Twins 2, Mets 1

I was in the middle of writing about this game when my computer just froze up for no apparent reason. Here's a tip: don't ever by a Compaq, kids. And, I guess, write stuff in Word, rather than Notepad, so it can be recovered when this stuff happens. But the Compaq thing is more important. They're shit. Don't buy 'em. More tomorrow, on baseball probably.

Okay, let’s try this again.

Do you think Tom Glavine still believes he can win 300 games? With the way he’s pitching lately, you have to think he’s capable of it, but then games like this keep happening to him. This was the fourth time this season the Mets have scored just one run in a game he’s started. He managed to win one, lost a pair of 2-1 decisions, and got no decision in this 2-1 loss. Intuitively, you expect your ace to bump up against the aces of the other teams and get into low-scoring affairs like these. Glavine did face off memorably against Randy Johnson, of course, but that was the one game he managed to win. The other three were against fine pitchers in Livan Hernandez, Dontrelle Willis and, this time, Brad Radke. All of those guys can get the job done, but a good offense should be able to manage two or three runs against any of them on most occasions. This time Glavine went eight innings, his second-longest outing of the season, allowing just one run on five hits and four walks while striking out two. And when he turned the game over to the bullpen, the game was tied.

The Mets managed their run on a Vance Wilson RBI single in the fifth inning and tallied just five hits and a pair of walks against Radke in seven innings before Juan Rincon shut them down in the final two frames. When Glavine turned the game over to the bullpen in the ninth, having thrown a healthy 109 pitches, it was to Mike Stanton. And that’s certainly ominous enough. Stanton didn’t do anything to ease the tension, allowing a single to the first batter he faced. But after he got the first out of the inning on a failed sacrifice, his defense didn’t do him any favors. A potential inning-ending double play ball to Kazuo Matsui was booted, leaving runners on first and second with just one out. Then Ty Wigginton made a nice stop on a ground ball up the middle only to screw things up by unnecessarily throwing to first, allowing Jacque Jones to come all the way around to score from second when the throw from first baseman Jason Phillips home bounced and couldn’t be handled by Wilson.

I’ve personally tried to be patient, more patient than most, with Matsui’s defense. I’ve tried to understand the difficulties that adjusting to America’s grass field and the Mets’ poor first baseman have given him. I do still think his error total is deceptive, but I also think the play tonight, an easy ground ball on the artificial turf to which he became accustomed in Japan, absolutely needed to be made and Matsui needs to be held accountable for his defense failing to even approach the hype that preceded his arrival. I’m still glad to have him on the team and still expect him to improve somewhat, but I can’t help but join the chorus of voices calling for him to shift to second base next year in favor of Jose Reyes. Reyes’ defense has almost certainly been overhyped as well, but there’s no questioning that he’s more comfortable at short than Matsui has been thus far or that he has the significantly stronger arm of the two. It would have been nice if Matsui’s performance had matched his reputation, but I won’t be too upset with an infield of David Wright, Reyes, Matsui and Mike Piazza left to right in 2005.

Tonight, it’ll be Steve Trachsel (5-4, 3.38), who’s had two rough starts in a row, against the struggling Johan Santana (2-4, 5.50).  ¶ joe | 1:16 AM |