Mike Pelfrey is smart. He knows his bullpen is shaky, so the only way to help his team is to go the distance. And he nearly did so in style.
Pelfrey was two outs away from his first complete game shutout, but ex-Mets David Newhan and Ty Wiggington had to spoil the fun and score a ninth inning run. Speaking of Newhan, in the four games against the Mets this year, he went 3-8, scored two runs, had a double and a home run, and drove in two. Who would have thought he could do such things after his paltry .203 average with the Mets last year?
Either way, Pelfrey has surpassed any and all predictions I had for him. I expected him to be a good pitcher, but nothing like this. He's truly an "ace," if that term still applies to anything anymore. Looking at the staff, even without John Maine, it's a formidable task to overcome for opposing teams. Between the double-barrled aces of Pelfrey and Johan Santana, there is the usually dominany Oliver Perez, and ol' reliable, Pedro Martinez. A weak 5th starter, which the Mets won't even need in the playoffs is fine, as long as your other pitchers go out and perform, which they have.
People were all over Pelfrey last year and at the beginning of this year. He took his lumps at the major league level, but that seems to have helped him. He knows how to deal with adversity and he knows how to handle major league batters.
Keep on truckin', Pelfrey. We're all along for the ride and we're loving every minute of it.
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