O-Hern Sharp As Mets Beat Cards

Orlando Hernandez looked very sharp today, allowing one run on 3 hits in 6 innings, walking 3 and striking out 5 as the Mets beat the Cardinals, 2-1, in St. Lucie. His ball looked very heavy, which may have been helped by the dampness from the earlier rain (it's now pouring in Fort Lauderdale! - welcome to FLA!) If O-Hern pitches like he did today, we might believe he's closer to 37 then 47.

Moises Alou made a great diving stab, and Damon Easley made a great stab at SS but his throw was too late to nail Eckstein at first. Overall, a good game defensively and the pitching staff looked great, particularly Aaron Heilman, who pitched the ninth. Joe McIlvane, former Mets GM and current scout for the Twins, has been assigned to scout the Mets as one of his teams, and he basically said that Heilman's sinker/change is "nasty" and should be illegal, it's so good. Great to hear from ole Joe M, and nice to see Heilman evoking such praise from a real baseball guy. Can't wait to get to St. Lucie Sunday!