Alou looks like he'll be back when the Mets hit the Valley of the Sun

So Moises Alou had his MRI yesterday on the ankle that turned bum at the end of his rehab and it turned out negative. So it looks like he'll be back soon. Possibly for this weekend's series here in lovely Arizona. I can't wait for the Mets to come into town. I've already got tickets to all three games.

Alou should give the Mets a nice little shot in the arm when he returns, but I stand by my recommendation in yesterday's posting: if you can get Xavier Nady for a decent price, do it.

Nady liked playing in New York, put up very good numbers here, and he's the kind of guy who fits into the roll we tried to fill with Brady Clark. Now, the only problem with bringing Nady in is that he would want to start. It would be hard to start Nady over a healthy Alou - Alou's bat still has more in it on an average day than Nady's. But if Nady would accept a backup/platoon role and maybe learn to play first base, it would be a tremendous help for the Mets.

In other news: Every time I think David Wright has broken out of this funk he falls down again. Last night's game winning single in the bottom of the eleventh might do something to wake him up. With Wright struggling, Beltran not at his best, and Delgado trying to remember how to hit, the Mets line up does not look as formidable as it once did. Now, all three of these guys should get right at some point this season - certainly Wright and Beltran will - but will they all do it at the same time?

Maybe visiting Arizona is the answer.

In the last three seasons, the Mets are 11-1 when playing at Bank One Ballpark/Chase Field. They've outscored the DBacks 97-28 in that time span and I've seen every one of these games in person save one in '06.

But this year its a little different. This year when the Mets come to town the DBacks will own the best record in baseball. They will boast one of the best pitching staffs in the league and one of the highest scoring offenses.

Personally, I predicted that the Diamondbacks would win 100 games this year. I think the National League West is a little overrated. I think the DBacks match up well against LA and San Diego. The Giants are the laughing stock of the league (having recently sent Zito to the bullpen). The only problem they really face is the Rockies.

The DBacks will have/have had trouble with the Rockies this year because they are very similar teams. Young players, good pitchers, solid to great defensive teams with strong futures ahead of them. The DBacks and Rockies could become a minor Red Sox/Yankees tandem here in the NL West if they keep their core players in tack. The rivalry won't have the history of Sox/Yanks, but they could dominate the division the way the Sox and Yanks have in the last decade. It should be a lot of fun to watch.

So if history holds sway over the current state of baseball, then the Mets can get back on their feet here in the desert. If not, they're in for a long weekend. Looks like: Micah Owings (who is SO fun to watch) against Maine, Webb vs. Pelfrey and Haren vs. Figueroa. Although my buddy swears its Santana/Haren on Sunday. I think it would have been if not for the rainout. Apparently they were talking about the Santana/Haren matchup yesterday on ESPN Radio. I don't see how the rotation winds up that way though. Maybe they didn't expect Santana to pitch last night? I don't know.