Pirates 10 Mets 6

Just think, if this were 1960, this miserable season would be over. Then again, if this were 1960, the Mets wouldn’t exist. Hmm …

Astros 6 Mets 1

The game was actually a lot closer than the final score. The Mets were in it until the top of the 8th when Bobby Parnell balked with the bases loaded and then served up a two-run single to let the game get away.

Mets 3 Astros 1

Closer? Who needs a closer?

The Mets began the After K-Rod Era in fine style, taking a close one from the Astros — and sealing the deal with a save by Hisanori Takahashi.

But see, that’s the difference that sets the great teams like the Mets apart from all the rest: DEPTH. Only a team as deep and talented as the Mets can lose an $11.5M closer and not even blink.

Game Notes

Jonathon Niese threw another gem, but wasn’t around long enough to earn a decision. Niese went a strong 7 innings, allowing one run on 7 hits, walking none, striking out 5.

David Wright broke out of his lengthy slump, going 3-for-4 and scoring the winning run in the ninth when he scampered home from third on a slider that got away.

Carlos Beltran‘s bat also showed signs of life — he had two hits including his second homerun of the season, a solo shot that accounted for the Mets’ first run of the ballgame.

The only other Met to swat an extra-base hit was Jeff Francoeur, whose ninth-inning triple scored Beltran with an insurance run.

When the Mets are playing in the NLDS in October, we will all look back at this game, and the exit of K-Rod, as the turning point of the season — the start of when everything began to go right. Or not.

I am traveling for work this week and couldn’t get the game on MLB.com so wound up listening to the WFAN broadcast of this game via my iPhone MLB GameDay app. I can’t decide what is most annoying about the radio broadast: the “Cars for Kids” ad, the NY Auto Giant ad, or Wayne Hagin. Maybe it’s easier to say that the most annoying thing was that I couldn’t get MLB.com video to work.

Next Mets Game

The Mets play in Houston again on Tuesday night at 8:05 PM. Johan Santana will face Nelson Figueroa in a matchup of pitchers facing their original organization.

Mets 7 Astros 1

A chance to go out with a bang.

After getting swept four times in their seven September series, the Mets won the opener of their final series of the season — guaranteeing, at least, they won’t go oh-fer-October.

John Maine was brilliant, pitching perhaps his best game all season. Maine went a full seven frames, allowing only one run on five hits, walking none and striking out seven.

Meantime Wandy Rodriguez’s magic against the Mets continues to occur only in Houston — though his six-inning, 3-runs-allowed effort was respectable. It was reliever Doug Brocail who got whacked for four runs in the ninth inning and swelled the final score — making the game seem less close than it really was. (Was that a Yogi-ism?)

Notes

For one of the few times since 2007, Maine had sharp command of his fastball. His velocity was encouraging, as well, reaching 93 on occasion. He had the ‘stros batters jumping out of their shoes on his slider, as well, which he mixed in expertly. Though, I’d still like to see him throw his change-up more often, especially early in counts, rather than use the slider as his change of pace.

If nothing else, this outing pretty much cemented a 2010 contract for Maine.

Both David Wright and Jeff Francoeur went 3-for-4, Frenchy with 2 RBI.

Daniel Murphy hit a pinch-hit, two-run homer, his 12th of the season.

Nick Evans shook off the mothballs and appeared as a pinch-hitter as well — and blasted a triple.

What in the world was Michael Bourn doing attempting to steal third in the first inning with none out and Miguel Tejada, Lance Berkman, and Carlos Lee following him in the lineup? I haven’t watched enough of the ‘stros to know what went wrong for them this year, but boneheaded decisions like that are a clue.

Equally strange, in the fifth frame, Wandy Rodriguez sacrifice bunted with a man on second and one out.

Nice conversation among Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ralph Kiner about the enormous number of strikeouts in this day and age. The idea of cutting down the swing and protecting the plate with two strikes has completely left the game since teams pay more millions for more homeruns and Beanehead math said that the risk of swinging for homers and missing on strike three outweighed the negatives. But now that steroids are less prevalent — and in turn homerun totals are dropping — I wonder if two-strike strategy will go back to the old-school philosophy.

Next Mets Game

The next-to-last game of the season occurs on Saturday afternoon at 1 PM. Pat Misch faces Yorman Bazardo.