This article was written by Double G Sports contributing writer Marc A. Spallino.


With the Mets trailing the Atlanta Braves by only three games in the National League East , the Mets faithful are feeling cautiously excited.

The performance of the starting rotation is one reason contributing to the team’s success. Mets ace Johan Santana is historically a second half pitcher, but it seems that he has gotten off to an early start this season.

Coming off a complete game shutout Tuesday night against the Reds, Santana will have one more start on Sunday July 11th before the All Star break. The Mets Ace will square off with their division rivals, the Atlanta Braves.

The series could not be more important to the Mets as they look to possibly move up into first place going into the break.

One other reason fans are feeling good is the Mets consistency. In previous years, the Mets were either on fire or down in the dumps. This 2010 season, the Mets have proved that they do not need to go on ten game winning streaks in order to be successful. But more importantly, they are winning series.

Another confidence booster has been the performance of Angel Pagan and Rubin Tejada. Pagan, who has been filling in for Carlos Beltran in center field, has been just short of brilliant. He is batting .300 with 6 home runs and 30 RBIs. What more can you ask for?

Ruben Tejada, who is a shortstop by trade, has been filling in for the injured Luis Castillo at second base and has also performed better than expected. Tejada is batting .221 with an on base percentage of .299. This has surely shocked Mets fans and most likely shocked the Mets coaching staff.

Mets fans surely have a lot to be excited about. But can anyone blame them for being cautious? After all, the past couple seasons have been heartbreaking.

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