Of course, the big hit was by Pagan

        Not to be lost in the Ike Davis business is the fact that the guy who really won a game the Mets really needed to win was Angel Pagan. His two-run home run was the decisive shot., the door-opener to a five-run inning. Pagan was the real reason everyone in Metsland was able to be so happy, the reason that Davis was able to get a shaving cream pie in the face.

         Pagan usually does something good during the course of a game (getting picked off first in the marathon at St. Louis notwithstanding). He doesn't take you out of your seat, but he'll keep you from leaving early. He is batting a solid .297. He plays centerfield well, and it would be a good idea for the Mets to start him there every day until Carlos Beltran returns--and who knows when that will be.

          No need to have Pagan and Gary Matthews Jr. share the spot or even pretend to share it. Pagan is the guy. Is he a starting outfielder on a championship team? Probably not, but he is a valuable player, as he showed last night.

          Now let's see if the Mets can do it again.