Since snapping that 16-game skid, the Cubs are 5-5. Maybe it's Tony Johnson (acquired from Montreal for Willie Hernandez) taking over for the injured Leon Roberts in RF?
The Mets still don't actually feel the cellar-dwellers snapping at their ankles, though, holding an 8.5 game lead for the lofty heights of fifth-place. One contributor is Mark Naehring (uncle of Tim), acquired from the White Sox in a trade for Roy Lee Jackson.
IRL, Uncle Mark loved AA Knoxville, posting identical .851 OPS marks in '78 and '79. His .768 at AAA Iowa in 1980 wasn't terrible for a middle-infielder, but he found himself in the Orioles' chain next year, and never saw AAA again.
Here he's in the Mets' 2B mix, especially as somebody (*coughs discreetly*) stole Wally Backman in a trade…
