I hate relief pitchers. Or, more to the point, I hate the Mets’ relief pitchers.
And I’m not too happy with Pedro Martinez, or an offense that decided to stop hitting after the third inning of last night’s Phillies game. But then, seven runs should be enough for anyone to walk away with a win.
Did I mention that I was in the stands at Citizens’ Bank Park — a wonderful little baseball stadium that should be the model for new parks around the country. It certainly makes Shea feel as old and decrepit — and physically unfriendly — as we’ve always known it to be (though, and the Phillie fans I talked with last night admitted this, the Vet always made Shea seem like hallowed ground).
Some observations about the game and the team:
- What is it that keeps the Mets from hitting after about the sixth inning? Last night, they scored all their runs early, as is the norm, and then shut down. For the season, they are second from the bottom in scoring after the sixth inning — which would be a useless stat except that it raises question about the team’s heart. Consider that the Phillies never say die and that they dug in after being down 7-0 and found a way to stretch the game out to 13 innings and a win, and you have to wonder whether there is something missing on the mental/emotional side with this team.
- Pedro can no longer be counted on. He will turn in some solid performances, but also the clinkers. Against teams like the Phillies — free-swinging big bats that hit a lot of homers but also strike out frequently — he can be both dominant and dormant. Last night, he manage to pitch in and out of jams until the Phillies scored four in the fifth. And yet, he left with a two-run lead.
- The Mets are without a closer (Billy Wagner) and likely will be without one for the rest of the year. That puts extra pressure on a relief corps that has trouble keeping leads. There is no one on the waiver wire likely to help, and unless the Mets stay behind the Phillies, the waiver-trade route is unlikely.
- This race will go down to the wire — the Phillies have their own issues in the rotation and defensively in the infield, plus they strikeout too much, making them a feast-or-famine-type team — with the loser staying home. I think the play of the Cubs and Brewers make it clear that two teams will be coming out of the Central (plus the Cards remain ahead of the Mets/Phillies in the wild card standings), with only one team — the division winner — from the East and West moving into the playoffs.
- This team is beginning to look like the mid/late-’80s Mets, a team that won one World Series, one divisional title and managed to finish second five times in a seven-year run. This team should be better, but it’s not and I don’t know that we have a convincing explanation as to why.
(I tried to mobile blog from the game last night, by the way, but it didn’t work. I’ll figure it out at some point.)
Hank Kalet 