While the New York Mets and their leader Willie Randolph bid farewell to the rest of the teams in the National League several weeks ago. As they waited for the playoffs to arrive, suddenly there is a sense of urgency in the Big Apple.
With 94 wins they had wrapped up the NL East before September had arrived, but they have a pitching staff in disarray and in a short series its pitchers not hitters that win you ballgames. You can talk all you want about Reyes, Beltran, Delgado, Wright, and Green, but hitters and hang up a 0-12 in a New York minute.
The Game 1 starter for the Mets against a team yet determined will be Orlando Hernandez now that Pedro Martinez has been officially ruled out of the NL playoffs.
Suddenly my online betting shop will need to take into consideration that Hernandez is far from a dominating thrower, but on the other hand the Mets have all that quality lumber!
After Hernandezs comes Tom Glavine who while he has been many a time to the post season, his record is hardly intimidating. After these two greybeards, they have Steve Traschel and rookie John Maine.
Regardless of this mediocre pitching staff, the Mets are a New York based team and that affects the odds, so if you are visiting your favorite sportsbook, have a look at the Padres, Dodgers and Astros.
Is it possible that Rocket Roger Clemens could be toeing the rubber in game 1 of the playoffs against either the Padres or Dodgers? If Houston stages this remarkable stretch run, or the Cardinals suffer one of the worst collapses in MLB history, we could see Andy Pettitte as well.
Houston (81-78), which beat Pittsburgh 3-0 for its ninth straight win, closes with a three-game series at Atlanta while the Cardinals play the Brewers three more times. If it's needed to decide the division, the Cardinals will host San Francisco on Monday in the makeup of a Sept. 17 rainout.
The Astros will send out Clemens on Friday night against the Braves and there is no reason to believe the Astros will lose again this season, given their hot hitting, pitching depth and momentum.
When the dust settles early next week, I am anxious to see the odds that will be posted at the online sportsbooks and you can bet that the Mets will not be on my wagering ticket when the NL playoffs begin.
The House of Cards descent will be talked about as one of the worst of all time!
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