Rotation

The top two left-handers in the National League reside atop these rotations, Johan Santana with the Mets and World Series MVP Cole Hamels with the Phillies. From that point down, there are questions, though.

For the Mets, Mike Pelfrey is a rising star and John Maine is solid but missed the final five weeks of the season with a shoulder injury. Newly signed southpaw Oliver Perez can be wildly inconsistent, but he's nails against the Phillies and their cavalcade of left-handed sluggers — he had a 0.35 ERA in four starts against Philadelphia last season.

The Mets, like the Phillies, will have a competition for the fifth starter's job. Behind Hamels, the Phillies throw out Brett Myers, who, like Perez, can be hit-or-miss from start to start. Jamie Moyer is 46, but the crafty left-hander won 16 games in 2008. Joe Blanton is a dependable No. 4 starter, but his 4.24 career ERA isn't anything to write home about.

Edge: slightly to the Mets

GM-Carson wrote:http://blog%20blog%20blog%20blog%20read%20my%20blog/2009/02/man-games-roar-more-anagrams.html

Still, Wilpon did not want to simply go in the other direction, and turn Citi Field into a New York version of Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park, which has become a home run haven. In fact, aware of how reachable the left-center field stands in Citizens Bank are, Wilpon made sure the same area was no pushover at Citi Field, pushing back the fences and making them higher. In the interview last month, he said the Mets did not acquire Putz and Rodríguez so that a “couple of bloops and a bomb” could cost the team a game.

JFLNYC wrote:Ya know, I noticed that, too, but didn't want to say anything.

TenuredVulture wrote:

JFLNYC wrote:Ya know, I noticed that, too, but didn't want to say anything.

Actually, what happens is they borrow Will Smith's memory flash device from Men in Black, and flash it between innings, so no one remembers it happening. What's really amazing about the memory flash device is that it works over television as well as in person. The film of course left that out. But really, how else would it really be able to keep the existence of aliens a secret?

“You won’t be surprised to hear that this year we do not finish at Shea Stadium because a call was made to the schedulers saying ‘We would rather not see the Marlins at the end of the year,’’’ [Marlins President David] Samson said at a Town Hall meeting, prompting loud cheers from several hundred fans…

K-Rod didn't mean anything sinister by it, but he accidentally struck upon a familiar phrase when he said he believes the Mets are the "team to beat" on Saturday.

Asked if he paid attention to the Phillies' winter chatter, Rodriguez replied that he had not.

"Whatever happened is in the past. You have to move forward," he said. "Whatever they did last year, they already got paid. Whatever they did, I have all the respect in the world. They worked hard and they deserve it. This is a different year and different ballclubs now. I don't want to make any controversy, but with me and (J.J.) Putz and the additions i the bullpen, I feel like now we are the team to beat."