York Mets won today behind the strong pitching performance of Johan Santana. Though Santana pitched well enough for a win, he didn't get it, as closer Francisco Rodriguez blew another save. Santana went eight strong, surrendering only one run on eight hits and one walk, while striking out five.

Personally, I had prayed that manager Jerry Manuel would let Santana come out for the ninth inning and finish the game out, but having thrown 115 pitches (81 for strikes, by the way), Santana got the handshake after retiring the last nine batters he faced.

SAN FRANCISCO: Since the All-Star break, or maybe even before that, the Mets have suffered from a team-wide slump.

Every team goes through them. Just ask the Phillies, who went through something similar from late May through early June.

The Mets even swept the Phillies at Citi Field in May, shutting them out in all three games.

The Mets came within three innings of being shut out three straight games to the same opponent for the first time in their history.

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The second half of the season is going to start tomorrow, so it's only fair to let the players know how they are doing right now.