He was looking filthy good in the first few months of the season (2-0, 2.65 in April; 1.08 in May; and 1.93 in June with 26 Ks in 23 1/3 IP), but has definitely hit a snag in July. Kontos started the month brilliantly, tossing four innings of one-hit shutout with five Ks and no walks in his second start of the season, but he was rocked in his next outing (four hits, three earned runs and a walk in one inning). Four days later on July 10, Kontos tossed two shutout frames, but then he got hammered again on July 16. He looked strong on the 19th, hurling 2 2/3 IP of shutout ball with four strikeouts, but on Friday night, the evil Kontos showed up again, getting rocked for three earned runs in 3 1/3 IP to suffer the loss and drop his record below .500. In fairness, he was looking sharp to begin the outing, before hitting the wall on a very hot night.

His reward? Removal from the 40-man roster right before the season started. Well, the 28-year-old lefty is still in the system, pitching in Triple-A Buffalo, and while the Mets’ pitching has been very strong so far, any rash of injuries or ineffectiveness could again bring the Giants’ seventh rounder from 2003 back to the bigs. A control pitcher, Misch’s big-league struggles in parts of four seasons can be traced to his gopheritis as he’s yielded 23 long bombs in 156 career innings, a rate that might even make John “Way Back” Wasdin blush. This year, Misch is again getting the job done, having gone 2-0, 4.13 through five starts despite the fact he’s been far too hittable (.306 BAA).