It didn’t seem so long ago that the Mets were in first place and four games over .500. Then, we’ve collectively blinked, and suddenly the Mets are 7-5, tied for second place with the Braves, and not too far ahead of the third-place Marlins and last-place Phillies.
The Mets beat the Braves in Atlanta? In a one-run game? I suppose Halley’s Comet will be appearing shortly as well.
So much for the “scary stretch” and fear of a six-game losing streak.
The Mets have now lost 7 straight, including two consecutive doubleheaders.
I’d like to say there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but I can’t see it.
The Mets lost. But on the bright side, we were given proof that Oliver Perez was NOT kidnapped.
Mets starter Pat Misch was not good, allowing 5 runs on 8 hits in only 3 innings. Elmer Dessens was better in his bailout role, shutting out the Braves in a pair of frames. The only other pitcher the Braves didn’t reach for a run was Ryota Igarashi, who pitched a scoreless ninth.
Speaking of relievers, Oliver Perez made an appearance, giving up one run, one hit, and two walks — it was his first appearance in an MLB-high 25 consecutive games. The one hit he allowed was a solo homer by Brian McCann; so much for the hope that Ollie could be a LOOGY.
The scary thing is, the Braves should’ve scored at least a few more runs — they seemed to constantly have runners on base with none out and left 7 on base. But the Mets were almost doubly ineffective, with 12 LOB and a combined 1-for-14 with RISP. That has nothing to do with approach nor the hitting coach, though — it’s all bad luck and bad skill sets.
The Mets have scored 3 runs or less in 63 of their 131 games.
Jeff Francoeur was the only Met with two hits and he scored two runs. He was also the only Met to be the target of a Coke bottle tosser.
Josh Thole hit a triple to drive in Francoeur for one of those runs.
There isn’t much else positive to discuss on the Mets side so I’ll mention that Jason Heyward went 4-for-5 with a homerun, 3 runs scored, and 4 RBI. If Bobby Cox sat him, the Mets might’ve lost by only a couple runs instead of six.
I still can’t tell the difference between Omar Infante and Martin Prado, but they are definitely two different people, because one is always on base and the other is always driving him in.
Game two in Hotlanta begins at 7:10 PM on Tuesday night. Jonathon Niese faces Mike Minor, who is now in the Majors.
Suddenly, things are looking up.
The Mets beat the Braves for the second consecutive time and simultaneously won their second straight series on a sunny Saturday afternoon in Flushing.
Jon Niese pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits and 5 walks, striking out 6 and expending 116 pitches. Considering that the SNY crew labeled his previous start as “outstanding”, I guess this one would qualify as “spectacular”. If he does any better, I guess we’ll have to call it “legendary”. Maybe I’m getting old and ornery, but in my day, such superlatives were reserved for, well, more superb performances.
Jason Bay is clearly out of his slump — he went 3-for-4 with a double and a sac fly for an RBI. Bay’s 3 hits accounted for more than half of the Mets’ total for the game (5).
Jeff Francoeur lashed an RBI double for the game-winning hit in the 7th, and had a key assist earlier in the game to end an Atlanta rally.
Yunel Escobar was the dunce that allowed Francoeur to get that assist. Standing on third with one out, Escobar did not tag up on a deep fly to right by Troy Glaus. However, the man on second — Martin Prado — did tag, and got caught in a rundown between second and third while Escobar scrambled back to 3B and tried to score. It wasn’t even close.
Bobby Cox will definitely be retiring after this season — maybe before the All-Star Break — if the Braves continue to display such awful fundamentals. I would not be surprised to see Escobar benched on Sunday, though he’s not the only culprit. Overall, the Braves are nowhere near the rock-solid executioners they were in their heyday, which must drive Cox crazy but also severely damage his pride.
Larry Jones was not chipper on his (and Pat Zachry’s) birthday — he struck out looking twice on back-door curveballs from Niese and left the ballgame with a sore hip. Glass Jones’ sporadic availability combined with the Braves’ poor execution will be Atlanta’s downfall in 2010.
Henry Blanco drove in the insurance run in the seventh with a short fly ball to left, but more importantly, he stole a base — his first since little league. OK, I’m exaggerating … Blanco last recorded a stolen base in 2001. Seriously.
Former Brave Manny Acosta threw 1 2/3 innings of nearly perfect relief, striking out 3 and walking one. I’ve decided he’s the 2010 version of Jorge Sosa: a slider machine who can also throw a fairly hard and straight fastball, and will do well over a short span of time. That said, I’m OK with Jerry Manuel running him out there until the hitters figure him out.
Speaking of the Smartest Manager in Baseball, Jerry Manuel won his second consecutive game using the brilliant strategy of Jose Reyes in the 3-hole. You can’t argue with success, so don’t even try. I especially like the idea of batting Alex Cora second, so that Reyes has the opportunity to hit without the distraction of a runner on base — it’s kind of like he’s always leading off.
Jose Reyes, by the way, went 0-for-2 with 2 walks, a run scored, and a stolen base in the three spot.
David Wright looks terrible at the plate. He seems to be using a different stance every time up, and he’s taking huge swings at the ball. Usually when Wright is in a slump, he’s still around .280-.290. He’s currently hovering at .230. Color me concerned.
With this win, the Mets have sent the Braves to the basement and are now tied for third place with the Washington Nationals. If that’s not reason to believe I don’t know what is.
The final game of the series — which at this point is moot — will be played at 8:05 PM on Sunday night. Mike Pelfrey faces Tommy Hanson in what could be a very interesting matchup. The game will be broadcast on ESPN.
The Mets were down by only a run for most of this game — in fact they were winning for a few minutes — but there was never a point where I felt, “hey, they have a chance to win”. I simply sat in front of the TV and waited for them to lose. Sad.
Nelson Figueroa was very good, but not good enough to earn a win. He allowed two runs on two hits and three walks in a seven-inning, 126-pitch effort.
Unfortunately for Figgy, Atlanta’s Jair Jurrjens was just a little bit better, allowing only one run on five hits and three walks through seven-innings and 94 pitches.
The Braves added an insurance run against Frankie Fantastik, who may have thrown a scoreless inning if Carlos Beltran had been playing a deeper centerfield on Yunel Escobar’s double — or if Angel Pagan had been playing more shallow in left on Adam LaRoche’s single that scored Escobar. Or maybe if Omir Santos could have caught the ball before it was hit. Certainly, it wasn’t Frankie’s fault.
Figgy has had his rough outings, but he’s also proven he can hold his own as a starting pitcher at the MLB level. I would like to see him return in 2010 as a swing man / spot starter. He may not wow the sabermetricians with his stats but he gets the most out of ability and finds a way to compete. That is inspiring, can rub off on teammates, and is a value that can’t be measured with a calculator.
Last night I noticed Brian Stokes with a little extra rotation. Tonight my eyes saw Sean Green going just a little more underhand. To me it seemed Green was closer to 6 o’clock / 5:30 as opposed to his more 3:30 / 4 o’clock angle. Are my eyes deceiving me lately, or am I seeing actual mechanical changes?
If Green IS in fact going more “down under”, I would think that’s a good thing. The closer he gets to Chad Bradford-like underhand, the less stress there is on the arm — which in turn would allow him to pitch more frequently without a loss in effectiveness. Assuming, of course, that he can pitch as effectively at such an angle.
Brooks Conrad made a pinch-hitting appearance for the Braves. His name makes me think of a 1950s character actor.
Gary Cohen reported that Alex Cora had successful surgery on his other thumb, then further suggested that the Mets “need to see more of him next year”. Huh? Even if he returns — which in itself is a longshot — I don’t believe we want to see any MORE of Alex Cora in 2010. He’s a bench player, which means if we see more of him, it also means one (or more than one) of the starters is on the DL for a significant period of time. I get Cohen’s point — that Cora is supposedly a great clubhouse guy and a veteran leader — but we don’t want to see any more of him than we saw in 2009. Less, preferably.
The final game of the series occurs at 7:10 PM on Wednesday night. Mike Pelfrey faces Tim Hudson, who will be making his fifth MLB start since returning from Tommy John surgery.
You can’t pin this one on Danny Boy.
Daniel Murphy went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored, and his 10th homerun of the season, but it wasn’t enough to carry the team to victory.
Since there was no postgame interview with Frankie Rodriguez, I’m not sure who’s to blame for this one. Instead I’ll move right on to the notes …
Nelson Figueroa had a rough night, allowing 6 runs on 9 hits and a walk in 5 innings — an average of 2 baserunners an inning. Not a good formula for success. He may have felt the game was falling apart from the opening pitch, since Murphy was starting at first base. Though, he didn’t admit that publicly.
On the bright side, Tobi Stoner looked good. Not good by MLB standards, but good compared to what we’ve seen of him thus far. He allowed a run on 4 hits and a walk. You know it’s a bad season when a reliever allows 5 baserunners in 3 innings and it’s called a “good” outing.
Angel Pagan hit another triple – his 10th of the season, and the second-best total in the NL.
Other than Pagan, Murphy, and two hits by Wilson Valdez of all people, the Mets didn’t do much against Jair Jurrjens, who hurled seven stellar frames and allowed one earned run.
The Mets were swept for the second time this September, and have lost five in a row. They’re making a strong run for the #4 pick overall in next June’s draft. Pray for a hot run by the Orioles.
The Braves, meanwhile, are on a seven-game win streak, and narrowed the gap between them and the Wild Card-leading Rockies to 4 1/2.
The Mets return to New York for a three-game series with the Nationals — before seeing the Braves follow them to Flushing on Monday. Friday night’s opener vs. Washington pits J.D. Martin vs. Mike Pelfrey.
