we're playing."
On a night when New York starter Johan Santana tied a career high by allowing four home runs, the Mets managed this win by taking advantage of the Phillies' suddenly young starting staff - specifically J.A. Happ.
After pitching his way into the starting rotation and performing well in his first three starts, Happ was tagged for five of the Mets' six runs and was lifted with one out in the sixth inning.
David Wright, Carlos Beltran and Ryan Church hit home runs, but the team that took the field was not the one Mets general manager Omar Minaya so hopefully reconstructed over the winter. Santana can hide that on most starts. And the middle of their order is still formidable, but the Mets have way too many of their own problems to gloat over those of the Phillies.
So the pregame news here was not that Brad Lidge had been placed on the 15-day disabled list, but that elbow surgery on Mets eighth-inning reliever J.J. Putz was successful, and that he could begin light throwing in 6 weeks.
"Every game is a huge game for us, until we get healthy," the Mets' manager said afterward.
And while that might be true, it is not promising. Already the Mets are missing first baseman Carlos Delgado, whose revival propelled their surge last summer. Jose Reyes, their offensive-minded shortstop, is missing with a torn hamstring that might eventually land him on that ever-growing disabled list. Francisco Rodriguez recorded his 16th straight save as a Met, but Manuel started the eighth inning with Santana, who gave up a home run to Chase Utley before being removed, much to his disgust. The bottom line, though, is that the Mets will not have the one-two punch that was Minaya's best offseason move, at least until the end of the summer.
