Mets fans fawning for Cliff Lee could reach a fevered pitch tomorrow morning.
There are some who believe the team needs to hold on to its prospects and not trade for what would likely be a half-season rental. But it’s one thing to see the box scores, the highlights and the numbers (Lee’s 76 strikeouts to four walks), but if Mets supporters have one eye on Puerto Rico and the other on The Bronx tonight, the call to get Lee could reach another level. Lee and the Mariners play the Yankees tonight, and if he pitches the way he has this season (6-3 with a 2.39 ERA), the Yankees may not have a chance against him. And it wouldn’t be much of a surprise.
Lee walked into Yankee Stadium as a Phillies pitcher and took Game 1 of the World Series by going the distance and allowing six hits and one unearned run. He also won Game 5 in that series — the only the two the Phillies would earn against the Yankees. Lee has looked much the same this season with three complete games in his past four starts.
So Mets fans will get a close-up look at what their team lacks — a proven pitcher at the top of his game.
Mike Pelfrey has been tremendous this year, but his past three starts have been mediocre: 19 IP, 10 ER, two losses. And we have yet to see Pelfrey prove he’s an ace throughout an entire season. Yes, he appears capable, but we won’t know for sure until September.
Johan Santana is proven, but has not allowed fewer than four earned runs in any of his past four starts. The lefty has been 1-3, while the rest of the rotation has flourished around him.
R.A. Dickey, Ken Takahashi and Jon Niese have shown to be serviceable starters and the reason the Mets are 1 ½ games out of the NL East lead and on top of the wild-card standings. But that shouldn’t fool us into thinking that will last through the summer and into September. They’ve gotten the Mets this far, but Lee may put them over the top — and that’s worth giving up Jenrry Mejia.
It may not matter. The Mets have become experts at ignoring their fan base. So far, they have been proven right for not signing one of the free-agent pitchers this offseason, but not because Oliver Perez and John Maine stepped up like they hoped. The trio mentioned above deserve the credit for that. But the likes of Randy Wold and Joel Pineiro aren’t in the same league as Lee and hopefully GM Omar Minaya and company recognize that.
Lee is what the Phillies needed last year and he went 4-0 with a 1.56 ERA in the postseason, getting them within two wins of back-to-back World Series titles. It’s what the Mets need to find themselves in a similar position this year.
Watch tonight and decide for yourself.