Mets Game 140: Loss to Braves

Braves 3 Mets 2

Larry Chipper Jones finishes his career stuck at 49 homeruns against the Mets.

Mets Game Notes

Was anyone else expecting Larry to put one over the fence in his last at-bat vs. the Mets? I guess it would have been too poetic, too cliche, too Disneylike. Still, it would not have surprised me if Larry hit a game-winning homerun in the top of the ninth to finish his lifelong torment on the Mets and Mets fans.

Instead, it was Brian McCann delivering the fatal blow. Is he following in Larry’s footsteps when it comes to beating the Mets? It sure seems that way, based on the way this game ended and the way Saturday’s game went.

The Mets had more hits than the Braves (8 to 6), were more efficient with RISP (though, not particularly good at 2-for-9, but it was better than the Braves’ 1-for-11), and left less men on base (7 to 10). Which should tell you that none of those stats mean much if you lose the game. Bottom line: the most important stat is the “W.”

Chris Young pitched fairly well, allowing two earned runs in six innings of work. Though, he did give up five hits and four walks, so there were plenty of baserunners to stress through. How do you rate that? OK, I guess. Great, if you pitch for a team that has a strong offense. But that’s not the Mets, so, it’s not quite good enough.

Daniel Murphy continues his hot streak — he went 3-for-4 with a walk, two doubles, and two runs scored. Is it me, or does it seem like Murph’s best offensive games usually occur in losses? I’m not sure what that indicates, if anything.

Ike Davis also remains warm, going 2-for-4 with a rib-eye steak. He’s pushed his average to .227, which is pretty close to his weight.

Next Mets Game

The Mets host the first-place Nationals in Flushing on Monday night. Game time is 7:10 p.m. and the pitching matchup is Collin McHugh vs. Gio Gonzalez. Yeah, I’m not feeling it, either. But hey, anything can happen in baseball.