Expos 2, Mets 1

It is too late to get one of those bullpen committees that are all the rage? Al Leiter came out into the bright, hot sunlight of Puerto Rico and pitched quite well. As of this point in the season, he looks to be quite good at any time of day. Leiter went six innings and failed to surrender any runs, giving up three hits and four walks along with one strikeout on 106 pitches on a day when thermometers on the artificially turfed field reached up into the 130s. David Weathers came in in the seventh and pitched two excellent innings, surrendering just a walk on seventeen pitches. And if not for the mentality that any ninth innning in which the Mets have a lead of three runs or fewer belongs to Armando Benitez, perhaps he would have been allowed to finish the game out given the ease with which he'd recorded the first six outs. But no, it is the law that such situations belong to he who is designated Closer, and thus, Benitez was allowed to come in in the ninth and surrender a game-tying home run to the first batter he faced, Orlando Cabrera, for his third blown save of the season. He managed to get out of the inning without giving up any more runs, but he had squandered Leiter's great start and left it up to the abysmal Mets offense to score another run and win this game. They failed to do so in the top of the tenth, and in the bottom of the inning, Mike Stanton's first pitch to Jose Vidro wound up in the seats behind the left field wall, giving Stanton his second loss of the season. The Mets offense provides no room for error within the bullpen, and failing to stick with the guy who actually showed an ability to get people out, Weathers, cost the Mets.

Estadio Hiram Bithorn in lovely San Juan, Puerto Rico has not proven to be quite the offensive paradise it was made out to be in the days and weeks before this series began. The Mets scored their only run in the first inning after Timo Perez, who was starting in left field in place of Cliff Floyd, hit a double, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a single up the middle by Roberto Alomar, who seems to be picking up his offensive production somewhat during this series in his homeland. He went 2 for 4 with a walk. Perez went 1 for 4 with a walk and seems to be solidifying his case to be the starting centerfielder and bat leadoff every day. Roger Cedeno, starting in center and batting first today, went 0 for 5 with five infield groundouts, three to the shortstop and one each to second and third.

Tomorrow afternoon, the last game of this series will see Steve Trachsel take the mound for the Mets against Javier Vazquez of the Expos.  ¶ joe | 6:40 PM |