Davidoff: Mets are in good shape despite being a pitcher short

WASHINGTON

'They've got a good bullpen," Jim Riggleman said Saturday evening, referring to the Mets. And somehow, the Nationals manager's nose didn't grow.

What did Riggleman care? His club mounted a memorable three-run rally in the ninth inning against the Mets' Francisco "BB-Rod" Rodriguez, sending the Mets off as 6-5 losers.

Nationals Park sold out to see Stephen Strasburg start, but the best part for the locals took place long after Strasburg checked out.

Should Mets fans be concerned about K-Rod? Sure, why not? As noted here earlier this season, he stands as the Mets' dirty little secret. He has been better this season than last year, however, and I suppose it's good that, rather than make excuses, he apologized to the fans for his you-know-what performance.

But if you want to enjoy your July 4 a little more, consider this: The Mets now reside at the season's official halfway point. At 45-36, they're on pace for 90 victories, and multiple reasons exist for optimism.

"That's baseball," Jason Bay said in a quiet Mets clubhouse. "Sometimes I think people think [closing a game] has to be so easy, but it doesn't."

The Mets think they will trade for a pitcher by the end of this month. Perhaps a reliever, but more likely a starter, which would at least improve the bullpen by moving Hisanori Takahashi back there. Club officials believe that folks like Pedro Feliciano, Bobby Parnell and Ryota Igarashi can constitute a workable bridge from the starting pitchers to K-Rod.

Among rotation options, Seattle's Cliff Lee remains the top prize; unfortunately for the Mets, competition for him will be fierce. The Mets like the Cubs' Ted Lilly, and they think the Cubs will make impending free agent Lilly available.

The biggest import on the offensive side will come when Carlos Beltran returns from the disabled list, very likely July 15 in San Francisco. If Beltran can be even a percentage of the player he was pre-surgery, then he becomes a better "acquisition" than any position player available via trade.

Jose Reyes, currently down with a muscle strain in his right side, should be back by Tuesday or so. The Mets are a better team when he's in the lineup (41-32, compared to 4-4 when he's out). Bay, a significant disappointment so far, must have something more to give in the power department. If he doesn't . . . yeesh, it'll be a long four years.

Then there's the schedule. Have you noticed that the Mets have yet to play a single game against the National League's three worst teams? In the second half, they'll play a total of 20 games against Arizona (six games), Houston (seven) and Pittsburgh (seven).

The NL East-leading Braves can look forward to three games each against the Astros and Pirates, with the Diamondbacks already in the rearview mirror.

Before K-Rod's meltdown, the game's focus turned to Mets starting pitcher R.A. Dickey, who outperformed Strasburg to continue his shocking 2010 campaign. Dickey looked every bit the savvy veteran in limiting the Nationals to two unearned runs in seven innings. On the other side, the Mets capitalized on Strasburg's lack of fastball command, getting him out of the game in just five innings, thanks to the 96 pitches the righthander threw.

"It wasn't one of the greatest performances, but the guys came through today," Strasburg said. "That was an awesome win." It was, for the last-place Nationals, and with Strasburg around, their long-term future looks bright.

The Mets have a more interesting 81 games ahead. We know well enough to expect the unexpected with this group. They've got our attention, though, and there are logical reasons to think this won't be a half-season filled with false hope.