Delgado > Howard

Yes, many thought I was a bit overzealous when I said that Delgado has been better than Howard this year, but I stand by that claim and that is likely to remain true over the course of the season. Delgado's OPS+ of 120 is actually really respectable this year and Ryan Howard has simply not hit as well as him with a 110 OPS+. More RBIs? Sure. More homers? Sure.

If this were MVP voting that might be all that mattered, but it is not. It is real life and no matter what anyone tries to tell you, the Mets first baseman has outplayed the 2007 MVP. Again, if you asked me who I wanted for 2008 through 2012, it would be a no brainer, but for this season alone, you can keep Howard and his iron mitt.

In fact, Delgado has played so well of late, I would actually consider bringing him back and picking up his option while Mike Carp gets some more ABs in the minor leagues...yeah I said it. Ossy just fell off of his chair, but let us all maintain some sanity.

* * *

Not that Maine has been lighting the world on fire, but this is bad. Really bad.

"I'm fine," Maine told the interim manager.

"You're not fine," Manuel replied.

Pedro to the pen? It can't hurt. In fact, it might be a good idea for the remainder of the season since he has been so brittle and the Mets could use some relief help.

We don't need no stinkin' bats. With Tatis playing like an All-Star, Church working his way back, and Delgado playing like it is the early 2000s, who needs to pick up a bat? They have scored as much as the o' so talked about Philly offense and are just fiiiiiine. I'll take the Met front four over anyone in the Phillies have with the exception of Cole Hamels and the Marlins rotation has a Blanton-esque ERA.....the Mets are not going to be chasing anyone. That is my bold statement for the day. 

Posada is done for the season.

"After speaking with Brian and Joe, we thought it was best for me — and the team — to have the surgery now," Posada said. "I've always taken pride in being there for my team and playing every day with them. With Xavier here now, there isn't as much pressure on me to return."

Ho-hum....another day and more baseless claims.

Mets vs. Phillies vs. Marlins

Len from Manhattan: And Delgado vs. Howard is closer than you think, no?

SportsNation Jayson Stark: (1:18 PM ET ) How is Delgado/Howard closer than I think? We're talking a 30-RBI difference (and 11 homers). And nearly an 80 point difference in hitting with RISP. Sorry, Len. Not seeing that one.

Sometimes something so painful has to be written. No matter how much you want to resist the urge, there is simply no other recourse.

Carlos Delgado has an OPS+ of 116 while Ryan Howard has an OPS+ of 113. Now, 10 out of 10 sane individuals would take Howard over Delgado no matter what the numbers suggest, but if you are scrubbing the teams against each other at this current juncture, then it would not be fair to be so dismissive of Delgado.

Furthermore, Howard's Warp1 is 2.7 while Delgado's is 3.3. Win Shares? Delgado has 9 and Howard has 12. While you can probably construct an argument for either side, I would just say both have been extremely disappointing and have been equally as valuable (or equally as bad). By my count, the Mets would win or push at all positions in the infield with the exception of second base.

Regardless, Stark points out the fact that the Mets have been outscored by the Phillies....but they were outscored by a whole eleven runs during the year. Whoooopeeeee! If you take away both team's home parks which are drastically different, the Mets have scored 271 runs in 53 games while the Phillies scored 248 runs in 49 games.

The notion that the Phillies are much better than the Mets offensively is completely and utterly ridiculous. This falsity that keeps getting perpetuated must end! The Mets rotation is vastly better while the Phillies bullpen can certainly mow down opposing batters more efficiently than the Mets bullpen, but we are talking about one component that is better than the Mets out of the big three components.

The teams might not be all that far off in terms of talent if you assume nothing from Pedro and Church, but at least the Mets have more room for growth and starting pitching on their side. I am simply not buying much growth for the Phillies and I'm not getting giddy over their offense which is more of a show of power than real substance. Side with the better offense and the rotation which is the Mets barring a disaster.

* * *

Mr. Billy Wags with arm trouble is a big deal. Very big.

Joe Blanton is facing the Mets tonight and nothing would be more deflating than the Mets pounding the new Philly acquisition that has come to help stabalize the rotation.

10 things to know about Joe!!!!

1. Blanton's wife, LeeAndra, is a die-hard fan. According to his blog on MLB.com, called "Big Joe's Bluegrass Blog," his wife has yet to miss a start, home or away. "She's a trooper, for sure," he wrote. "She pretty much goes on every trip with me - even though she's not crazy about flying." That's love.

Love or trust issues? We all know what happens on the road...

10. The Mets are the perfect team for Blanton's debut with the Phillies. He hasn't given up a run in 15 career innings against the Mets.

That just means the Mets are due.

Sugary...

"Everything you want to accomplish is right there in front of us," Mets third baseman David Wright said. "We just have to go out there and grab it."

The Mets don't neeeeed Pedro. It would be nice if he can be league average pitcher, but he is their #5 right now. The Mets season does not hinge on their #5.

Here is why you don't give 36 year old catchers big contracts.

"That's the biggest thing," he said. "I don't want to miss two years. I'm already flustered with this one because I haven't been 100 percent and I've been trying to play through a lot of pain."

The Mets have certainly changed how people perceive this team really quickly...