I took the last couple of days off from writing for a couple of reasons. Primarily it was to just take a mental breather from the madness of the Mets' season. Writing about the Mets day in and day out can be suffocating in a lot of ways, especially to my psychological well being. Though you didn't necessarily plan on doing so, you guys filled in for me with a couple of posts I promoted to the front page as well as a number of other FanPosts and FanShots. One of the greatest assets of a community such as this one is that I could literally disappear for a day or two and you'd hardly notice because you're all capable of generating brilliant, original content of your own on a seemingly daily basis. So, keep on rockin' it because I'll keep promoting it.

Anyway, since we last spoke we've seen a lot of shoddy journalistic efforts (not here) that purport to fix the Mets by breaking up their core of incredible, young talent because of some perceived lack of "heart" or "guts" or whatever meaningless baseball platitude they thought might make good copy. I can find some merit in almost any makeover plan, even if I don't necessarily agree with all of the tactics of reconstruction. Whatever the Mets' shortcomings this past season, whatever areas are in need of overhaul to varying degrees, the following players had better be on the team when the team takes to Citi Field next spring:

• David Wright
• Jose Reyes
• Johan Santana
• Carlos Beltran
• Mike Pelfrey

Whatever reasons you can concoct for why the Mets didn't make the playoffs this season -- injuries, porous bullpen, lack of positional depth, age-related regression -- these five players are part of the solution, not part of the problem. Even if Bob Klapisch doesn't understand this, I do believe that Omar Minaya does. Whatever his failings as a general manager, he understands the value of superstars -- especially young-ish ones -- and the Mets have four of them and a burgeoning star in Pelfrey. If you want to find the problems with this roster, look elsewhere. There's nothing to see here.

I don't want to hear that these players aren't clutch or that they don't know how to win, that the current core can't get it done or that they've somehow established a culture of losing in Queens. Those words don't mean anything to me. If you think he sucks, tell me why he sucks. Don't speak subjectively about character-based intangibles which, even if they did exist and had perceptible value, a sportswriter (or any writer) would have no business understanding anyway. Explain in what tangible areas these players are lacking and the realistic scenarios in which the Mets might dispense with them and actually receive reasonable value in return. The obvious explanation is that such scenarios don't actually exist, which is exactly why sportswriters fall back on the aforementioned tired baseball platitudes to support their irrational ideas in the first place.

I'll spend the coming days talking more about the 2008 season and where I think the Mets should focus their efforts this offseason. Spoiler alert: Bullpen, rotation, bench. For now, don't forget to check out SB Nation sites Halos Heaven (Angels), South Side Sox (White Sox), DRays Bay (Rays), Over The Monster (Red Sox), True Blue LA (Dodgers), Bleed Cubbie Blue (Cubs), Brew Crew Ball (Brewers), and The Good Phight (Phillies) for the best playoff coverage on the nets.

The picture says it all. There's another chance for utter ineptitude tomorrow at 3:55 on the FUX network.

Big winners: Dan Murphy, +6.9% WPA, Mike Pelfrey, +3.2% WPA
Big losers: Ryan Church, -12.7% WPA, Carlos Delgado, -11.8% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Murphy double in 6th, +7.2% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Dobbs homerun, -21.5% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +5.7%
Total batter WPA: -55.7%
GWRBI: Chase Utley

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by kingcritical; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

!@#$ Duaner Sanchez.
!@#$ Aaron Heilman.
!@#$ Jerry Manuel.
Did I miss anyone?

Big winners: Mike Pelfrey, +17.7% WPA, David Wright, +11.6 WPA
Big losers: Aaron Heilman, -35.7% WPA, Duaner Sanchez, -20.1% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Wright homerun, +16.4% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Duaner !@#$ Sanchez, -29.6% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: -31.3%
Total batter WPA: -18.7%
GWRBI: Josh Willingham

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by BobbyV_Incognito; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

I don't think there's any question this was Mike Pelfrey's best start of the season. I seem to be saying that every week now, but that's more a commentary on Pelfrey's intelligent design than my running out of things to say. Even with the two hits and a run that he allowed in the ninth inning, Pelfrey still only faced three more batters than the minimum. He struck out six and walked none, and posted a ridiculous 18-to-3 groundball ratio. That's just plain sick.

Carlos Delgado had another huge game, smacking two three-run homers (both with Jose Reyes and David Wright on base), and somewhat miraculously now has 28 homeruns and 90 RBI. Granted, fifteen of those RBI came in two games (tonight's and the nine-spot he laid on the Yankees at The Stadium a couple of months ago), but he has transformed his season from colossal disaster to better-than-decent for a first-baseman.

So the Mets split their four-game series with the Astros, which is not great but not awful either. Of course, no thanks to the effing Dodgers, the Mets lost two games in the standings to the Phillies, who swept Joe Torre & Co. in four games at CBP. The Mets now head to CBP for a mini two-gamer with the Phillies, who trail by just a half-game in the NL East.

Big winners: Mike Pelfrey, +31.9% WPA, Carlos Delgado, +21.2% WPA
Big losers: Luis Castillo, -4.0% WPA, Brian Schneider, -2.4% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Delgado three-run bomb (1 of 2), +20.5% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Blum double in 5th, -3.9% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +31.9%
Total batter WPA: +18.1%
GWRBI: Carlos Delgado

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by Catsmeat Potter-Pirbright; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

Mike Pelfrey pitched the first shutout complete game of his career and the second by a Mets' starter this week, though it was kind of an interesting game for him. He walked three and allowed just three hits -- all singles -- though his groundball rate was terrible (9-to-15), and Pelfrey is a guy who thrives on keeping the ball on the ground. Many of the flyballs he allowed were of the popup or lazy variety, but if he isn't striking guys out (he had just three), he's generally going to be more successful when his grounder rate is approaching two.

The Mets managed to plate six runs on just six hits thanks to some walks and a couple of Atlanta errors. There was only one extra-base hit for either team in the whole game (David Wright's solo shot in the fifth), so everyone lost the swag question about the game's second extra-base hit. The homerun was Wright's 97th RBI of the year, putting Mike Piazza's team record of 124 slightly within reach with 35 games remaining.

I added a GWRBI line beneath the WPA graph below, though the Mets' fourth run scored on Chipper Jones's throwing error in the first so nobody actually got credit for that RBI. Better luck next time, stats of yesteryear!

Big winners: Mike Pelfrey, +22.8% WPA, Dan Murphy, +14.3% WPA
Big losers: Jose Reyes, -4.7% WPA, David Wright, -0.6% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Murphy two-run single in 1st, +16.0% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Larry walk in 6th to load bases, -5.7% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +22.8%
Total batter WPA: +27.2%
GWRBI: Nobody (run scored on a throwing error)

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by BobbyV_Incognito; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

In case you missed it, Billy Wagner had an MRI yesterday that revealed more inflammation in his right elbow than was seen originally, and his two-week stint on the disabled list has been prolonged indefinitely, perhaps through the remainder of the season and into the playoffs. Wagner has been, by far, the Mets' best reliever this season (and basically every season since he signed in New York), and the Mets don't have anyone in a position to replace him adequately. They'll go with the old "closer by committee" for the time being, slotting in whomever matches up the best against the forthcoming hitters, even working in multiple guys in a single ninth frame if need be.

The Mets will apparently not move John Maine to the bullpen as they had initially discussed, but not simply because it would be a terribly short-sighted and absurd decision. Maine needs more rest, Jerry Manuel says, and warming up/pitching every other day won't afford him that.

Joel Sherman thinks Mike Pelfrey would be a good fit in the bullpen in the Joba Chamberlain mold. His arguments are reasonable, but tabbing a starter to become a reliever is still robbing Harry to pay Lloyd and I don't see how it makes the Mets better as a whole.

USS Mariner looks at the problems with the current free agent compensation rules.

At The Hardball Times, Chris Jaffe takes a look at ballpark ticket gouging, specifically as it pertains to convenience and order processing fees. Find out which ballparks are the most gouge-tastic.

Joel Sherman breaks down the Mets' three options to remedy the bullpen situation, as suggested by Jerry Manuel in his post-game news conference yesterday. Those options are:

1. Have Eddie Kunz, who has all of three major league appearances, reprise his Double-A closing role. This is the most likely choice.

2. Keep Brian Stokes in the rotation and call upon either John Maine or Oliver Perez to serve as a multi-inning fireman. For now the Mets don't want to mess with Mike Pelfrey by requesting a rotation-to-pen change.

3. Summon top pitching prospect Jon Niese for the rotation and use Stokes plus either Maine or Perez to serve as the main late-inning relievers.

Sherman goes on to discuss why these are all potentially horrible ideas, particularly the ones that involve moving young starters to the bullpen. The Kunz move makes the most sense to me, at least in that he hasn't yet completely proven himself to be a failure like everyone else in the bullpen.

Billy Wagner expects to return on Monday, which is six whole games away. He is scheduled to make at least one rehab appearance with the Brooklyn Cyclones between now and then.

Jerry Manuel called Ramon Castro a pussy, in so many words.

At MetsGeek, Alex Nelson looks at the pitchers the Mets will face against the Nationals.

I don't want this to get political or anything, but this is funny as hell. And it's Olympic-themed!

A win's a win, and with the Marlins on the verge of beating the Phillies the Mets will actually be only two games back despite all of the recent bullpen drama. Mike Pelfrey gave up two more homeruns -- both solo shots -- and has given up five homeruns in his last three starts but just nine on the year. Let's hope this is just a blip. His groundball rate was otherwise fine (12-5), so maybe the homeruns are a fluke.

Big winners: Fernando Tatis, +47.1% WPA, Pedro Feliciano, +9.3% WPA
Big losers: David Wright, -11.4% WPA, Jose Reyes, -9.3% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Tatis three-run bomb, +36.4% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Adrian Gonzalez homerun, -16.6% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: +19.1%
Total batter WPA: +30.9%

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by BobbyV_Incognito; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

Mike Pelfrey didn't have it tonight, getting battered around for five runs on eight hits including five for extra bases (three doubles, two triples). Really, he had one terrible inning.

Carlos Muniz and Duaner Sanchez relieved Pelfrey and tossed three scoreless innings (!), allowing Damion Easley to bring the Mets to within a run. Joe Smith made sure that didn't last long, as he coughed up a two-run Ugg-bomb that effectively put the game out of reach in the eighth.

Tonight's sign that the apocalypse is upon us: Marlon Anderson, 3-for-4. Anyone else feel dirty?

Big winners: Damion Easley, +17.8% WPA, Marlon Anderson, +5.9% WPA
Big losers: Mike Pelfrey, -29.5% WPA, David Wright, -15.0% WPA
Teh aw3s0mest play: Easley three-run bomb, +17.8% WPA
Teh sux0rest play: Ross two-run triple, -22.4% WPA
Total pitcher WPA: -32.4%
Total batter WPA: -17.6%

Game Thread Roll Call

Nice job by BobbyV_Incognito; his effort in the game thread embiggens us all.

Our internet was out at work for a while this morning and I've got tons to do here, but here's a quick hits version of applesauce for today:

John Maine is hurt.

Oliver Perez is suddenly dependable.

Ryan Church is getting close.

Pedro Martinez wants Manny Ramirez (high road, people).

Mike Pelfrey keeps on rollin'.

SB Nation reacts to the Mark Teixeira trade: Beyond the Boxscore thinks it was a bad move for the Angels. Halos Heaven is on the fence. Talking Chop wanted more, but likes Casey Kotchman's upside.

Oh, and Mike Silva at Dugout Central thinks the Mets should sign Carl Everett from the Long Island Ducks, even though Everett doesn't believe that dinosaurs ever existed because they weren't in the Bible.