Series Recap: Braves Take 3 of 4 From Mets

Any sense of encouragement Mets fans may have had going into the All-Star Break had to have been tempered by the last four games in Turner Field. The Mets could manage only one win, on the strength of a gem from Johan Santana on Saturday. Santana has been a second-half superstar in recent years; I expect he is going to look a lot like Steve Carlton on the 1972 Phillies over the next two-plus months. Carlton went 27-10 on a team that won just 59 games that year.

The rest of the starting rotation is a disaster. Mike Pelfrey has regressed terribly and was tattooed again on Friday night. He'll finish the season in the rotation, but I can't help but notice that another can't-miss starting pitcher prospect in New York has suddenly found success in the bullpen. Oliver Perez and Livan Hernandez are living down to expectations, and Tim Redding's imminent release may have been put off by Fernando Nieve's hamstring injury on Sunday. Next in line: Jonathon Niese.

Read the entire post at Productive Outs and Crackerjack.