"Gee Whiz"

      Coming into last night's game the Mets starting pitching has been everything you could have hoped for so far this season. With Johan Santana's career threatening injury in spring training, the Mets rotation definitely had some question marks to begin the year. Surprisingly though, the starting staff  has been this club's strong suit so far.
      Niese has looked good in his first two outings with two quality starts. Hefner pitched extremely well albeit in a losing effort in his first start. And Harvey...? Well let's just say Harvey has been everything advertised... Tenfold!
      So as Dillon Gee walked to the mound last night, I honestly liked the Mets chances. They were facing Cliff Lee, still one of the premiere pitchers in the league, but Gee looked impressive himself in his first start against the Padres going six and a third giving up only one earned run.
       My optimism quickly dissipated though because in the 2nd inning the Phillies began their hit parade against Gee. Single.. after single.. after single.. It just seemed like Gee couldn't get an out. When the inning was over.. 4-0 Phillies.
      Simple equation.. Phillies 4 run lead + Cliff Lee Pitching = Met Loss.
      Gee never seemed to recover from that 2nd inning as Philly uped the ante by hitting homeruns in the next inning. Gee's numbers for the night were ugly..3 innings pitched with 10 hits and 7 earned runs. The only bright spot for the Mets was John Buck, who continues his torrid pace to start the season, by hitting a 2 run homerun in the 4th. Otherwise Cliff Lee was cruising almost going the distance before he was pulled in the 9th much to the dismay of the Philly faithful, who wanted to see their lefty get the complete game.
      So on to the rubber match tonight as the Mets try to win 2 out of 3 for the 3rd consecutive time. It's still so early in the season, but in my opinion, this could be a huge win for the Mets. Not to just keep pace with the Nats and Braves but more for this team's psyche. To go into hated Philadelphia and take the series would not only be a huge confidence boost for this club but also a "take notice" to rest of the league. Early "statement game" if you will...Starting pitchers tonight are Hefner for NY and Kendrick for Philly. First pitch at 7:05pm. Let's go Mets!