Mets Game 134: Loss To Braves

Braves 6 Mets 1

The game was much closer and more interesting than the final score might indicate.

Mets Game Notes

For four innings, Mike Minor had a perfect game and had driven in the Braves’ only run. For seven innings, Minor’s RBI single was the only run given up by Jonathon Niese, who didn’t have much problem setting down the everyday Braves batters. But then Minor led off the 8th with a double and all heck broke loose. It kind of reminded me of a little league game, where the best pitcher on a team is also the best hitter, and singlehandedly dominates his (or her, if she’s Mo’ne Davis) opponent.

Except, it was a Major League game, and the Braves position players suddenly remembered they’re generally counted on to provide the offense. By the end of the 8th, Niese was out of the game and the Atlanta lead swelled to 3-0, then expanded to 6-1 as the Braves feasted on Daisuke Matsuzaka in his first game back from the DL. Suffice to say, Dice-K did not look great.

At least the Mets avoided a shutout. But, they managed only four hits and one walk against Minor, striking out six times.

Minor wasn’t the only offensive star — Emilio Bonifacio was 4-for-5 with 2 RBI and a run scored.

Combined, only 250 pitches thrown by the two clubs. Yet the game was still two and half hours long. With that kind of efficiency, one would think the game would have been a little quicker. Dice-K didn’t have THAT much of an impact on the timing, in his two-thirds of an inning of work.

David Wright was back in the lineup — or at least, that’s what it says in the boxscore. He was otherwise invisible.

Back in March, would you have believed that the two biggest holes in the Mets lineup in late August would be Wright and Curtis Granderson? And that Ruben Tejada would have more walk-off hits than anyone else?

The Mets have now reached that magic number of 10 games below .500. Uh-oh.

Next Mets Game

Mets host the Phillies on Phriday night beginning at 7:10 PM. Jacob deGrom faces David Buchanan.