Going into spring training this season, the Mets roster was already considered old and frail in some corners, and perhaps not quite as deep as it had been recently, largely due to the decline of Carlos Delgado, the team’s cleanup hitter in 2006.

When Moises Alou was felled by a hernia, those criticisms came to roost, as the Mets found themselves without a righty to protect Delgado in the lineup and a bottom of the order that suddenly seemed stacked with left-handers. The situation was acerbated by the team decision to make Ryan Church their everyday right fielder amid questions concerning the former-platoon player’s ability to hit left-handed pitching.

And while there was talk that the team had explored a trade for Detroit’s Marcus Thames to replace Alou’s righty stick, GM Omar Minaya insisted that the organization felt comfortable with switch-hitter Angel Pagan in left field, though Pagan has historically been a far inferior hitter from the right side of the plate. Critics argued that Pagan’s bat would leave the lineup no less susceptible to left-handers.

Thus, with southpaw Mark Hendrickson on the mound for the Florida Marlins, it is no wonder that the Mets’ six-run fourth inning was ignited by Pagan and Church, both of whom responded to their critics by scorching RBI-hits.

With no outs and runners on 1st and 2nd, Pagan ripped an 0-1 curveball down the third base line, scoring Carlos Beltran with an RBI-double. Church followed with an RBI-single off Hendrickson, extending the lead to 2-0.

It was a situation uniquely tailored for these two corner outfielders, and both players answered the bell. It’s great to win on Opening Day, but positives signs such as this could prove more significant in the long run.