New York Mets

PITTSBURGH-- It must be something about Johan Santana starting a game for the Mets. After scoring 12 runs in the first two games of the series against the Pirates, the Mets seemingly improving offense faded away.

They got off to a decent start against Zach Duke, who has been awful this season and over the past couple of years.

It was announced today that the Los Angeles Dodgers have claimed Rod Barajas off waivers from the New York Mets.

It appears that the Dodgers will be sending cash considerations to the Mets in exchange for Barajas.

This move reflects the directions that these two teams are heading. The Mets get out paying Barajas the rest of his salary and are receiving money in return.

The New York Mets recently put Rod Barajas on waivers, and the Los Angeles Dodgers picked him up today.

The Dodgers are getting a great player. Barajas is a fantastic clubhouse guy who handles the pitching staff extremely well. While he may not be the best hitter, he does hit home runs occasionally. 

Last offseason, the Mets were in dire need of a catcher. They focused on Bengie Molina, and I was upset about that. I really wanted Barajas on the Mets, and I got my wish. 

Just when you think they're done, they pop back into the race. Well, sort of.

Sitting 7.5 games back in the NL wild card race, the New York Mets still have an outside chance of making the playoffs. 

I know. It seems crazy to consider this. The Mets have been horrible this summer. They were just 1.5 games back exactly two months ago, but went on a downward spiral that left many of us assuming they were done.

They've collapsed in years past, so why not again?

PITTSBURGH: The last time the Mets swept a road series against a National League team of three or more games was September 2008. It's hard to believe, but that's a fact.

Today, the Mets can end the drought by beating the Pirates. With Johan Santana on the mound against Pittsburgh, you'd think there's no way the Mets can lose.

Hopefully, that's the case, as the Mets try to pick up more ground in the NL Wild Card chase.

PITTSBURGH: The Mets have finally won a road series against a National League team in 2010. Of course, it's not as legitimate as a complete-game effort, but a win is a win.

The Mets beat the Pirates tonight, 5-1, in a rain-shortened, six-inning affair. Once again, Jon Niese was solid, pitching five innings of one-run ball.

The Mets scored their first run in a weird way in the first inning off Pirates starter James McDonald.

Carlos Beltran is an extremely talented baseball player, but I don't see him as a part of the Mets future.  Ever since the whole surgery incident last offseason, I wanted Beltran out of Queens.

Beltran helped the Mets out a lot in the past, but this year, his comeback hasn't been what he was hoping for.  He has showed signs of the old Beltran, but he hasn't been consistent yet.

The New York Mets have 40 games remaining in their 2010 season. Their elimination number from playoff contention stands at 33, as they trail the Phillies by 8.5 games in the NL Wild Card race.

If you ask manager Jerry Manuel, he'll tell you his team still has a shot. Not once during any press conference, even after a rough loss, has Manuel declared his team dead.

But realistically, the Mets would have to pull off a 2007 Rockies-like effort to reach the postseason, and that happens once in a generation.

PITTSBURGH—Finally, the Mets found the right team to score plenty of runs against. It took a trip to Pittsburgh for the Mets to feel good about themselves offensively, as they jumped all over Jeff Karstens in 3.1 innings.

Mets manager Jerry Manuel called the Mets offense "pathetic" after last night's loss to the Astros. He changed things up tonight, batting Chris Carter cleanup, and it paid off for the Mets and Carter.

As I mentioned in the post earlier, I got home pretty late on Wednesday night. I got home rather late because I made the rare weekday visit to Queens, NY to hang out with some friends.

The reason for the pilgrimage into Queens was to revisit our childhood by seeing "The Expendables," but to also eat at Darryl Strawberry’s new restaurant, conveniently called Strawberry’s.