MLB

The Mets were at home this past windy weekend taking on the San Francisco Giants. After Sunday's game, the Mets now stand at 17-14, tied for second place in the National League East . They are two games back of the first place Philadelphia Phillies. The Mets are 5-5 in their last ten games.

Here are some thoughts from this past series with the Giants:

Back On The Winning Track

In 1997, the movie Gattaca taught us that "there is no gene for the human spirit." At the start of every MLB season, we learn that there isn't a statistic for it, either.

As per usual, countless so-called experts—myself included—spent the weeks leading up to Opening Day breaking down the statistical projections and prognosticating about how the divisions would shape up in 2010.

Clearly, Dallas Braden’s perfect game was the biggest story of the day, but there certainly was plenty more worth discussing.  How about Clayton Kershaw out-dueling Ubaldo Jimenez?  How about Hunter Pence showing signs of breaking out?  Let’s look at all the stories from yesterday’s games.

Pitchers

Dallas Braden (9.0 IP, 0 ER, 0 H, 0 BB, 6 K, W)

THE MEAT OF THE ORDER

Every week there are three things I deem to be really important. It's kind of like the "meat" of my lineup. This week, there is only two because my DH is on the disabled list.

1. Zach Duke isn’t plunking anyone.

This whole “unwritten rule” thing has gone far enough. We are talking about these things way too much for them to be “unwritten” at this point. So let’s start calling them “The unwritten but often spoken of” rules of baseball.

Ah…what could have been?

This season marks the start of a new decade in Major League Baseball history, and who doesn’t enjoy taking a look back at what was—or in this case, what almost was?

Losing in the World Series is one of the most bittersweet accomplishments in sports.

On one hand, it's hard to ignore the fact that it is a huge accomplishment and that it signifies a successful season.

On the other hand, it's a tough pill to swallow.

OAKLAND, Calif. Sometimes, things have a way of working out perfectly.

The often-overlooked Oakland Athletics took on the Tampa Bay Rays, the team with the best record in baseball, in the rubber match of the three-game series. Dallas Braden was Oakland’s starting pitcher, it was Mother’s Day, it was the first game of the Dallas Braden 209 promotion, and Braden’s grandmother, Peggy Lindsey, sat in attendance along with 30 of his closest childhood friends.

Yankees and Red Sox—they’re in on everything. That’s why Joba Chamberlain and Daniel Bard aren’t simply two of the most dominant setup men in Major League Baseball. These flamethrowers are the closers of the future.

The save always comes in the ninth, but sometimes the game depends on the eighth.

It had to happen. At some point Ubaldo Jimenez was going to pick up a loss.

In "The 209" they call that pitchin'.

The days leading up to Oakland A's pitcher Dallas Braden's perfect game against the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday—the 19th in MLB history and the first for Oakland since Catfish's 42 years ago—sure had its fair share of talkin'.

The New York Yankees' Alex Rodriguez said he didn't want to extend Braden's "15 minutes" after continued questions and jawing about the controversy regarding the two players' baseball etiquette dust-up (mound dirt-up?) last month.