Beltran's bat shows some life

Ken Davidoff

May 11, 2008

Here in the Mets' universe, we get so worked up over what, if anything, Carlos Delgado has left, and whether Jose Reyes is feeling his rhythm, and what David Wright has done in his last 10 plate appearances.

Only here, one could argue, can a $119-million, cleanup-hitting, switch-hitting centerfielder get lost in the conversation.

But then we have days like yesterday, when you're reminded just how effective the Mets' lineup can and should be. If only Carlos Beltran can wake up from whatever fog has enveloped him and go on the sort of run a player of his caliber should.

It's coming, his superiors vowed, after Beltran's five RBIs fueled the Mets to a 12-6 victory over the Reds in Game 1 of yesterday's day-night doubleheader.

Ken Davidoff Bio | E-mail | Recent columns

Beltran promised nothing. He was too busy enjoying after his sixth-inning, bases-loaded triple gave the Mets a comfortable 10-3 advantage.

"A day like today, I needed it as a player, of course. Everyone needs a good day," he said. "But at the same time, more important is I was able to feel good in the batter's box. That's what you look for as a hitter."

The triple marked Beltran's first hit of the season with runners in scoring position and two outs, following 19 failures. He ripped the first pitch he saw from Reds reliever Mike Lincoln, a cut fastball, down the rightfield line.

In the third, he hit a single to left-centerfield off Reds starter Matt Belisle, scoring Luis Castillo from third. And in the fifth, with teammates on first and third, he lifted a sacrifice fly to centerfield, allowing Castillo to tag from third and come home. He also drew a first-inning walk.

Beltran went a pedestrian 5-for-20 on the Mets' road swing through Arizona and Los Angeles, picking up three walks and one extra-base hit. Even after yesterday's day game, he had an uncharacteristically low .407 slugging percentage - and, to be fair, a .371 on-base percentage that exceeds his career norm - next to his name.

Nevertheless, manager Willie Randolph and hitting coach Howard Johnson insisted they've seen this coming from Beltran. Offered HoJo: "I've been saying for a while, he's been getting better and better every day. He's still got a while to go before I can say that he's hot. But he's definitely been trending the right way."

Added Randolph: "You can tell when a guy is ready to click. You watch him in [batting practice], you watch him in the game. Sometimes when a guy makes outs, you can tell."

As always, it's not rocket science. Beltran has been working on the proverbial "staying back," giving himself more time to see a pitch. His surgically repaired knees are improving, as is the weather.

On yesterday's game-securing hit, Beltran said, "Maybe two weeks ago, I would've pulled that ball foul. It was a good feeling that I kept my hands inside and put the ball down the line."

His low-key personality helps Beltran stay under the radar, even after his spring training "team to beat" proclamation, and his game itself also contributes to that. When you look at the career OPS of .849 that he took into last night's Game 2, you're reminded that he's not an elite hitter as much as he is an extremely well-rounded player. And he also made a couple of nice plays in the field yesterday.

Nevertheless, he has passed the 30-homer mark three of the past four seasons, so the Mets should have something coming, considering Beltran has gone deep just twice.

"As a hitter, you're always going to feel pressure," Beltran said. "But being honest, to me, it's not a bad pressure. It's a good pressure of going out there and doing my job."

The Mets have been maddeningly inconsistent this season, unable to shake the residue of their 2007 collapse. And yet they're right in the middle of the NL East race. With the last-place Reds in town, followed by the last-place Nationals, this would be the perfect time to get hot. And for Beltran to lead them, for a while.

"Hopefully, we can be ready to collectively get into an extra rhythm, so we can roll a little bit," Randolph said. "We're a much better club than we've shown, than we've played. We know that."