Mets Game 140: Win Over Brewers
Mets 9 Brewers 2
Sweep!
The Mets pulled off another sweep, this time in Milwaukee as they battered the Brewers.
The game was over before Oliver Perez stepped on the mound, as the Mets exploded for six runs in the first frame off Milwaukee starter and loser David Bush. The biggest blow came off the bat of Ryan Church, who sent a line drive over the right-center fence for a grand salami. Is it safe to say Church is “back on track” ?
Ollie pitched well, looking much better than in his last start, spinning six and two-thirds while allowing only two runs. Remarkably, he did not induce one ground ball out during his time on the mound.
The Mets bullpen shut out the Brewers the rest of the way without incident.
Notes
Dan Murphy continues to stroke the ball consistently and get on base. He went 2-for-4 with a walk, a double, and two runs scored.
Strangely, the only other Met with at least two hits was Brian “Sluggo” Schneider, who blasted his 7th homer of the year.
With a 6-1 lead in the sixth and Oliver Perez in minor trouble, Duaner Sanchez — who pitched an inning on Tuesday — was the first man warming up in the bullpen. So … what was the point of adding Carlos Muniz, Bobby Parnell, Brandon Knight, and Ricardo Rincon to the roster? Does it have to be a 10-run game for these guys to get an opportunity? Baffling.
More baffling, with a six-run lead in the 8th, Sanchez came into the game. Based on what I’ve seen of Sanchez over the last month, he needs rest, not more work. And the head-scratching continued in the ninth. After the Mets tacked on another run, increasing the lead to seven, instead of seeing Parnell or Muniz finish the game, Scott Schoeneweis strode to the mound. Looked a lot like something Jerry Manuel’s predecessor would have done, eh? But hey, for all we know, both Parnell and Muniz are nursing injuries, and that’s why we didn’t see them.
As Keith Hernandez astutely pointed out, David Wright absolutely must work in BP on shortening his swing and hitting to right field. The Mets need him to get back on track for the final stretch of the season.
Speaking of, I noticed something else about Wright (yesterday I pointed out his “overload” of the hands). Earlier in the year — and throughout his MLB career — he would step slightly early, but keep his weight back, kind of doing a toe-tap with his front foot as he waited and made his decision to commit to a swing or not. Lately, his stride and swing have looked smoother — he strides, and his hands immediately start forward. It may look smoother, but it’s not necessarily better. He may be better off going back to the early stride and toe-tap — it’s worked for four years at least.
The Scho’s new mustache is terrible. Absolutely terrible. It looks like a paste-on stache, like the one they gave away last year for Keith’s Mustache Day.
Next Game
The Mets have a day off on Thursday, then open their last series against the Phillies at Shea on Friday night at 7:10 pm. Mike Pelfrey goes to the hill against Brett Myers.
