Fine Change of Pace

Remember when your grammar school teacher gave out gold stars to the students who did all of their homework or did exceptionally well on a test. Then at the end of the year, or the term, the kid with the most stars was given a prize, like a He-Man lunch box -- something that didn’t have any real monetary value, but that seemed like a big deal when you were six or seven.

Well, maybe Jerry Manuel should implement a similar system to motivate the Mets' bullpen to pitch better.

If that were that case, he’d be giving two gold stars to Aaron Heilman, who threw two gorgeous innings in Miami tonight. Yes, Carlos Delgado’s ridiculous July continued, but Heilman, who entered the game in the seventh, delivered two scoreless innings -- with a lead to boot -- which has proven to be so elusive for the Mets’ bullpen since the All-Star break.

Interesting, isn’t it, with all the talk about whether or not the Mets have a good enough bullpen to close out games down the stretch, that the game should come down to precisely that?

Heilman’s outing, which helped to secure a 4-1 Mets win, doesn’t annul Omar from his duty to pursue a possible upgrade in the Mets’ bridge to their closer, Billy Wagner. But it does change the all-too-often discouraging bullpen story, at least for a day.

Nice job by Wagner, too, who was been nearly flawless since blowing the All-Star Game. Wags is on an 11-inning scoreless streak since July 10. Over the course of those 11-innings he has surrendered only one hit and one walk.

The Mets continue to bounce back after losses. They have now won four games in a row immediately following a loss, which is a very good thing.