D-licious

David Wright is third in the majors in OPS for third baseman behind A-Rod (bats 5th in the order and should be higher...I can see where Willie gets his lineup writing abilities from) and Morgan Ensberg (bats predominantly 5th now).

He is tied for fifth in homers behind A-Rod, Troy Glaus (bats 4th), Ensberg, and Aramis Ramirez (bats 4th or 5th).

He is tied for second in doubles by third baseman with fifteen with Chipper Jones (bats 3rd).

He is fifth in batting average behind A-Rod, Edgardo Alfonso (bats 5th or 6th), Brandon Inge (bats leadoff), and Shea Hillenbrand (bats 3rd through 5th).

He is fourth in RBIs with thirty two despite not hanging around the meat of the order all the time.

David is an astonishing tenth in the league in pitches per at bat. Wright is the only guy under 25 in the top 50 for base on balls per plate appearance out of all position players that qualify for the batting title.

On the Mets, Wright is third in runs scored, first in doubles, second in homers, second in RBIs, first in BBs, second in BA out of all the starters, and second in OPS.

He is batting .348/.442/.618 with runners on, .280/.400/.480 with runners in scoring position, and .500/.571/1.167 with the bases loaded.

Imagine what he could do if given the maximum amount of opportunities?

* * *

We all knew there could be a few different teams sitting atop the NL East, but after 57 games, who would have thought it would have been the Nationals?

              W    L    PCT   GB
Washington   31   26   .544    -
Atlanta      30   26   .536   .5
Philadelphia 30   27   .526    1
NY Mets      30   27   .526    1
Florida      28   26   .519  1.5

A few questions I need to ask.

How long until Philadelphia is in first place?

Does Carlos Delgado realize that he would have made the Mets significantly better than he made the Marlins? With him, they are no better than anyone in the division and I firmly believe he would have been the difference maker for the Mets.

Can Washington hang in for the entire summer?

Why is Joe Torre so ugly?

Guillermo Mota might be on the trading block after some words with Jack McKeon.

Todd Jones has converted all eight save opportunities since May 1, when Mota went on the disabled list with a sore right elbow.

Mota didn't help his case Saturday when he allowed three runs in 1 2/3 innings. When McKeon took the ball from him in the eighth inning, Mota tried to walk away but was called back to the mound for an animated chewing out by the manager.

Good stuff. The Marlins heading down the stretch with Todd Jones makes me feel good.

The Mariners have their picks narrowed down to Jeff Clement, Alex Gordon, John Mayberry Jr., Mike Pelfrey, and Troy Tulowitzki.

Cairo is still gimpy.

Randolph said before the doubleheader that he was hoping not to use second baseman Miguel Cairo, who is still bothered by a strained left hamstring.

The buzz around the Mets is still Craig Hansen.

So when he decides which player to take with the No. 9 pick in tomorrow's annual amateur draft, don't expect Minaya to select a prospect who could take three or four years to develop. He may not be around to see it.

"I don't know who we're going to take yet. But I do know there are some players out there who could help us next year if all goes well," Minaya said. "That's part of my thinking. But a lot can happen once teams start making picks."

When he was a sophomore at Notre Dame, Aaron Heilman once pitched three scoreless innings, moved to first base for an inning, then went back on the mound to get the final three outs of a Big East tournament game.

"Got the win and the save," he said yesterday. "I threw 10 innings one day, too. Worked both games of a doubleheader."

It's amazing how much Aaron Heilman has endeared himself to Mets fans after most, including me, never wanted to see him on the mound again. Now fans are clamoring for him to be on the mound. In relief, he has a 1.03 WHIP, 0.00 ERA, and 9.31 K/9 in 9.2 innings. If they trade him for a something crappy at the deadline I will be one unhappy camper.

Why are people boo-ing Beltran?

Willie still has some things to learn, and hopefully he does learn.

It seems Willie Randolph

still hasn't mastered the fine art of the double switch.

Randolph took David Wright out of the seventh inning of the first game, bringing in right-hander Heath Bell to relieve starter Ishii and bat sixth and inserting utility man Chris Woodward at third base and in the ninth spot in the batting order.

It was surprising to see Wright be the one to come out of the game, but Randolph explained that it was an automatic move, since Wright had made the last out in the sixth.

Wright smiled when asked if he was surprised to be switched out like that.

"I told Willie it was my fault because I made the last out," he said. "I said, 'If I hadn't made the last out, this wouldn't even be an option.'"

Oswalt vs. Martinez. A great match up in the making.

The D-Backs have a sick collection of bats soon to be in the minor league system with the addition of Stephen Drew and most likely Justin Upton to Conor Jackson, Carlos Quentin, and Scott Hairston.

Also from the above article:

The Mets remain desperate for a quality left-handed reliever, but the team will be in better position to trade for bullpen help if right-handed starter Steve Trachsel makes a successful recovery from back surgery. The projected return of Trachsel by the All-Star break would enable the team to move a back-of-the-rotation type, like RHP Aaron Heilman, or RHP Jae Seo. Scouts are renewing their interest in Seo, who is 3-1 with a 3.60 ERA in nine starts at Class AAA.

Minor update:

• St. Lucie beat Palm Beach 7-2. Lastings made his return to the lineup and went 1 for 4 with a run scored.
  
• Hagerstown beat Lexington 7-5. Carlos Gomez went 2 for 5, Ambiorix Concepcion had his best game of the year going 3 for 3, with two runs scored, one homer, one RBI, and two walks, Mike Carp went 2 for 5 with one run scored, one homer, and one RBI, Grant Psomas went 2 for 3 with two runs scored, one double, and one walk, and Derran Watts went 3 for 3 with one run scored, two doubles, two RBIs.
  
• Binghamton loss to Trenton 14-10. Matt Lindstrom had a forgettable game, but the offense had plenty of stars. Mike Jacobs led the charge with a 1 for 3 day with two runs, one homer, four RBIs, and one walk.
  
• Norfolk won 13-5 against Rochester. Rochester was led by Jason Tyner who went 4 for 5, but Tyner's onslaught was not enough to power his team past the Tides. Prentice Redman continues to swing a hot bat since being promoted and went 2 for 4 with a homerun.