Mets Pull One Out

Marty Noble at Mets.com writes about the Mets 5-4 win over the Pirates:

Even after Billy Wagner pitched a clean ninth inning to earn his 27th save, the Mets' 5-4 victory didn't seem secure. It had been a monumental struggle from the first of the 130 pitches thrown by Orlando Hernandez to the 13th thrown by Wagner. The Mets emerged from their 118th game with the best record in the league; the arithmetic said so. Little that happened in three hours and four minutes suggested that they would have that standing.

It's a good sign, a baseball axiom says, when a team plays poorly and wins. The Mets' two most recent victories against the Marlins on Sunday and a squeaky one against the Pirates on Tuesday must be good signs.

If nothing else, there were good signs -- positive indications -- in both, particularly against the Pirates, even if each came with a caveat.

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