Game 152: Loss

Marlins 5 Mets 2

The Mets lost, but that was hardly the point. This was another tune-up for Pedro Martinez.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the old Petey on the mound. Though his numbers were okay, and Mr. Willie said he was very happy with the performance, to most spectators it looked a little scary.

First off, Pedro was topping out at about 83 MPH on his fastball. After the ballgame, Randolph was very defensive about this point, claiming that he doesn’t look at the radar numbers, and that it didn’t matter because Pedro’s offspeed pitches were significantly slower. While that may be true, it’s very disconcerting to think that our #1 postseason starter — who normally heats up around 93 MPH — might be throwing his fastball the speed of his changeup. While top velocity isn’t everything, it can help a helluva lot. More importantly, it’s hard to believe that a guy who has peaked at a particular velocity all year, will suddenly — in a matter of two weeks — be able to complete adjust his repertoire and game plan. Of course, that’s assuming that Pedro doesn’t find those extra ten miles per hour.

As expected, Martinez ran out of gas around the fourth inning, somewhere around the 60-70-pitch mark. If this game meant anything at all, I’m sure Willie Randolph would have pulled him, but this game was more about stretching Pedro out and getting him prepared for October, so he stayed in an extra inning … and that turned out to be the difference in the ballgame.

Notes

Carlos Delgado was three-for-three. Now is a GREAT time for him to start warming up.

Endy Chavez went 2-4 with a run and an RBI, batting in the two-hole. He has been absolutely amazing this year, and if there was an award similar to the NBA’s “sixth man”, he’d have to be the winner.