One good pounding deserves another. We hit first, the Phils responded in kind with a 10-0 drubbing behind their new ace, Roy Halladay. No shame in the loss but it was definitely a wake up call for the Mets.
– Remember Bad Pelfrey? Well you saw him. But it took a while for him to come out and it took two tough drops by the Mets infielders to get him out. The tough part of that 6 run fourth inning was the reality that perhaps the game would’ve looked different had those catches been made. If Cora makes that over the shoulder grab, then they would’ve easily doubled up Utley who was betting (and right it ended up) that he wouldn’t make the catch and had already rounded 3rd.
Pelfrey’s line: 4 IP, 2K’s, 1 BB, 6 ER, on 8 hits and 82 pitches (56 for strikes- 68%). But his cool was definitely lost once those hits fell and things torpedoed from there ending with Victorino hitting the 3 run HR that virtually ended the game. Doc Halladay doesn’t need much run support so 6 runs is like Christmas.
– What I did enjoy from the game however was that by the 5th inning, they had Doc at 80 pitches which should’ve made him tired but then he went through a few low pitch innings which allowed him to go the distance for his 3rd complete game in six starts. So basically after slugging through 5 innings and 80 some odd pitches. He threw close to 40 for the next 4. He’s incredible. A betting man never goes against Doc especially after a loss in his last start. There’s no shame in losing to an ace like Halladay. He changes speeds, throws it on the corners like a surgeon, and just has excellent control with velocity which is a rare combination and makes him deadly. There is no one speed for his fastball which makes it so difficult to time. So he’ll throw the fastball at 95 for two pitches inside and then throw a fastball at 90 on the corner and make you look silly. The thing about Doc is that he doesn’t just hit the strike zone, he pounds it, abuses it and every other synonym that means he kills the strike zone. Despite the loss, I thought the Mets would keep it close behind Pelf but mistakes made it difficult.
– What I did like is that the Phillies haven’t seen Takahashi yet, or Fernando Nieve. Those are the two most effective and overworked guys on the roster. They didn’t sniff the pitching rubber this weekend which is a good thing. Phils tagged on a few more runs on Raul Valdes who I felt sorry for because his responsibility was to give them innings regardless of what the score he would leave the game with. Valdes went three innings and let up 3 runs on 4 hits with 6 K’s. Manny Acosta pitched the 9th for the second straight day. I like him in that role of mop up duty. He throws hard and the Mets have missed guys with high velocity who routinely throw in the mid 90’s and they are going back to that hard thrower that they’ve been missing these last few years.
– The thing about the Phils is this: once they smell blood they keep hitting you and they go in for the kill. Love that attitude and it seems as though the two previous games before today’s, the Mets seemed to understand that. No matter what, there will come a time when you can’t sustain the kind of play the Mets have been playing the last week. It took the best pitcher in the game, arguably, to stop them. Like I said no shame in that.
– Speaking of ace, the Mets ace goes tomorrow in yet another nationally televised game for the Mets as they finish the 3 game series against the Phils as Johan Santana goes against the ageless one, Jamie Moyer. Like Halladay came in and played stopper, Johan will be called to do the same tomorrow night. Hopefully the Mets get a great performance from their ace, because they need to stop bad momentum from today’s game that can easily fester and stay in player’s minds. I think the clubhouse culture is different so this team will be able to put that loss aside and get back to winning.
– Not blaming this on Cora who I love because he fills another need I felt was more pertinent than the one he serves on the field (clubhouse contributor), but I didn’t know why Castillo wasn’t in there. He’s the prototypical 2 hitter, much like Polanco. Castillo makes contact, takes pitches and prolongs pitch counts which would’ve been key. Like I said, its all about the bounces and breaks that didn’t go the Mets way today. The last week the Mets were super fortunate in many areas; facing teams that were on their way down. Despite that, the Mets have to bounce back and make sure that NOTHING takes away from the goal of moving on from such an ugly loss. The Phils woke up from the 9-1 drubbing and handed a 10-0 pounding on the Mets, its time for the Mets to respond. I know its early and its foolish to think that these games have long lasting repercussions, but you never know, so let’s say it does: the Mets need to respond with a statement game.
SEASON: 14-10
MY PREDICTION: 13-11
I had them losing tomorrow night. Let’s hope I dont know what I’m talking about.
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The Lazy Eye of Sports 