Game 86: Loss
Marlins 7 Mets 3
Everyone on the planet — save Omar Minaya and Mr. Willie — knew that this game was being conceded the minute Jose Lima was announced as the starting pitcher. In fact, even Jose Lima himself knew there was no chance of winning the game. It was kind of like watching a Disney movie: emotional and predictable.
Knowing Lima was the starter made this loss easier to swallow; after all, expectations were slightly below whale shit, especially considering that the opposing hurler was D-Train. The fact that Jose was able to hold the AAA Marlin lineup to single digits was enough of an accomplishment to incite excitement. And, if nothing else, Lima showed that he can really throw excellent BP. Maybe D-Wright can bring him to Pittsburgh to be his personal Homerun Derby pitcher.
Thankfully, it appears that the LimaTime! experiment is finally over, as Lima was DFA’s for the second time this year. It’s time for him to pitch in an independent league and reinvent himself as a minor league clown / crowd-pleaser.
Hmmm … bright spots … well, Xavier Nady was 2-4 with a dinger, so that’s encouraging. On the other hand, Julio Franco all night looked like a 47-year-old trying to catch up to 92+ MPH heat. Darren Oliver was sparkling with the mop, and we did get to see Henry Owens’ debut, so that was cool. It took Owens 18 pitches to get through the ninth, but it was a perfect ninth and he did strike out one. I’m guessing he had some butterflies, and he’ll be even better the next time around. I for one am hoping there IS another appearance, as he looks to have an electric fastball and some potentially filthy stuff.
Big news tomorrow is the long-awaited debut of Mike Pelfrey. I’m not sure there’s been this much anticipation since Tom Seaver; even Doc Gooden’s debut was somewhat tempered, and didn’t have enough time for a buildup (he began the ’84 season on the roster and started game four on April 7, just a week after spring training broke). Hopefully Pelfrey will stay calm and show us a glimpse of what he’s capable of. It should be a fun and exciting game. John Maine is penciled in to start the other game, and I will be rooting hard for him as well. It would be great to see Maine throw well and earn himself another start, if for no other reason than he seems like a good kid.
