You know how there are tough losses and there are really tough losses? Well I dont know where exactly this would be on that scale but its a loss that the Mets are going to look back on and say we got the pitching performance we asked for, we got the other team’s ace by the 7th inning with a rally mounting and we had a runner on second in the ninth with our supposed franchise player up at the plate and we couldn’t score. But they win it on a wild pitch from Fernando Nieve. Yep. I think that about sums it up.
– Johan Santana’s line: 7 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, but he gave up one run, 5 K’s, 1 BB, on 98 pitches (62 for strikes- 63%). It was a pitcher’s duel as he was going against Josh Johnson who also went 7 innings. The two were pitching really well. Santana gave up the one run on an error when he tried to handle a bunt by Josh Johnson and threw high to Jose Reyes.
Either way, we saw from Johan Santana what we’d been waiting for. Enemy territory against a divisional opponent, head to head against the other team’s ace, coming up big. Not the flashy line but when he needed a pop up he got it. When he needed a double play he got it. When he needed a strike out he got that too. He’s not going to strike out over 200 guys a year like he did during his hey day with the Twins but he’s still an intensely competitive pitcher and capable of getting by with guile. Like every pitcher it seems on the Mets, he’s lost a few MPH on his fastball. Now we dont know if its still the lingering effects of his elbow surgery but whatever it is, he seemed to be throwing 91 through most of the night. Maybe its the humidity in Florida that gave him that extra juice. Who knows, but it was great seeing vintage Johan out there.
– Josh Johnson is just nasty. While driving down, WFAN went through a hypothetical trade situation and wondered aloud who they would trade Josh Johnson for and they couldn’t find a single person they would get in return that would be of equal value and I’d have to agree with them. The guy throws in the high 90’s and is a dominant ace and this is two years after he came back from Tommy John. What sucks even more is that he owns the Mets. Absolutely owns them. 7-1 with a 2.66 ERA coming in and today he seemed to be cruising retiring the final 15 batters he faced.
– The Mets had a runner in scoring position in the 2nd and got a huge hit from, who else, Rod Barajas to score their only run. After that, they had a runner in scoring position in the 6th when Johnson tried to throw Reyes out but ended up throwing low and the 1b Gaby Sanchez unable to make the play and allowing Reyes to go to 3rd. Johnson came back and struck out Bay on a wicked inside fastball that froze him. Then the big rally in the 9th with the game untying run, Luis Castillo, reaching on an error by the 2b who overthrew the first baseman. Reyes popped up. Bay hit a liner to third which froze Castillo who couldn’t advance and Wright struck out on the…wait for it….slider out of the strike zone. I mean its like a script now with Wright. Its so clear how pitchers are going at Wright and its beginning to irritate me that he’s falling for it every time. Of course it took Leo Nunez fifteen conferences with Ronny Paulino but he finally got the pitch he wanted. Its tough that the Mets lost but not too much the offense could get going against Josh Johnson and co. They were getting lucky with little errors but I suppose that’s where everyone comes out and says “good teams take advantage of opportunities.”
-Another day another mistake by the bullpen. Now I know what people are going to say: Why is Nieve coming out for a second inning? Even after giving up the single to Paulino pushing Cody Ross to third, exactly why was he still there? Nieve threw a bad pitch and here we are discussing what a terrible decision it was. But Manuel really didn’t need to keep him there. I’m not going to sit and second guess him on this since Manuel took a chance that the game would go into extras and he needed his long arms to be in the game for multiple innings but what a terrible way to lose the game.
– For those wondering, no I won’t start the Ike Davis to hit 3rd chants or the Rod Barajas higher in the batting order one either. For now I think Jerry is holding off on a decision he will have to make sooner or later. You can’t just plug Beltran back even if you get him back in Mid June to the three spot so if no one is producing Jerry will have to make a decision soon enough. The Mets are just not generating enough offense and since they don’t have a prototypical 3 hitter, I think its time to come up with a rotating system. Putting in a few guys who are hot and plugging them there, no matter who it is. You need your best hitter up there in those spots and if its Rod Barajas then Rod needs to hit 3rd. Plain and simple. Forget convention, these Mets need unconventional methods to win and I think its time to start thinking outside the box.
– Of course all the attention went away from the game after yesterday’s press conference where Charlie Manuel tried to deflect the rumors that his team was stealing signs with binoculars by saying that there’s something fishy with the Mets winning so much at home. HUH? At that point, uncle Charlie started to get all slurry with his speech and say the Phillies were stealing signs legally. Stealing something legally is an oxy-MORON if I’ve heard some. Good job of Jerry Manuel of staying away from controversy and continuing to take the high road as did Johan who was at the center of the controversy as the game where he gave up those 10 runs is one of the games being looked at. Just beat them on the field guys. Keep it on the field. Oh and please do send a high and tight one to Victorino with the first pitch and then glare at Manuel. That would be downright awesome.
SEASON: 18-17
MY PREDICTION: 22-13
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The Lazy Eye of Sports 