Rockies 5 Mets 4

Close, but no cigar.

The illusion drawn by Terry Collins is that if only one pitch or one hit in each game went differently, the team could easily be 9-2. First, I’m not sure I agree, and second, that is exactly the difference between winning teams and losing teams. When a team consistently fails to execute the small things, they will consistently be on the wrong end of the final score — and vice-versa. See the Braves of 1991-2005.

In any case, it was another sad loss for the Mets. So close, yet so far.

With the Mets stumbling a bit out of the gate, there’s no need to panic. Rather, it’s time to join together and support our boys and help motivate them to victory. Here is one example of a particularly inspirational Mets fan:

Per Anthony DiComo on Mets.com:

The wild weather of the Northeast has certainly played havoc with our daily lives — but what about Carlos Beltran’s knees?

According to Sandy Alderson, Jason Bay is unlikely to return to the Mets before April 26th.

This news completely conflicts with manager Terry Collins’ suggestion earlier this week that Bay would return this weekend “in a perfect world”.

Well, in a “perfect world”, the Mets wouldn’t be languishing in last place, either.

I’m not sure what prompted Collins to make that comment — even if it was empty and ambiguous — but it sure smells similar to the disconnect between the front office and field manager of the previous regime.

Am I picking a fight here? Maybe. But there isn’t much else to talk about right now without bringing up the fact that the Mets stink have been disappointing of late. So perhaps I’m trying to divert the attention away from the on-field ineptitude.

In related news, Ronny Paulino is expected to return around the same date — which is in line with his status on the 15-day disabled list as of April 10th. Per Alderson:

After last night’s rainout, the schedule has been amended.

Tonight’s game begins as scheduled at 7:10 PM. Jonathon Niese will start for the Mets against Esmil Rogers of the Rockies.

On Thursday, the Mets and Rockies will engage in a modern style traditional doubleheader — i.e., one ticket gives you two games (thank you for the correction, friends in the comments). The first game tomorrow will begin at 12:10 PM, with R.A. Dickey expecting to face lefty Jorge De La Rosa. The second game begins at 3:40 PM (assuming, of course, that game one doesn’t go more than 3 1/2 hours), with Chris Capuano taking the hill against righthander Greg Reynolds.

However, don’t hold me to those pitching matchups; it’s possible that the Rox will flip-flop those pitchers. I’m not sure what goes into the decision-making process, so can’t comment on which pitcher makes more sense based on the timing.