Home » Mets 2011 Games » Mets Game 95: Loss to Marlins
8
July 18, 2011 Mets 2011 Games Joe Janish

Mets Game 95: Loss to Marlins

Marlins 4 Mets 1

May the battle for the NL East cellar begin.

Mets Game Notes

Chris Capuano pitched an admirable ballgame, going a personal season-high 7 2/3 innings. He cruised for most of the game, except for the fourth inning. He was only one strike away from ending the fourth, but Hanley Ramirez poked a two-strike, two-out base hit that began a three-run rally that set the tone for the remainder of the game.

While the Fish were able to crack Capuano, the Mets could do nothing with Clay Hensley, who pitched five shutout innings in his first MLB start in three years.

Mike Dunn and Edward Mujica are solid middle relievers. Dunn in particular has great stuff; if he ever adjusts his motion to not over-rotate so much (likely, he won’t change anything), he could be devastating. As it is he’s very tough, on both lefties and righties.

The Mets mounted a mild rally against Randy Choate in the final frame. As with their most recent rallies, it was too little, too late, and more a factor of bad pitching than strong hitting.

Ryota Igarashi pitched the 9th and did not allow a baserunner to score — not even an inherited one. Baby steps.

The Mets started with an ugly, feeble-looking lineup and fulfilled the expectation, collecting only three hits. Two were by Willie Harris (who also walked) and one by Nick Evans (also one walk), who replaced Scott Hairston after Hairston fouled a ball of his shin. The Mets did collect five walks, so there’s that.

The Marlins now have won as many games (47) as the Mets — though they have one more loss (49). The Nationals also have 47 wins. It appears it will be a three-team dogfight for the NL East cellar.

Next Mets Game

The Mets stay home to host the St. Louis Cardinals for a three-game series beginning on Tuesday at 7:10 PM. The pitching matchup is Dillon Gee vs. Kyle Lohse.

Tags: , ,

Joe Janish began MetsToday in 2005 to provide the unique perspective of a high-level player and coach -- he earned NCAA D-1 All-American honors as a catcher and coached several players who went on to play pro ball. As a result his posts often include mechanical evaluations, scout-like analysis, and opinions that go beyond the numbers. Follow Joe's baseball tips on Twitter at @onbaseball and at the On Baseball Google Plus page.
Related Articles
  1. hart July 18, 2011 at 10:45 pm
    Question: After Duda works out a lengthy, two-pitcher walk in the ninth to load the bases, Bay weakly flies to center on the first pitch. But wait, it’s a sac fly, and so he’s fist-bumping teammates upon his return to the dugout. Is that merely par for the course in any dugout in that situation, or is this misguided celebration emblematic of a losing culture, a team that’s engaged in a “battle for the cellar” if you will?
    • Joe Janish July 19, 2011 at 11:11 am
      Well on the one hand he drove in a run, and that’s a rarity for the Mets so it’s commendable. On the other hand, trading an out for a run when you have only 3 outs left and need 4 runs is not an efficient nor recommended process.

      I think Bay’s teammates are trying to support him and help his confidence. And if that’s the case, I’m actually OK with it, because the Mets have a slim chance of doing anything interesting this year unless Bay gets the bat going.

      • Joe July 19, 2011 at 11:56 am
        That sort of thing still is not what the team needs. A good at bat that resulted in a strike out after seven pitches would have been more promising.
  2. gary s. July 18, 2011 at 11:28 pm
    nah.just a bunch of self centered athletes acting like idiots.In the NBA the players fist bump when THEY MISS FREE THROWS!!Drives me crazy.Btw, i was at the game tonite and i have to commend the Wilpons, who may not know how to put a winning team on the field, but thanks to small intimate crowds like tonite have solved the egress problems at the ballpark.Parked my car 15 minutes before gametime a 2 minute walk from the gate and when the game was over i was out of the lot in about 30 seconds.Thanks Fred and Jeff.
    • izzy July 19, 2011 at 6:02 am
      I’m glad the Wilpons have a niche in baseball. Thanks for the tidbit! As for the Mets you missed the post game show where Ojeda went off on the offense for all having the same exact approach which he said worked for a couple weeks but now the league has adjusted and it shows.
  3. Corey Gorey July 19, 2011 at 8:01 am
    You can’t win every split squad spring training game, I guess. Wait–what?
  4. Joe July 19, 2011 at 8:13 am
    That was embarrassing and if this same bunch can show life in the past, they should be able to manage more than one hit until the seventh inning.

    I concur with the first comment that Bay had no reason for satisfaction there given the situation. It wasn’t the first time either that someone worked a walk (Pridie managed one Sunday too) and then the next batter (Pagan) quickly flew out to help kill a rally.

    The Mets fell apart in the second half last year. They have lost three out of four. I don’t expect the postseason. But, I don’t think last year’s collapse is warranted either. Last night’s game was more of that sort.

  5. gary s. July 19, 2011 at 9:06 am
    They made Hensley look like Tim Lincecum last nite.Hopefully we can competer when Jose and David return.Last nite’s game made Reyes look like he’s worth 30 mill a year to this franchise!!