Jim Scott
DNAinfo Senior Editor
MANHATTAN — Nothing helps erase the painful memories of a lost baseball season like an opening day win in front of a hometown crowd.
The Mets are hoping Johan Santana can jump start the 2010 season as they host the Florida Marlins at Citi Field on Monday afternoon.
New York's manager is brimming with more optimism than most fans as the Mets try to put last year’s injury wrecked 70-92 season behind them.
“It’s our time now. It’s our time now,” manager Jerry Manuel told a crowd of fans Sunday, the Associated Press reported.
Manuel's job is on the line this season as the Mets try to get back into the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
Santana's health and performance on the mound will have a lot to do with his manager's job security. The hard-throwing lefty went 13-9 with a 3.13 ERA in 25 starts last season before being shut down in late August because of an ailing elbow.
Regardless of how Santana pitches, the Mets may not get anywhere in their second season at Citi Field if the line up doesn't score more runs this year.
New York hit a major league-low 95 home runs as a team in 2009 and was 25th in all of baseball in runs scored.
Outfielder Jason Bay makes his Mets debut after they inked him to a four-year, $66 million deal in the off season. The 31-year-old Bay is being counted on to add power New York's line up after hitting 36 home runs with Red Sox last season and at least 20 in each of the last six seasons.
The Mets begin the season with hitters Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes and Daniel Murphy on the disabled list. Reyes and Beltran missed most of 2009 with injuries and they'll have to get back into the line up quickly for New York to have any chance to compete with the Phillies and Braves in the AL East.
Bench players Alex Cora, Garry Matthews Jr. and Mike Jacobs will start the season in the line up instead for the Mets against Marlins pitcher Josh Johson Monday.
Johnson is looking to build on a dominant 2009 campaign that saw him go 15-5 with a 3.23 ERA and 191 strikeouts. The 26-year-old righty has never lost to the Mets in his career, posting a 7-0 record and 2.30 ERA in nine career starts against the men from Queens.
Regardless of what happens against Johnson and the Marlins on the field Monday, Mets fans will be energized as they take their seats in Citi Field for their teams first baseball game of the year.
"No matter whether you think your team is going to [stink] or not, it's fun to see a packed stadium with all the fans excited for baseball," Mets outfielder Jeff Francoeur told the New York Post. "It would be nice to go out there and get a win Opening Day."
