NL Beast

Hard decision here, but the Mets Beast of the Week is CF Carlos Beltran. The Mets’ cleanup slugger had been hitting .181 over his last 28 games before this weekend, when, apparently, something clicked. Over his last three games, Beltran has gone 5-11 with 8 RBIs, 2 BB, and a homer. Beltran is key to the success of the Mets lineup, and even if he has gotten hot off of two ineffective Reds pitchers (Matt Belisle, Johnny Cueto), it’s about time that Mets fans have seen some life out of the cleanup spot.

Runners-Up: John Maine, Carlos Delgado, Ryan Church

I hate to do this, because I love the guy, but I have to give the Least of the Week distinction to RHP Duaner Sanchez. Having “earned” the set-up role (after the implosion of Aaron Heilman), Sanchez was clearly expected to show the same flash as he had in 2006, before his tragic, season-ending shoulder injury. It’s a miracle that Duaner is pitching at all, much less in his current role. But with a fastball that tops off at 89, he’s clearly not capable of being a set-up man. After a horrible performance last Saturday (when he gave up five earned runs), Sanchez continued to struggle. His line on the week: 1.2 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 1 SO. That contributes to a 2.40 WHIP and 10.80 ERA for the last 7 days. Duaner might be a decent middle reliever this season, but he is not a quality set-up man for Billy Wagner.

Runners-Up: Johan Santana, Luis Castillo, Endy Chavez

-Jonathan Kraft