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September 1, 2011 Mets 2011 Games Joe Janish

Mets Game 135: Win Over Marlins

Mets 7 Marlins 5

The score was closer than that. Then it wasn’t. Then it was. Follow?

Mets Game Notes

The game was 4-2 from the third inning until the 8th, and then the Mets went ahead 7-2 in the bottom of the 8th. Had the game finished that way, I would have opened this post with, “the score was closer than it looks”, because it was a two-run game for the majority of the contest. But then D.J. Carrasco was brought in to finish up, and he couldn’t finish. Instead, he allowed three runs in two-thirds of an inning (with help from “closer” Bobby Parnell), about two minutes after Gary Cohen publicly announced the recent about-face of the Mets bullpen. Next time I bet Gary won’t speak so soon.

Still, the Mets won, and wily veteran Miguel Batista earned the victory — his first as a Met and the 100th of his career. Batista put in a workmanlike job, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks in a six-inning effort.

Pedro Beato threw a scoreless inning of relief, though he ran into a hint of trouble after getting two quick outs. Ron Darling and Keith Hernandez suggested that Beato gets into trouble when he “overthrows”. That is part, but not all of the story in my opinion. I believe he appears to be overthrowing because his body is fatigued from a long MLB season of regular bullpen duty. As a result, his mechanics are breaking down, and thus he’s over-using his arm to propel the baseball.

Manny Acosta threw a clean, 7-pitch inning. I am still not going to believe, I still don’t trust him. Also, I think the aggressive Fish hitters helped him. That doesn’t mean I’m taking anything away from the performance — I’m just skeptical that he can be that effective over the course of a full season.

Josh Thole left the game in the second inning with a contusion on his wrist. It looked like he got crossed up, with Batista throwing a fastball when Thole was expecting something else. The pitch bounced directly off the inside of his wrist and deflected into his chest protector. Ouch. There is some speculation that it may be broken.

In the ninth inning, with two outs, the Mets up by four, and runners on second and third, Emilio Bonifacio hit a single up the middle. Angel Pagan charged and threw the ball far over second base and into an area between third base and the mound. It was nowhere close to being a throw to second, and it wasn’t a throw toward home. To me, it looked like another brain freeze by Pagan — a situation where Pagan wasn’t sure where he was supposed to throw, so he just put it into Area 51. The play was kind of glossed over but it represents another head-shaking moment.

Next Mets Game

There will be no more games against the Marlins for at least three days. Instead, the Mets will travel down to Washington DC to play the Nationals in a weekend series. Game one begins at 7:05 PM. The pitching matchup is R.A. Dickey vs. Ross Detwiler.

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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.
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  1. NormE September 1, 2011 at 10:59 pm
    Without trying to put a damper on the Mets’ victories over the Marlins, let’s be more clear-eyed about this. The Marlins are playing bad, bad, bad baseball. Yes, the Mets must beat teams that play poorly, but this series was no real indication of Mets’ ability.
  2. gary s. September 2, 2011 at 12:07 am
    I watched the Jets/Eagles and the Mets/Marlins game on a split screen and was hard pressed to figure out which one was the exhibition contest.The highlight of the Mets game was where Keith H. would be sitting every inning.Sad.Now that Einhorn out of picture we have years of this crap to look forward to.One more thing, Reyes looks like shadow of himself since hamstring injuries,I don’t think he is at more than 80 per cent.Collins says he will sit him once a week to avoid injuries in future.REALLY..How does that work exactly, Terry??
  3. murph September 2, 2011 at 2:36 am
    People are talking about Angel Pagan’s poor throwing lately.

    Outfielders don’t generally just “lose it”. When they do, there is usually a reason.

    I suspect a shoulder or oblique problem that is yet to be reported. Maybe Mr. Pagan is playing hurt because he knows what the team has already been through.

    p.s.
    Remember when “meaningful games in September” was scoffed at? Oh, the good old days.

  4. Joe September 2, 2011 at 6:43 am
    Meanwhile …

    The Mets received the minor league pitchers Adrian Rosario and Danny Ray Herrera from the Milwaukee Brewers to complete the July 12 trade for Francisco Rodriguez.

  5. gary s. September 2, 2011 at 10:34 am
    Both probably have no future.On the bright side, neither player is known to have beat up their father in law in the clubhouse.The beat goes on.
    • Joe September 2, 2011 at 10:36 am
      Life sucks, but hey, there’s always pie. But, that makes me fat and it never really tastes that good.
  6. gary s. September 2, 2011 at 10:40 am
    this might sheer u folks up.. http://yttm.tv/v/8924.. 1969 pennant winning clubhouse celebration.If you watch it, notice that 2 of the 3 homeruns the Mets hit that night, would have been outs at citicavern.Oh the pain!!!
  7. wohjr September 2, 2011 at 12:15 pm
    Why burn a start on Bautista there? Is there no one of interest down under to call up? God love the guy, he’s had a nice career, but is he really going to be around for meaningful games
    • Joe Janish September 2, 2011 at 3:26 pm
      Smacks of an Omar Minaya / Tony Bernazard era move. In fact if Minaya were still around, he’d be getting KILLED for promoting and starting Batista in this game. But Alderson does it and no one makes a peep.
    • Joe September 2, 2011 at 3:47 pm
      I have read that Batista was originally signed to serve as a veteran presence in the minors. And, perhaps to be the poet laureate. The NY Daily News account of the game noted that Collins would not say that he would get another start. The minors ends their season soon and then starters can be called up. Batista was called up before September call-ups. Not sure if there was some great alternative to him. After all, when a slot opened, we got Iggy. Not sure, unlike my namesake, that calling him up to fill a roster spot (when Niese got hurt) and start one game would have been a big deal under old management.