The New York Mets Cannot Be Stopped By Man Nor Beast

One month ago, the Mets were 6 1/2 games out of first, had just fired their manager, and were the brunt of jokes by Yankees fans. Yankees fans were mocking them. Well, who's laughing now? David Wright hit a two-run homer in the ninth to tie it, and New York went on to a 10-8 win at Cincinnati to extend its winning streak to 10 games and give it a share of first place in the NL East.

Playing on the one-month anniversary of manager Willie Randolph’s firing, the Mets blew three leads before coming full-circle with four runs in the ninth. “We’ve been taking such a beating all year long for how we play the game and what we’ve done wrong and what little we’ve done right,” closer Billy Wagner said. “I love seeing guys who told us two weeks ago how bad we stunk, and now they’re going, ’Well, you’re in first place.’ Yeah.”

And this, from Faith and Fear in Flushing:

As the Mets go, I'm what financial types (and dorks channeling them) would call a lagging indicator — whether it's distrust or just being slow on the uptake, I felt myself slide into Watch This With One Eye mode after the Reds battered Johan around their park. But then, WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM WHAM! Argenis Reyes got us started in the ninth, despite the fact that he's done something ill-advised to his head and now looks like a butterscotch sundae. Wright got us even, Delgado got us out in front, and Tatis got us insured. And Billy Wagner decided there'd been quite enough drama, thank you. 10-8 Mets.

There seems to be something in the air with this team. The Phillies sense it too, having just acquired righthander Joe Blanton from the Athletics for prospects Adrian Cardenas, Josh Outman and Matt Spencer.

Folks, we got us a division race. As Al Swearengen said when George Hearst came to Deadwood: "Tell your God to get ready for blood."

Mets Win 10th Straight, Move Into 1st-Place Tie [NBCSports] Phils Get Pitching Help, Landing A's Blanton [Philadelphia Inquirer] Damn Pretty; Damn Proud [Faith And Fear In Flushing]