Call it a chip off the block, a chip shot, a chip and dale, no matter how you put it Chip Ambres first career hit as a Met was a enormous one(and by the way he said he did it for his dad). In just his third AB as an Amazin, he bounced one through Nomar (seemingly the only ball that got past Nomar on Sunday) to give the Mets a 5-4 lead, the teams first lead of the game and one which would allow the Mets to take 3 of 4 from the Dodgers, take 4 out of 7 on this supposed dreaded road trip where many critics were predicting the Mets were going to lose their NL East supremacy, and once again establishing the Mets as the best team in National League. In one run games this season the Mets are now a startling 14-5 much of which can be attributed to Billy's effectiveness and teams never say never attitude. Heilman looked amazing on Sunday, boosting his trading stock or even more important solidifying an unhittable bullpen with him,Smitty, and Feliciano, setting up for the Sandman.
Who should be batting in the two hole? Milledge,Gotay, or Lo Duca.
The case for Lo Duca is simple. Last season he was one of the main catalysts for the Mets seeing a lot of fastballs in the two spot. The mets were the best team in the National League with Reyes and Paulie always on base. This season while Paulie has struggled batting .265 with just 5 HRs and 27 RBIs(Perhaps because hes not in the two hole)ist easy to see why Willie has looked elsewhere. Lo Duca, no matter how much difficulty he has faced at the plate this season, still refuses to Strikeout as he strikes out just 1 out of every 14 plate appearances, good for second in the league behind Juan Pierre.
Ruben Gotay has recently been handed the Mets starting second base position, a promotion which has long been overdue. He is batting .346 with 4 HRs and 16 RBIs with an OBP of .366 in just 47 games. He has made an immediate impact at the plate while struggling a bit in the field. He is slugging a whopping .495 for such a little guy and has made Mets fans completely forget he has Royals blood. Gotay looked lost at the plate, however, when he was in the Eight hole on Sunday, and since he was given the starting job. To me, at least right now, it looks like he has a case of the Endy's ( A great reserve/role player who when starts every day struggles somewhat compared to his previous success).
This is why the best option for the Mets in the two hole is Lastings Milledge. Boy this kid can play. The five tool wonder that Steve Phillips and Jim Duquette couldnt trade away for nothing is finally blossoming. He has the new haircut to go along with the new attitude. And while hes only been up for 12 games, the two spot will provide him with a plentiful of fastballs which he should be able to handle as it is finally time for him to shine. He said he was bred to be a Major League baseball player since he was nine. Well, its time Lastings. Bust out the whooping stick. Its time for the Mets to make the World Series and you need to fill that two hole. Now the obvious question is well Alou is scheduled back this week. Where will he play? With Alous injuries hell need to rest more then usual. And Shawn Green has hit the recent double play streak where he cant hit lefties. So Milldege will be out there regularly whether hes in Green's spot or in Alou's, Its time for Willie to let him hit.
As for this week, The mets play seven games at home vs the Pirates and the Nats. We need to take at least 5 out of 7 ..So tell Paulino not to show.
On a side note, Buster Olney reports that Kyle Drabek, the Phillies' No. 1 pick in last years draft, is out for the rest of this year and will undergo Tommy John surgery this week. Haha..poor philthies.
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