September 12, 2012 Mets 2012 Games Joe Janish

Mets Game 143: Loss to Nationals

Nationals 2 Mets 0

Matt Harvey completely blew this game. Had he only been able to hit a three-run homer, the Mets would have won. What a choker.

Mets Game Notes

For those taking me literally, the opening lines were a JOKE. OK? This ain’t little league. Though, looking at that putrid lineup, I wouldn’t have been against hitting Harvey higher than ninth. And I admit to expecting Harvey to “do it all” in this game. In truth, it was his only chance of earning a victory.

This may sound crazy, but this game felt closer than the final score indicates. Maybe that’s illogical, but this game was tighter than … go ahead and fill in the blank, with something obnoxiously inappropriate or completely family friendly — your call. The Nats whacked two solo bombs and that was it. The first three innings were scoreless, then the Nats held a 1-0 lead until the 8th. In between there wasn’t much in the way of offensive excitement, except in the sixth inning, when both clubs loaded the bases and failed to score. It was remarkable to watch. Robert Carson did a great job cleaning up a bases-loaded, no-out mess left by Matt Harvey, but then the Mets let a somewhat similar situation to slip through their fingers in the bottom of the inning.

Like R.A. Dickey did the night before him, Matt Harvey pitched well enough to earn a win; though, that’s debatable, considering he finished only five frames. His final line included 10 strikeouts, 3 walks, 5 hits, and one earned run. Lots of swings and misses, but the pitches used for them, as well as the baserunners allowed, resulted in a high pitch count and early exit. If he was conditioned to throw 135-150 pitches per game, this wouldn’t be a big deal. But it’s 2012, not 1972.

Nice to see Terry Collins leave Carson in to face the righthanded hitters in a very difficult spot. It’s the only way to produce “crossover” pitchers (we used to call them, simply, “pitchers”).

As mentioned a few days ago, it’s hard to win if you don’t score.

Nah-fuh-nuthin, but the Phillies now have a winning record and are only 3 games behind the Wild Card leaders. Wasn’t it just a few weeks ago they were buried in the NL East cellar, and had resigned themselves to a lost season by selling off Shane Victorino, Hunter Pence, and Joe Blanton? Have to wonder if this surge would have still happened with those three still on the club; would they be better, or worse off with them?

Speaking of winning records, the Mets will need to go 17-2 the rest of the way to finish with one. Ya gotta believe!

Next Mets Game

The Mets have Thursday off as they travel to Milwaukee to face the Brewers for a three-game set. Game one on Friday night begins at 8:10 p.m. EST and pits Jonathon Niese vs. Mike Fiers.

Tags: matt harvey, nationals

Joe Janish

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.

Izzy September 13, 2012 at 8:21 am

It must be extremely hard to post these groundhog day Met summaries. So and so pitched good enough….. the offense sucks….. You can’t win when you can’t score. Not only has Sandy Alderson given Met fans a very non competitive team, he has also produced the most boring team in baseball history.
- DaveSchneck September 13, 2012 at 2:41 pm
  
  Agreed.
AC Wayne September 13, 2012 at 8:22 am

Thank god the Mets have the day off today, I can’t stomach anymore of this, I didn’t even watch the game last night, Harvey, Dickey, it’s not drawing me to the TV set, how can you sit there day-after-day, night-after-night and witness the same game played out over and over again, they were swept by the Braves and the Nats, that’s terrible, at home no less, where they can’t even score more than 3 runs, something’s got to give, and it ain’t the players, wipe the slate clean, get rid of the coaching staff and start over, for everybody’s sake, I hope we don’t have to listen to Collins come 2013, the old man is shot, stick a fork in him and let him become a baseball analyst for ESPN or XM radio or something, see ya next year!
Dan B September 13, 2012 at 8:30 am

Heard this on the radio…the Braves and the Nationals both have more wins at CitiField since the allstar break then the Mets. In mid September. But the craziest thing is that I was actually listening to the game.
Steven September 13, 2012 at 8:44 am

I think AC wayne may be onto something. it’s not beyond the realm of possibilities that not just coaching staff but also Collins loses his job. This feels like the end of 2009
Micalpalyn September 13, 2012 at 10:04 am

Even Art Howe got more out of his teams…especially at the end.
Walnutz15 September 13, 2012 at 11:27 am

Why anyone would pay to attend these games is beyond my comprehension.

So many better things to do, especially in such terrific weather.

Team’s embarrassing.
The King September 13, 2012 at 10:23 pm

Have I missed something, or has all criticism of the Wilpons ceased? The fish rots from the head down.
- Dan September 14, 2012 at 6:58 am
  
  I don’t see how things will change until the Wilpon’s leave.
- Joe Janish September 15, 2012 at 12:23 am
  
  Maybe I’m making a mistake of assuming everyone knows this team is where it is, and has been where it’s been, since August, 2002, due specifically to that fish head.
  
  It can be argued that the fish began rotting in November 1986.
  - norme September 15, 2012 at 12:14 pm
    
    Joe Janish, you are correct:
    Doubleday &Co>>>>>>Doubleday/Wilpon>>>>>>>Wilpon.
    
    The rotting fish can be smelled all the way down here in the Low Country.
derek September 14, 2012 at 1:05 pm

we need owners with money and that care

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