Marlins 9, Mets 2

And thusly was Aaron Heilman reacquainted with his long-time companion, reality. After shockingly shutting down the Marlins on Friday, Heilman's second shot at the fish saw him get smacked around enough for two starts. He lasted just four innings in which he gave up seven runs on eleven hits, including one home run, and one walk while striking out three. Early on it seemed like he was just having some bad luck with grounders finding holes, and the strikout-to-walk, looked at in isolation, is pretty nice. But as the game progressed, he was just getting smacked around. Juan Encarnacion--he of the career .439 slugging percentage entering the season--was the guy that hit the home run, which is just one indication of the vast distance between Heilman and the top of his game on this night.

The offense also settled back into its usual chair of impotence, managing just two runs on four hits and three walks. Victor Diaz did keep up his hot hitting, driving a ball about as far as one can in the major leagues without being credited with a home run. The shot that ricocheted off the "434" sign in center field was enough for him to earn a stand-up triple, drive in one of the team's two runs and subsequently score the other. No one else managed more than one base at a time, though both Cliff Floyd and David Wright had a single and a walk on the night.

Tomorrow it's a rematch of Saturday's fine pitchers' duel as Pedro Martinez (1-0, 2.45) faces Al Leiter (0-1, 2.55). Pedro's been excellent so far this year. Hopefully tomorrow's the day that the Mets score some runs before he leaves the game.  ¶ joe | 1:11 AM |