It’s kind of funny that the Mets’ current seven-game win streak, a skein that has essentially saved their season and is beginning to inspire even the most hardened skeptics, isn’t even their longest win streak of the season. Between April 22 and April 30, the Mets won eight in a row. They then proceeded to lose three in a row in a month of May where they only won twelve games. So far in June, they’ve won twelve games, and it’s only June 18. The Mets can build on this in a great way now, but hey, look, it’s the Yankees. Of course they’d show up right now.
The best part about this Mets’ run is how fun it has been to watch. The Mets are playing and living right, and they are being led, at last, by Jose Reyes, who in Cleveland truly returned to being Jose Reyes again. Jason Fry at Faith and Fear in Flushing described it thusly:
Gradually the rust fell away, chips and flakes shed until tonight there he was again, Jose Reyes at maximum velocity and supreme wattage. And in those six minutes, I remembered what I’d risked forgetting about him — that when Jose Reyes is playing baseball at the peak of his ability, watching him seems like more fun than any human being should be allowed to have. And if it’s that much fun watching Jose Reyes, can you imagine being Jose Reyes?
So, with all this momentum, the Mets run into the Yankees in the Bronx. The pitching matchups are Hisanori Takahashi versus Javier Vazquez tonight, Mike Pelfrey versus Phil Hughes tomorrow, and a fun Johan Santana versus CC Sabathia battle on Sunday. The Mets are ten games over .500 and still only a half-game behind the Braves in the NL East. Winning or losing this series obviously won’t make or break the Mets’ chances. But these streaks don’t come along often. Winning two out of three from the Yankees right now? On the road? Look out. This could start getting serious.