Tonight was impressive

The Mets picked the perfect time to play their best game of the season. There were so many encouraging things to take from tonight and I’ll try to keep it brief or else I’ll just keep going on and on.

Really for the first time all season, I suddenly feel like maybe, just maybe, this team has a shot to do something special this season. I know everyone talks about chemistry being overrated and I agree, but there is something different about this team and Jenry Mejia proved why.

After two Mets were drilled with pitches, Mejia retaliated by bruising Chase Utley with a fastball in the 8th inning. The past few years I was screaming about how the Mets never did this kind of stuff. Now they finally are. And then Mejia completely overpowered Ryan Howard to end the inning. It was a sweet exclamation point.

And it’s not just that. There’s a certain toughness about this team that we haven’t seen in a while. Guys are hustling and playing really strong defense. Jeff Franceour is a man. I’m not saying he’s better than Carlos Beltran, but no way Beltran stays in the game after colliding with the wall like Frenchy did in the 2nd inning. Franceour might not be the greatest player in the world, but he’s gritty and the Mets need that because they have talent elsewhere.

Jon Niese was dominant tonight. That was the best secondary stuff I’ve seen from any of the Mets pitchers. His off speed pitches were filthy.

I like Rod Barajas. I know the dude swings at everything, but he’s a great defensive catcher and he’s at least a power threat at the plate. He might hit .200 over the course of the season but he’ll get you 20+ homers.

I’m really excited for tomorrow’s game. Pelfrey vs. Halladay should be a terrific matchup. It will be interesting to see who steps up tomorrow. Pelfrey has been baseball’s best pitcher this season, but Halladay is considered the best in the game. Things got testy at the end of tonight’s game. It’s going to be a great way to start May.