This is Easy

By STEVE POPPER

STAFF WRITER

DENVER – The Mets have never had a chance to play two series at Coors Field in one season, but after the way the first one went you can’t blame them for appreciating the opportunity for a second chance.

The last time the Mets were here, less than one month ago, the trip included a cross-country flight by Omar Minaya to announce his support for Willie Randolph, a lifeless performance with a meeting between Randolph and ownership awaiting him on the way back, a groggy Ryan Church and for good measure, a lights out performance by Rockies pitcher Aaron Cook.

This time, Minaya has already made his trip and neither he nor Randolph was around. The lingering cloud of would Randolph survive was gone, in his place on the bench Jerry Manuel. And the only thing left to amend was facing Cook.

Like everything else, it changed. The Mets rocked Cook for 12 hits as they coasted to an easy 7-2 victory over the Rockies. Coupled with a loss by the Phillies, the Mets crept within 4 ½ games in the NL East.

Is it all as easy as changing managers, changing the mood with the move, too? Actually, Manuel doesn’t want to make it look quite that easy.

“Three years, Jeff and Fred (Wilpon),” he said with a laugh, joking about a contract extension necessary to make it all work. “I need three years.”

The Mets were actually playing better under Randolph in recent weeks despite the cloud that seemed to hover over the team. They had won the night he was fired and taken two of three from Texas before they boarded the plane for this trip.

Manuel has tinkered a bit, getting some of the players on the field early for extra batting practice and cutting back time from the regular sessions of BP. Considering that Cook shut them down in a complete game, four-hitter last time and they rocked him this time, maybe it works.

“When you change philosophies, even when you change people in this position and results happen early you feel good about it,” Manuel said. “The players, with the program we put in place, they feel good. When you get results early it’s a big boost for you, not only your confidence as an instructor but their confidence, too.”

“Jerry knows what he’s doing,” David Wright said. “He’s a great baseball mind. He’s got a plan for everything. I like how involved he’s getting, both with the hitters and the pitchers. He’s in every hitters meeting, every pitchers meeting. He’s out there throwing batting practice to us. I like that he’s been around the game a long time. He knows what he’s talking about.

“It’s good to be able to just focus on baseball, but at the same time it’s a lot more fun to win. The atmosphere is going to be more loose when we win and play complete games like today.”

The Mets turned this game early. John Maine, after surrendering a first-inning two-run homer, shut down the Rockies. And a five-run second inning, highlighted by a two-run blast by Carlos Delgado, was all the Mets needed. They strung together seven hits in that second inning, continuing to pile on after Delgado tied the score with his opposite field blast.

“It was huge,” Manuel said of the five-run outburst right after the Rockies had jumped in front, “Because Mr. Cook had shut us down the last time. He actually just dominated us. When they put up those two runs he had to feel pretty good that it was going to be a long night for us.”

Maine didn’t allow another run in going 6 2/3 innings, scattering four hits, although he was bothered at times by a blister on the middle finger of his right hand.

Manuel was asked just how long it would be before he felt that he could put his stamp on this club, he laughed.

“Let's see,” he said. “I need about a three-year deal. By the end I think I'll have it figured out, what about that?”

E-mail: popper@northjersey.com

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