COMMENTARY : Mets Are Turning Things Around

Rats, it was too early to celebrate the demise of the New York Mets. Bud Harrelson is rapidly emerging as this year’s Cito Gaston, a replacement manager in the right place at the right time.

The Mets were 20-22 under Davey Johnson, then lost four of their first five under Harrelson. Before Friday night’s game theyhad gone 12-3 since then, including 5-2 against first-place Pittsburgh.

No question, the Mets have responded to Harrelson’s disciplined approach -- “everyone is more together,” pitcher Dwight Gooden said -- but the fact is, they are finally playing like the team they profess to be.

Before Friday, they had averaged 8.42 runs in their past 12 games (all right, so 34 came in two days at Wrigley Field) and Darryl Strawberry was an absolute monster against the Pirates, hitting six homers in seven games.

Strawberry, as we all know, is the key to this team. His passive start was attributed to his new sober lifestyle, but before Friday he was batting .390 with 10 homers and 25 RBIs in his last 23 games.

He is not alone: The Mets, a team built on power, have hit homers in eight straight games and 23 of their past 26, before Friday night’s contest. Kevin McReynolds, another who was listless early, has hit six in his last 15 games before Friday.

Gregg Jefferies, moved to the No. 3 spot by Harrelson, was on a 24-for-44 tear before Friday. And who cares that Mike Marshall wants to be traded? His replacement at first base, Dave Magadan, was batting .378 before Friday’s game.

Earlier in the season, the Mets seemed to win only on days Frank Viola pitched. But their only two losses in the last 12 games, before Friday, were in games started by Viola.

Rats, they’re back.

Great while it lasted: The San Francisco Giants’ 16-1 surge was their best in 25 years, but for all that work the closest they got to first-place Cincinnati was seven games.

It should be noted that they were 6-1 against last-place Atlanta during their hot streak, and evidence their luck might soon change came in their last two games, both one-run losses to San Diego.

Still, it’s difficult not to be impressed with the pitching staff’s dramatic changing of the guard. Trevor Wilson and John Burkett are a combined 10-1. Last year’s aces, Rick Reuschel and Scott Garrelts, were a combined 6-12 before Friday night’s game.

Will Clark is back to himself after hitting .209 in May, Kevin Mitchell was batting a consistent .315 with 17 homers before Friday and Matt Williams hit .453 with 21 RBI during his recent 16-game hitting streak.

But can the Giants keep it up? Before Friday night’s game they outhit their opponents .320-.215 and averaged 7.4 runs during their 16-1 stretch. Such production is fleeting.

We love this guy: For the benefit of the media, Philadelphia pitcher Don Carman posted a list of the 37 greatest baseball cliches under a sign that says, “You saw the game. Take what you need.”

No. 1: “I’m just glad to be here. I just want to help the club any way I can.”

No. 2: “Baseball’s a funny game.”

No. 3: “I’d rather be lucky than good.”

No. 4: “We’re going to take this season one game at a time.”

No. 5: “You’re only as good as your last game.”

The value of a bullpen I: It is difficult to ignore Cecil Fielder when talking about Detroit, but the Tigers’ surprising success can be traced just as easily to its bullpen, which was 7-1 with a 1.81 ERA in 34 games before Wednesday’s 12-7 loss to Oakland.

The relievers combined to allow only six hits in 8 2-3 scoreless innings in two prior wins over Oakland -- just what everyone expected from a group consisting of right-handers Mike Henneman, Lance McCullers and Edwin Nunez, and left-handers Paul Gibson and Jerry Don Gleaton.

Henneman, 17-for-19 in save tries before Friday, is one of the few closers who routinely enters games in the eighth inning. He has pitched at least 1 2-3 innings in seven of his last eight appearances. Gleaton is the other big story. He has been around since 1979, but is attempting to spend his first full season in the majors.

Fielder, before Friday, continued to lead the majors in homers (25) and RBI (63) while ranking in the American League’s top 10 in batting average (.316). Nine of his last 10 homers have tied the score or put the Tigers ahead, but he wins games with base hits too -- witness his two-run single in Tuesday’s 6-5 victory over Oakland.

The value of a bullpen II: Texas is one of those clubs that always seems like it should be in contention, but never is. Its middle-inning relief is so bad this season, Manager Bobby Valentine is terrified to remove his starters.

The bullpen includes John Barfield, who, before Friday, had pitched fewer innings (one-third) than Chicago White Sox infielder Steve Lyons (two) since joining the club May 29. And let’s not forget Brad Arnsberg and Craig McMurtry, both of whom the Rangers released earlier this season, then re-signed.

The Rangers are eagerly awaiting the return of Gary Mielke from a blister problem, even though, before Friday, they had lost 11 straight games in which he had appeared. That’s nothing: Before Friday they had lost 12 straight in which Jamie Moyer had appeared.

Cold Milwaukee: The Brewers had lost 20 of their last 28 games before Friday, and the reasons are not that complicated: Reigning Most Valuable Player Robin Yount, closer Dan Plesac and No. 2 starter Chris Bosio are struggling, while staff ace Teddy Higuera and second baseman Paul Molitor are on the disabled list.

Before Friday, Yount was .235 with men in scoring position, compared to .367 last year. Plesac (0-3, 6.15) had allowed 14 earned runs in his last 10 1-3 innings before Friday. Bosio, 4-2 in his first nine starts, is 0-3 in his last six.

Molitor, out four to six weeks with a broken knuckle on his left index finger, is on the disabled list for the 10th time since the start of Cal Ripken’s consecutive games streak -- May 30, 1982.

Team happiness: No season is complete until Boston gets involved in a travel snafu. Baltimore-Washington International Airport, of all places, was the site of the most recent commotion, where Dwight Evans decided not to take the club’s charter to Toronto during a 90-minute customs delay.

Evans, complaining of a stiff back, spent the night at a hotel, and Roger Clemens joined him in sympathy. The two musketeers flew to Toronto the next day. Now club officials plan to meet with them Monday.

“We all fly together,” Boston Manager Joe Morgan said. “It’s been that way since Abner Doubleday instituted this ‘juego’ of ours.”

“Juego” means game in Spanish.

Como se dice, spoiled brat?

Pitcher of the week: The Orioles’ Pete Harnisch threw only 84 pitches in eight innings in his victory over Cleveland Wednesday, but he was not the most efficient pitcher in the American League that night.

Texas’ Kevin Brown needed only 80 pitches to shut out Minnesota on four hits. He threw only 18 balls the entire night, and only seven -- seven! -- in the final six innings.

Since losing 12-2 to the Orioles May 25, Brown was 4-0 with a 1.26 ERA in five starts before Friday, including three straight complete games.

Around the horn: Crisis time for Ken Griffey Jr.: Before Friday, he was batting .250 in June, and his inside-the-park home run Wednesday night was his first in 101 at-bats. Despite his “slump,” Griffey still was leading the American League before Friday with 84 hits.

Insult to injury for Kansas City’s million-dollar setup man, Mark Davis: His free-agent replacement in San Diego, Craig Lefferts, was 5-1 with 10 saves and a 1.13 ERA before Friday.