Mariners 5, Mets 0
Mariners 4, Mets 1
Mariners 11, Mets 5

Apparently Mike Cameron is the key to the New York Mets' offense. In his absence, they have ceased to be any good at scoring runs. David Wright is doing all he can to carry the team, but alas, he is only one man. Things went a little better in the third game of the series than in the first two, but the Mets got enough really terrible pitching to compensate for the oversight.

On Friday, the Met third baseman batted second in the lineup and hit a single three of his four times at bat. Not a spectacular game or anything, but a pretty good night. Of course, he didn't score a run any of those three times on base, as his teammates combined to earn only three base hits all night. Brian Daubach hitting a double was the only other real noteworthy moment.

In addition to the laughable offensive production, the Mets got the same old Kazuhisa Ishii on the mound. Well, I suppose it was a somewhat different Ishii, as he only walked one batter in five and two-thirds innings while striking out five, but finding new and interesting ways to give up runs isn't exactly a badge of honor for a starting pitcher. Ishii allowed five, though two were unearned, on nine hits. The man who should have his job, Aaron Heilman, came in to pitch an inning and one-third of perfect ball with one strikeout when the Mets were already trailing by five runs.

Saturday was more of the same, though Wright did manage to get the Mets a run this time, driving in Daubach with a triple in the seventh. As a reward for his three-hit night, Wright got to relax and bat seventh on Saturday, behind such offensive juggernauts as Daubach and new leadoff man Marlon Anderson. Of course, Wright apparently didn't take this practical night off in the spirit in which it was intended, putting his body on the line with a ridiculous dive into the stands to make an inning-ending catch in the fourth inning. And this wasn't some Derek Jeter "catch the ball and then dive into the stands" moment, either. Wright caught the ball while in the air, hurtling himself toward the front row of seats. It was an amazing play, though perhaps not the smartest one he's ever made.

The Mets' pitching did some surprises, as Pedro Martinez was unable to bend the Mariners' bats to his will, losing to them for the first time in his career. He wasn't exactly pounded by hard-hit balls, but the hits started falling in, as we all knew they'd have to at some point this season. The Mariners racked up nine hits--seven singles and two doubles. Two of the hits were infield singles, but more importantly, five of them came in the fourth inning, leading to all of the Seattle runs. Pedro still struck out seven and walked just one, but that wasn't quite enough to get the job done this time. But it's pretty amazing, given how much better his record might be given some more offensive or bullpen support, that this loss dropped him to 7-2. While his 2.76 ERA is still not enough to lead the league, he remains atop the list in K/9 (10.16) and WHIP (0.78)

On Sunday Tom Glavine did his best to put the game out of reach early, giving up six runs before the second out of the third inning had been recorded. Glavine lasted just two and one-third innings and eight hits, including one home run, and two walks were enough to put the game out of reach for the Mets' offense. Glavine had started to turn things around after his awful start to the season, but this is certainly a step in the wrong direction.

But in a surprising turn of events, the Met bats nearly made a game of it. When Glavine left the game, they'd already scored one run on Cliff Floyd's sixteenth home run of the season, but they weren't done there. The Mets had ten hits in the game, and four of them, as well as one walk and a hit batter, came in the sixth inning, which added up to four runs and a narrow one-run deficit.

Because while the Mets were coming back, Heilman was doing his usual thing, pitching excellent relief in a lost cause of a game. He entered with a five run deficit, two runners on and only one out. And he managed not only to get out of the third inning with no further damage, but he pitched two more scoreless innings as well, allowing just two hits while striking out four. So for some reason, as soon as the game got close, Willie Randolph replaced him with Mike DeJean, who pitched just as well as everyone aside from Randolph expected. He almost got through an entire inning without allowing a run, as when he recorded the second out of the sixth inning, he'd only allowed a pair of singles. Then he walked a batter to load the bases. And then, he walked another. Walking in a runner was enough to convince Randolph to get him out of there, but neither Royce Ring nor Heath Bell could get DeJean off the hook, as the each allowed a single to bring DeJean's run total to four. Bell didn't have too great a game himself, allowing three more hits and a run in the seventh. Only Roberto Hernandez emerged unscathed, pitching a perfect eighth with two strikeouts.

Several Met hitters had good games, though. Mike Piazza had three hits including a double. d Wright, batting seventh again, drew three walks. And Jose Reyes had a couple of singles. But their efforts were not enough to undo what Glavine, Randolph and DeJean had wrought.

Another Monday off awaits the last place Mets (33-36) before they head to Philadelphia to take on the resurgent Phillies (38-32). The Mets really need to get back on track in this series if this season isn't going to spiral completely out of control. Game one's pitching matchup is not exactly one to mark on your calendar, as Victor Zambrano (3-6, 4.06) takes on Vicente Padilla (3-6, 6.23).  ¶ joe | 10:45 PM |