The New York Mets completed a three games series against the Los Angels Dodgers on Wednesday in dramatic fashion that could only be found in Hollywood.  After losing the first two games of the series, a struggling Mets offense pounded out 12 runs on 13 hits.  After sitting out with flu like symptoms Tuesday, Carlos Beltran was back in the line up.  Because both Carlos Delgado and Moises Alou had the day off, Luis Castillo was moved back into the two spot.  Ryan Church hit fifth in the order and had a great day going 3-4, with one RBI with two singles and a homerun.  The Mets continued their dominance against Dodger’s starter Brad Penny; he would leave the game after going 4 2/3 giving up 10 earned runs.    

Even thought the offense came through, the leading man for the Mets was starter John Maine.  Maine went 8 1/3 innings giving up just four hits, one run, while recording four strikeouts and just two walks.  This was the John Maine that the Mets have been waiting to see.  I felt bad for Maine when he left the game in the ninth, as he is always really hard on himself, and you could see his disappointment in not pitching a complete game.  However, he gave the Mets more than they could have hoped for yesterday.  His amazing day allowed the Mets to finish their 3-3 road trip on a high note; keeping their record over .500 and also allowed the bull pen to get some rest.    

Ryan Church continues to be a bright spot on this Mets team.  He is the type of ball player every team needs.  He plays hard in the field; he has got a strong accurate arm and also has a lot of range in right field.  He so far has over come the preseason conversations about his ability to hit lefty pitching and for the Mets leads the team in average, hitting .328 and is second only to David Wright in almost every other offensive category.  That is why I was disappointed to hear Willie Randolph on Wednesday’s pregame radio interview basically take a swipe at Church that I thought was unwarranted.  In Tuesday night’s game, Church hit into a double play, and Randolph basically said Church has to have a better approach, he said as a team they need to do a better job in that spot, but it sounded like a clear jab at Church.  And while I agree with Randolph , because I can tell you there have been plenty of times I’m in front of the TV cursing a guy for not having a good approach at the plate in a big spot, that knock on Church just wasn’t fair.  He is one of two guys who have carried this team, I thought this one time he deserved a pass.  Apparently Randolph has a reputation for protecting his veterans, and I get that, especially because I get the distinct feeling that he is worried about upsetting the Carloses, however-don’t do it at Church’s expense. 

The Mets have an off day on Thursday and will begin a three game series with the Cincinnati Reds on Friday. 

Mets Blog