Obviously Rick Down was the problem

The Mets' latest trip the the west coast began inauspiciously with losses in two of three games in San Diego. But the offense finished up strong to help them win three of four from the Dodgers and come out ahead for the week. They're still not quite running roughshod over the National League, but taking four of seven on the road from a couple of playoff contenders is a step in the right direction.

For once, the offense had to bail out the starting pitchers, who did not have a particularly good week. Among starters, only Orlando Hernandez and Oliver Perez had an ERA under six for the week. Tom Glavine's attempt at win number 299 was especially disastrous as he gave up six runs and didn't make it out of the third inning. I'm not too worried about the starting pitching as I think with Perez, Hernandez and John Maine, the Mets have the personnel to forge a formidable playoff rotation. I am a little worried that Glavine could be the fourth or fifth best starter on the team and get the first or second slot in that playoff rotation.

Of course, if the bats come through like they did this week, that might not be a problem. After all, the Mets did win that game Glavine started. They scored forty runs in these seven games with the heart of their lineup leading the way. Carlos Beltran, David Wright and Carlos Delgado hit a collective .329/.391/.634 with seven home runs this week. None of the other regulars did much with the bat this week, though Ramon Castro did get two starts and go three for nine with a home run. Paul Lo Duca had four hits in the other five games and all of them were singles. Ruben Gotay, who will be the starting second baseman for the foreseeable future thanks to Jose Valentin's broken tibia, did have six singles in eighteen at bats.

The offense may also get a boost when the Mets return to play on Tuesday as Moises Alou will likely make his long-awaited return from the disabled list. Alou went one for four for the Brooklyn Cyclones on Sunday and apparently made it through the entire game without injuring himself. As long as Alou is healthy, he should hit and the Mets can certainly use some offense out of an outfield corner. Neither Shawn Green nor Lastings Milledge has hit consistently well, though Milledge has come through in some important situations, driving in eight runs with just eight hits so far this season. Given that Green has been awful (.195/.263/.264) against lefties this year and Alou will need regular days off, finding Milledge playing time shouldn't be a problem.

The Mets (55-43) stretched their division lead to 3.5 games on Sunday with a win and a Braves loss. They will have a chance to extend it further this week as they play two of the worst teams in the league in the Pittsburgh Pirates (41-56) and the Washington Nationals (42-56). The Pirates will send Ian Snell (7-7, 3.31), Tom Gorzelanny (9-5, 3.20) and Paul Maholm (6-12, 4.57) to the mound to try to tame the resurgent Mets offense. The Mets will counter with Maine (10-5, 3.07), Glavine (8-6, 4.51) and Perez (9-6, 3.00).