Game 9: Mets vs. Brewers @ Shea Stadium

In a redemption-filled game of Met draftees, this one should be fun.

The Good: After traveling the world for the past few years, Nelson Figueroa carried a no-hitter into the fifth inning and sparked the New York Mets ball club. With his dad claiming "he had died and gone to heaven," and himself pounding the strike zone, Figueroa proved that he could pitch in New York after all. Coming out of Lincoln high as a Met draft pick in '95, his catcher would be Raul Casanova, who was drafted by the Mets in 1990. The offensive player of the game would be another Met draft pick in Angel Pagan. This truly was a great game that these guys will remember as Figueroa received the win, Pagan the rbi, and Casanova a clutch hit and great called game. Delgado continues to surprise while Reyes continues to struggle. Wright and Beltran continue to be mediocre and Church continues to impress. I think I am starting to like this Ryan Church guy. It was also nice to see all of the bench guys contribute with Anderson and Chavez coming off to bench to perform in the fog at Shea. Oh yeah, Aaron Heilman pitched a nice 1-2-3 inning before Wagner earned the save.

The Bad: Reyes left the game with an apparent tight hamstring (that was obvious from the get go) and Castillo misses another game. The Mets scored four runs but aren't really clicking yet.

Overall: This was a fun game to watch - a true feel good story for all of these guys. I actually thought Figueroa was going to throw the first Met no-no for a while. A well-spoken and articulate person, he is a fun guy to watch. Oh, how quickly things can change as the Mets start up a three game winning streak. With Johan going tomorrow in his first Shea start, it can be a good time for the Mets to get on a nice little run.

Final Score: Mets 4, Brewers 2. Record: 5-4.