The Houston Factor....

...is it my imagination, or do the Astros seem to have the Mets' late-season number? First, the three-game sweep of a few weekends ago out in Houston, and now, two tough losses to the very same Astros over this past weekend at Shea.

And not even one of the pitchers that beat us was named "Oswalt."

They may be the "Almost Last-ros," but they sure have played the Mets tough this year. They're tough, scrappy, aggressive, head-scratching (see: Hunter Pence), gritty and stubborn, and if worse comes to worse, we will certainly look to the Astros' series as a reason why worse did, in fact, come to worse.

Even worse news than the two losses to the Astros this weekend is the medical condition of John Maine, who, to me, hasn't looked comfortable out there for quite some time now. First, there were back issues. Now, arm and shoulder issues. Whatever the issues, it is undeniable that John simply hasn't had it, and may need to be shut down for the remainder of the year.

The problem with this isn't so much the postseason, since we could get by very easily with the remaining four starters due to the scheduling of the games and the off-days. The problem lies in the stretch run against the very pesky Phillies, who continue to prove the old baseball Yogiom that, truly, "it ain't over 'til it's over." The Phillies pulled out a win last night against the Dodgers in spectacular fashion, and are now a half game behind the Mets in the division. It's going to be a race all the way until the end, and we'll need as many horses as we can get to run it well and to achieve the desired result.

And in other news, El Duque is now strongly considering what may be career-ending surgery to his foot....

The Magic Is Back... but is it enough?

And now, the obligatory Yankees suck image du jour....