No opponent cures poor play like the Cincinnati Reds. The Mets pounded them 9-2 at Shea Stadium on Monday, getting to former Met Paul Wilson for seven runs. There are two items of good news for the Mets: Kris Benson pitched like he did down the stretch last season and they get to play the Reds two more times this week. The Reds and their non-existent pitching staff are now 10 games under .500, their season-opening sweep of the Mets a distant memory.
Benson will need to be consistent for him to help the Mets. Their rotation is full of question marks. Only Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine have been above average pitchers for their careers, and Glavine doesn't look like more than an average arm right now. Thanks to his being the first pick of the 1996 draft, Benson has always been followed by expectations. Except for his 2000 season, he’s never lived up to them.
Gothamist has been impressed by Mike Cameron, the transplanted right fielder who has performed in the field and at the plate. He’s hit .417 with a .533 on base percentage, albeit in only 44 plate appearances. With his playing like this, Gothamist doesn’t want to see him traded to give playing time for Victor Diaz, who was sent down to make room for Kaz Ishii following Monday’s game.
