And So It Begins

Written by Matt Ryan | 29 April 2010

It's that time again, as the first place Mets travel to Philadelphia this weekend for the first installment of the 2010 WTTB Series.  I will be in attendence on Friday and Sunday, and I'm bracing myself for all kinds of abuse.  And as long as I don't come battered and bruised (or thrown up on), I'm all for it.  I love this rivalry, and I'm excited to see it renewed. 

It's really hard to not get excited for this weekend.  The Phillies are struggling, the Mets are dominating, and for the first time in over a year it feels good to be a Mets fan.  I keep trying to remind myself that it's only April, but this upcoming series has a different feel to it.  To be honest, this series is much more important for the Mets than the Phillies.  Despite their struggles, the Phillies are the class of the National League (I have no problem admitting that), and as long as they add some servicable bullpen arms they will be fine.  But for the Mets, this series is critical for the fanbase.  Were the last 10 games a fluke?  We will soon find out. 

More than anything I'm excited to see if the rivalry returns to its pre-2009 level.  I spent pretty much all day listening to Philly sports radio, and based on what I heard there's no doubt this rivalry remains as hot as ever.  The Philly guys spent all day ranting about how much they hate the Mets, New York, and anything that is good in the world.  And they still do it with the same lack of professionalism that just wouldn't happen on New York radio.  But that's a story for a different day. 

From a baseball standpoint, I feel like the Mets should be able to take 2 out of 3, simply based on the pitching matchups, (courtesy of ESPN New York):

Friday: LHP Jon Niese (0-1, 3.68) vs. RHP Kyle Kendrick (0-0, 7.71), 7:05 p.m. ET

Saturday: RHP Mike Pelfrey (4-0, 0.69) vs. RHP Roy Halladay (4-1, 1.80), 3:10 p.m. ET

Sunday: LHP Johan Santana (3-1, 2.08) vs. LHP Jamie Moyer (2-2, 5.25), 8:07 p.m., ET

You gotta think the Mets can beat Kyle Kendrick and Jamie Moyer.  Especially since there bats are finally coming around.  Hopefully Mike Pelfrey can continue his magical run, but game 2 is clearly advantage Phillies.  Although that should be an interesting matchup. 

It's been a long year for Mets fans, and all offseason we had to hear that the Mets "aren't talented to compete in the NL East".  I never bought into that nonsense anyway, but this weekend we will get the first glimpse into whether that notion is true.  Granted, this series is just a minor blip in a 162 game season.  But if somehow the Mets could go into a Philly and come away with a sweep, the idea that the Mets can't compete will dissappear altogether.  It should be a fun weekend, and there will be plenty to talk about in the coming days.  I haven't worn my Mets jersey to CBP in almost two years, and I know I'm in for hell.  So to all you Phillie fans out there....bring it on.