Given the choice between hitting or pitching, a manager would always take the arms.
It’s a no-brainer, and it would be his choice whether it is for a game, a month or a season. And, with how the Mets’ offense has been stagnant since the night Pedro Martinez put them five up on Atlanta, manager Willie Randolph has needed the pitching more than ever.
The Mets got it tonight from Steve Trachsel, who save for one bad pitch, worked six strong innings to beat the San Francisco Giants, 4-1.
The Mets got homers from Xavier Nady in the seventh for a 2-1 lead, and Cliff Floyd’s drive into McCovey Cove in the eighth for the needed cushion.
However, Trachsel was superb, giving up one run on three hits in six innings, before turning the game over to the bullpen of Duaner Sanchez and Billy Wagner.
The combination of pitching, power and pen gave the Mets their 13th victory, but only their third in the eight games following Martinez’s game. The Mets didn’t win their 13th game last year until May 2.
Read more about Trachsel’s performance in The Journal News and at lohud.com
