Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Braves 4, Mets 3
So it turns out that Pedro Martinez isn't perfect. Which is to say that even Pedro gets unlucky sometimes. For while last night may have been his worst start of the season thus far, it wasn't because the Braves were hitting him particularly hard. He suffered his second three-run first inning of the year, this one bore little resemblance to the Adam Dunn-fueled Opening Day troubles. He allowed four hits in the first, but just about none were particularly sharply hit. They just happened to find a spot of grass without a fielder standing on it, as so many balls had failed to do in Pedro's first four starts.
But, as he did on Opening Day, he basically put a stop to that starting with the second inning, though he did allow another run on two hits in the third and he didn't dominate the Braves in quite the spectacular fashion that he flashed against the Reds. He wound up lasting seven innings and giving up just those four runs on seven hits and a pair of walks. That walking two batters in seven innings was somewhat of an alarming departure for Pedro is still refreshing in comparison to the rest of the rotation. And of course, he's still Pedro, so he struck out eight.
But he left the game trailing, as John Smoltz once again shut the Mets down early. David Wright drove in one run with a double in the second, but that was all the Mets could manage in the first eight innings, even though they racked up seven hits and three walks in the six and two-thirds innings that Smoltz pitched. But in the ninth, things got pretty interesting as the Braves went to their closer. To those who say that any reliever can get three outs with a three run lead, I submit Dan Kolb.
Kolb did get two quick outs, despite a leadoff hit and a sharply hit grounder. Those two things added up to a double play. But then it was a double for Eric Valent, formerly of the Mets' right field platoon. Kolb kept on throwing pitches, so of course Jose Reyes swung at them and this time he turned one of them around and into a double. Mike Piazza came up with a pinch hit single and it was 4-3. Carlos Beltran singled and it was first and third. And so Bobby Cox took the unusual step of removal his closer from the game. And so Cliff Floyd popped up on the infield and the game was over. Floyd had two hits on the night, as did Wright and Reyes, both of whose were doubles, but it wasn't quite enough in the end.
Today this series gets settled as Tom Glavine (1-2, 3.97) takes on Mike Hampton (2-0, 1.17). ¶ joe | 12:40 PM |
So it turns out that Pedro Martinez isn't perfect. Which is to say that even Pedro gets unlucky sometimes. For while last night may have been his worst start of the season thus far, it wasn't because the Braves were hitting him particularly hard. He suffered his second three-run first inning of the year, this one bore little resemblance to the Adam Dunn-fueled Opening Day troubles. He allowed four hits in the first, but just about none were particularly sharply hit. They just happened to find a spot of grass without a fielder standing on it, as so many balls had failed to do in Pedro's first four starts.
But, as he did on Opening Day, he basically put a stop to that starting with the second inning, though he did allow another run on two hits in the third and he didn't dominate the Braves in quite the spectacular fashion that he flashed against the Reds. He wound up lasting seven innings and giving up just those four runs on seven hits and a pair of walks. That walking two batters in seven innings was somewhat of an alarming departure for Pedro is still refreshing in comparison to the rest of the rotation. And of course, he's still Pedro, so he struck out eight.
But he left the game trailing, as John Smoltz once again shut the Mets down early. David Wright drove in one run with a double in the second, but that was all the Mets could manage in the first eight innings, even though they racked up seven hits and three walks in the six and two-thirds innings that Smoltz pitched. But in the ninth, things got pretty interesting as the Braves went to their closer. To those who say that any reliever can get three outs with a three run lead, I submit Dan Kolb.
Kolb did get two quick outs, despite a leadoff hit and a sharply hit grounder. Those two things added up to a double play. But then it was a double for Eric Valent, formerly of the Mets' right field platoon. Kolb kept on throwing pitches, so of course Jose Reyes swung at them and this time he turned one of them around and into a double. Mike Piazza came up with a pinch hit single and it was 4-3. Carlos Beltran singled and it was first and third. And so Bobby Cox took the unusual step of removal his closer from the game. And so Cliff Floyd popped up on the infield and the game was over. Floyd had two hits on the night, as did Wright and Reyes, both of whose were doubles, but it wasn't quite enough in the end.
Today this series gets settled as Tom Glavine (1-2, 3.97) takes on Mike Hampton (2-0, 1.17). ¶ joe | 12:40 PM |
