From Matt Harvey‘s first step on the mound last night, you could see the determination in his eyes. Even on a FREEZING night at Citi Field, Harvey brought enough HEAT to set Citi on fire! He pitched a brilliant, dominating 7 shutout innings of one hit ball with just 2 walks and count ‘em 10 STRIKEOUTS!! Those 10Ks give Harvey the 4th most strikeouts (70) in his first 10 starts, joining a list led by Pedro Martinez (83).

This guy is nasty!! When he got his first hit, Harvey stayed on the bases with his short sleeves on and endured the cold without a jacket! According to the pitcher, “a jacket doesn’t belong on a baseball field.” Wow, can he be anymore of an athlete?! 

If you missed his performance last night, check out this recap from mets.com–> here

Even reigning Al Cy Young winner, David Price, loves Harvey! Check out his tweet!

Last night I saw a tweet from a sports writer saying something like: There is no doubt that Matt Harvey is the Mets ace and the most exciting thing happening in NY baseball. I couldn’t agree more! Even though I love getting a win, just seeing Harvey’s growth from last year, even from Spring Training, gives me a great deal of hope for his future with the team. Just watching Harvey throw the ball gives me chills because I know I’m watching something amazing. People want to say he is the future of this organization, but I think he’s the present as well. Matt Harvey brings that “something” back to the Mets rotation that I remember feeling with Johan and Pedro. That every time he takes the mound, there is electricity in the air! I can’t wait until his next start!

To add to Harvey’s phenomenal performance, Mets offense blew out the Padres with the long ball in this 8-2 win. Despite the frigid weather, Mets bats were alive and kicking. Lucas Duda, John Buck (another one of the new Mets showing their stuff), and Ike Davis all blasted 2-run homers! Before his homer, Davis was 0 for 7 to start the season, but his bomb (that almost hit the Shea Bridge) broke that streak. Seeing these guys, especially Duda and Davis, bringing out their power is really exciting. They were the missing parts of our offense last year and in order to keep this type of offensive surge going throughout the season, it is essential that Duda and Davis take on that power role like we know they can. 

COMING UP:: Dillon Gee finally steps back on the mound to start his season as the Mets try to sweep the Padres right back to San Diego  for their first series sweep of 2013. Tune in to SNY for first pitch at 1:10 PM. 

METS NEWS:: Zack Wheeler makes his Las Vegas Triple A debut tonight! Let’s see how this guy handles pitching in Las Vegas knowing he is that close to making it up to the bigs. 

It was exciting to say the least! The Mets came to win today bringing tons of offense in their 11-2 victory over the San Diego Padres this afternoon on both Daniel Murphy and Rusty Staub‘s birthdays. 

First responders and volunteers such as Habitat for Humanity honored prior to the game!

The Mets had everything going for them this first afternoon of baseball in the 2013 season. Despite the whispers and murmurs all winter and spring, the team showed they will be fighting it out this year. Pitching was sensational- Jon Niese threw 101 pitches in 6 2/3 innings giving up only 2 runs on 4 hits and striking out 4 Padres. With his performance today, Niese demonstrated he is ready to step in as leader of this rotation in Johan Santana‘s absence. The bullpen even worked through the remaining innings efficiently with Brandon Lyon, Scott Atchison, and Scott Rice keeping the Padres scoreless. And then there was the offense- aside from Ike Davis, who was booed by fans for going 0 for 5 (let’s calm down, it’s only the first game!), everyone in the lineup contributed to the win. I was shocked by this offensive surge! The Padres were put to sleep in the 7th inning by Collin Cowgill‘s grand slam. That’s right! I said grand slam! That is definitely the best way for a new Met to get in the good graces of the faithful fans. I’m sure he could hear the loud crowd chanting his name as he ran into the outfield for the top of the 8th (including my booming voice!!). Congrats to Cowgill for his part in today’s win!

I can’t say that this win is indicative of what to expect this season, but I also can’t say it isn’t. On the anniversary of the 1973 National League champion Mets, who went from dead last in August all the way to first place and onto the postseason, there was hope in the air. Players were scratching out hits, charging for grounders, and showing they really wanted to win. It’s this kind of attitude and play that fans want and need to see from this team throughout the entire season. Everyone counts us out before the season even starts and that should fuel the team’s fire! It’s time for the Mets to show everyone out there that we can be just as competitive as any other team and that we will be making the effort to win as many games as possible! This was a great game and an amazing win! Let’s keep it going! 

NEXT UP: The Mets have a day off tomorrow, but will resume play on Wednesday at 7:10PM. Matt Harvey will be put to the test of taking on his first full season as a Mets pitcher as he takes on Clayton Richard and the San Diego Padres. LGM!!

~~~ Keep Johan Santana in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow as he once again goes in for shoulder surgery. We wish you the best of luck, Johan, and hope that all goes well with the surgery and recovery! If anyone can make it back, it would be you!~~~

Did we just win a series? Yes, I think so! It wasn’t pretty, but the team was able to get it done. 

In Wednesday night’s game, Jon Niese gave a great performance. He had good command on his fastball, which was a very good sign. He was able to bounce back from his worst performance of the season and showed the fight in him. Even when the defense made some terrible plays, Niese composed himself and got outs. It was great to see Niese pick himself up and brush off that bad start. We need him to be at his best because Niese is an extremely important part of our starting rotation. I think he could be a monster pitcher, a force to be reckoned with.  I have a feeling we’ll be seeing a lot of growth from him.

Oh, and Ruben Tejada Jose who? hit a home run on the second pitch he saw from Giants pitcher, Matt Cain. That’s right! Tejada showing some power! I wouldn’t mind seeing more of that. 

Of course, we left the bases loaded for three consecutive innings (7th, 8th, and 9th) and could have scored countless times, but let’s not be a negative nancy. I found it hilarious how Gary Cohen called the game “bizzaro.” Oh Gary…this isn’t the 90s anymore. No one says that! HAHA Check out this game recap from the Daily News.

And then earlier today, the Mets ran the Giants into the ground with a 9-1 win! Chris Young was DOMINANT! You have to give this guy credit. Another pitcher recovering from his worst start of the year, Young pitched seven innings and gave up four hits, four strikeouts, and NO walks today. It’s obvious that the Mets are at their best when their starting rotation is at their best. Getting a good outing from Young was a recipe for success. Not to mention Cedeno‘s bat was on fire. That kinda helped. Here’s the Gameday recap from mets.com.

Even Jason Bay got in on the action with a two-run single in the first inning. Every blog, website, broadcaster, and analyst out there has something to say about Bay. It’s true that the Mets are not getting anything in return for their investment in Bay. But he is a member of the team. I don’t think there’s anyone out there who is harder on Jason Bay than Bay himself. I doubt he wants to be in such a terrible slump. I doubt he wants fans to boo him every time he comes to the plate. All spring he was talking about trying to break out and you could tell he has been working hard. I feel bad that his hard work isn’t paying off. Maybe he needs to go down to the Minors to prove he still has something to offer, but as long as he’s here, we need to support him. (Tweet #BelieveinBay and show him some support)

ROOKIE, CAN YOU TAKE A JOKE? After coming to the game yesterday in a white T-shirt, veteran players decided to teach the rookie, Jordany Valdespin, a lesson in proper pre-game attire. The team enforces a “collared shirts only” policy in the clubhouse prior to games, but I guess Jordany wasn’t warned. He found his shirt with shredded sleeves after the game. The players also wrote “EL HOMBRE” on the back and “NY <3′s Valdie” on the front. Jordany was very upset when he saw the shirt, but eventually calmed down and took it as a joke. David Wright pulled him aside and explained the whole thing. (That’s right, #CaptainWright showing his leadership skills) Don’t worry, Valdie! It’s just a joke! Take it in strides, rookie. I’m glad this didn’t cause any unwanted drama in the clubhouse. 

COMING BACK?– Frank Francisco is making the trip to San Diego and should be back with the team, closing out games starting tomorrow. I guess Bobby Parnell will have to take a back seat. Let’s see how Francisco fairs taking back his closer position. And Johan Santana will be throwing another bullpen session on Sunday, working on his own return from the disabled list. Terry Collins will not put a date on Santana’s return so we will have to wait and see how his rehab goes. 

ANOTHER WEST COAST CHALLENGE: The Mets start another West Coast series against the San Diego Padres beginning tomorrow at 10:05 ET. We’re going to need R.A. Dickey at his best for another win! Take a look at this game preview from CBSSports.com Let’s Go Mets! #LGM