Around the NL East

Jesus Flores is hitting .314/.388/.535, and throwing out 42% of base stealers. He'll be 24 all season.

The Nationals are 8-8 in their last 16 games.

Jo-Jo Reyes hasn't won in his last 17 starts, Tommy Hanson's numbers in triple-A are incredible, and the Braves lack star power.

Brad Lidge gave up his 5th home run of the season last night after giving up only 2 last year. Lidge has given up 11 earned runs in 11 2/3 innings after giving up only 15 in 69 1/3 innings in '08.

The Mets won last night, and were able to avoid using Francisco Rodriguez who had pitched four straight nights. Rodriguez has converted 203 of his last 225 save opportunities.

Fernando Martinez is 13 for his last 27, and is now batting .300/.349/.550.

Grit

All this talk about how gritty the Phillies are and how ungritty the Mets are has got me thinking. 
 
a) The Phillies weren't so gritty - minus Chase Utley - until they got hot at the right time, and wound up winning the World Series. Six months ago, they were a team that pretty consistently underachieved in the Pat Burrell Era. Of course one has to give them credit for getting hot, and winning the World Series, but doesn't it seem like all of the gritty talk is going a little overboard? Victorino is a fun, scrappy, clutch player. Utley is an incredible player and gritty to boot - a rare combination. But are Ryan Howard, Pedro Feliz, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Madson and Jayson Werth so gritty and selfless? It seems to me that they're just good. 
 
b) Part of the reason the media has bestowed the Phillies with this lunch pail persona is that they are being compared with the Mets. Eric Karros said something on yesterday's telecast that really made sense to me. About the Mets elaborate handshakes Karros said something like, "If they're spending time working on that stuff, that's time they're not working on things that will actually help them be better baseball players." 
 
I love youthful enthusiasm if you're good. I love the showmanship of K-Rod. He's as entertaining a pitcher as I can remember watching (just had flashes of Turk Wendel go through my mind). The 1986 Mets are so near and dear to my heart partly because they were a little ridiculous. However, I don't want to see two outfielders jump into the air and knock sides in the fashion that has become so popular if we win a game that makes us 11 up and 13 down. If someone wins a game with a hit or a great play and there is actual excitement that's one thing. But I don't want to see any choreography unless we're playing significantly better than we are. It makes us look like a bunch of clowns.