If I was a betting man(and I am), the smart play would be on the Metropolitans to win the NL East crown.
This is a glorious season for any Met fan(like me).
They finally have more headlines than the Yankees, Delgado is earning his money, and over coming injuries has not slowed them down.
With a 2.
5 game lead over the Phillies and 17 games left to play, visions of last years collapse still linger in the back of ones dreams like a dark cloud.
The silver lining on that cloud is a 4 game home stand for Philly against the dangerous and playoff bound Brewers.
Although they will escape the wrath of a currently unbeatable pitcher in Sabathia, only Hamels has the ability to pitch against what Milwaukee can throw at them.
At the same time, NY will face a lowly Braves squad who has all but given up this year.
This could be the proverbial nail in the coffin, and the cushion to restore the Mets to the glory of old.
The biggest advantage NY has is with the pitching staff.
Johan vs Hamels could be a pitching match up to look forward to, but after that the Phillies can't hold a candle to their opposition.
Pelfrey has been a completely different player from the first half of the year.
In his last five starts Pelfrey has allowed 8 runs in 38.
2 innings with a whip of .
86.
Pedro and Perez have been inconsistent yet dominant at times, and Pedro is a crunch time player who has a knack for producing when in the spotlight.
Philadelphia on the other hand counter with Brett Myers, despite his current 4.
12 ERA, he is riding a major league hot streak.
In the last 31 innings Myers has allowed 2 runs, and sports a 37/6 K/BB ratio.
Moyer is a serviceable pitcher but lacks any true dominant pitch, he survives with his knowledge of how to locate and out guess the batter.
Kendrick can not be counted on for anything and has very little back ground of success.
That advantage and the progression of the offense should lead the Mets to a division championship and maybe even a world season crown.