Rays 10 Mets 6

Another series lost.

The Rays reached starter Mike Pelfrey for 4 runs on 8 hits in 5 innings, but the bullpen did no better. Neither Bobby Parnell nor Sean Green retired a hitter, and they allowed six runs between them. This game was so far gone, in fact, that Brian Stokes, Ken Takahashi, and Jon Switzer each worked a full inning.

Notes

Pelfrey was using a slide step fairly often with runners on base, and though he was getting rid of the ball quickly, he wasn’t throwing too many strikes with that abbreviated motion. One step at a time, I guess.

Anyone notice that Wilson Valdez was thrown out at third base as the third out in the second inning? Anyone notice Mike Pelfrey not backing up home when Gary Sheffield air-mailed a throw to the plate in the fifth? Little things …

The first three hitters in the Rays’ lineup — B.J. Upton, Carl Crawford, and Evan Longoria — combined to go 11 for 16 with 6 runs scored and 7 RBI. If only those three men came down with a stomach bug, the Mets would’ve won easily.

Carlos Beltran went 2-for-4 with a walk and David Wright was 3-for-5 with a double. The rest of the Mets had 5 hits in 26 at-bats and walked 4 times.

Lost in this debacle was Brian Schneider’s second homerun in as many games. As we know, Brian hits homers in bunches. He needs to get a homer in each of the next six games he plays to tie the record for most consecutive games with a homer shared by Dale Long, Don Mattingly, and Ken Griffey. Since he’s the backup catcher, that could take two weeks. Schneider also drove in half of the Mets’ runs.

The Mets’ most productive position is catcher, as Mets catchers have driven in 48 runs this season.

Pedro Feliciano pitched for the sixth consecutive day. According to manager Jerry Manuel, as long as Feliciano pitches to only one batter, he can pitch as many days in a row as he wants. Really? Based on …?

Oh, by the way, Feliciano pitched a full inning in this game, and threw to more than one batter in 4 of these 6 straight games. Just sayin’.

Classic Keith Hernandez quote:

“When Pelfrey is up he loses the sink”

You think?

Next Mets Game

The St. Louis Cardinals come to town for a four-game series beginning on Monday night at 7:10 PM. The opener pits Tim Redding vs. Todd Wellemeyer.