Mets Game 158: Win Over Phillies

Mets 6 Phillies 3

Imagine your team losing eight straight, including getting swept in a doubleheader, and you not in the least bit concerned — because your team is two games away from 100 victories on the season? Must be nice.

Mets Game Notes

The Phillies look uncharacteristically disinterested, like they are playing out the string, trying to get the games over with. I guess that’s what happens when a team wraps up the division and home-field advantage in the postseason — it’s like, what else is there to play for? Let’s just make sure we don’t get hurt. I vaguely remember a similar issue with the 2006 Mets, who ran away with the NL East that year; I think there was a stretch in September, after they clinched, where they lost 10 of 12 or something. Remember? It seems like it was decades ago, doesn’t it?

As much as Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel wanted his team to treat this game as though it meant something, it had the feel of a spring training game, what with a different Phillie going to the mound every two innings.

On the other hand, the Mets were playing this game like it mattered, which was refreshing. Dillon Gee had a decent outing, allowing three runs on nine hits and two walks in six innings. The length of his start was good, the fact he kept the team in the game was good. The 11 baserunners and only 2 Ks in 6 innings was not so good. But hey, a win is a win is a win they say, so if you subscribe to that, then Gee did what he needed to do. Me, I’m evaluating the process rather than the result, and I’m not fond of the process.

Bobby Parnell faced five batters and retired them all — on 16 pitches — striking out one. A nice outing.

Manny Acosta saved more games in one day than he did in the first 150 games of the season. Can he keep it up through the final four? Stay tuned.

The Mets offense was remarkably efficient in this ballgame — their six runs came on only six hits and two walks. This is quite an accomplishment when you consider that only one of those hits was for extra bases (a double by Nick Evans). Jason Pridie — who went 2-for-3 — was the only Met with more than one hit. T

Next Mets Game

The final game of the season series with the Phillies begins at 2:10 PM on Sunday afternoon (curious start time, no?). Mike Pelfrey makes his last start of 2011 against Roy Halladay.