Sunday, August 14, 2005
Dodgers 7, Mets 6 (10)
Mets 5, Dodgers 1
Dodgers 2, Mets 1
Ugh. What an awful weekend. The Mets came very close to winning all three of these games, only to lose two of them in agonizing fashion. Of course, even this weekend wasn't enough to kill the Mets' playoff chances, as it appears that none of the teams in the National League Wild Card race are any good. But the Mets don't seem like the kind of team that's going to put together the "hot week" it'll take to win the thing.
Friday night began with another rough start from Victor Zambrano, who is becoming reacquainted with his old friend the earth. He lasted into the seventh inning, though he didn't record any outs after the sixth. He gave up a total of five runs on six hits and four walks while striking out five. Three of those runs came in the first inning, but the Mets were able to come back and take a 6-3 lead before Zambrano and Aaron Heilman combined to blow it in the seventh. Heilman gave up a run on two hits and also allowed the two runners that Zambrano walked to start the inning to score, evening things up at six.
David Wright had a decent night, with two doubles, a single, a walk and a stolen base. But the star of the Mets' offensive show was the returning Victor Diaz, who smacked a pair of home runs and also hit a single. The two bombs gave him seven on the year. Given that the Mets started both Gerald Williams and Jose Offerman, the offense had a pretty good night.
But when it came down to a battle of the bullpens, the Mets came up short. Roberto Hernandez and Juan Padilla each pitched a scoreless inning. But Braden Looper only got two-thirds of the way there before he gave up a home run to Dioner Navarro. So the Mets wound up blowing a three-run lead and losing in extra innings. Somehow that wasn't the most depressing finish of the weekend.
Of course, on Saturday, Jae Seo was a ray of sunshine breaking through the darkness. He did finally give up a run after twenty and two-thirds scoreless innings. Though if you phrase it another way, he didn't give up a run in the major leagues for two and a half months, which is Orel Hershiser territory. Surely the Mets won't take this guy out of the rotation again. Right? Anyway, the pride of the Norfolk Tides lasted eight innings and gave up just one run on five hits and one walk while striking out five to lower his season ERA to 1.35. I tell you I'll be outraged if Chris Carpenter wins the Cy Young Award due to factors completely outside his control.
The Mets lineup had another solid day, as home runs by Ramon Castro and Williams led an efficient eight-hit, one-walk, five-run assault. Williams was the only Met with more than one hit, adding a double. But Jose Reyes had a single and two stolen bases while Williams and Diaz each swiped a bag as well.
Sunday was something of a microcosm of what it's like to be a Mets fan. For a while it seems like things are going to work out just right. You've been disappointed so many times that it takes you a while to really believe it. But everything goes perfectly just long enough for you to buy in. And then it all collapses. And then, it gets even worse.
Pedro Martinez walked a guy in the first inning. Then he got twenty-one outs in a row. At that point, even a Mets fan has to start thinking that a no-hitter is a possibility. It was the eighth inning. He'd thrown fewer than ninety pitches. He was facing the Los Angeles Dodgers offense, only Hee Seop Choi and Jeff Kent had the day off. And if anyone could disregard the forty-plus years of hoodoo surrounding the idea of a Mets no-hitter, it'd be Pedro. But then, with one out in the eighth, Antonio Perez hit a long fly ball to left-center field. Now, I think there's a pretty good chance that Carlos Beltran (or Mike Cameron) would have caught this ball had he been stationed in center field on this day. But instead, it was Gerald Williams chasing the ball and then sort of leaping into the air as he reached the warning track and the ball smacked off the wall. Perez wound up with a triple, dashing hopes of a no-hitter. Then Jayson Werth hit a home run to give the Dodgers the lead. Pedro lasted eight innings and gave up just those two hits, but that was enough to lose the game. He struck out five batters and walked just the one.
But in the end, despite giving up ten hits, Brad Penny was more effective than Pedro. Back to back doubles in the top of the fifth by Diaz and Williams accounted for the only Mets run. Cliff Floyd and Marlon Anderson each also had doubles. Floyd and Wright were the only Mets with multiple hits with two each. Anderson hit his double in the top of the ninth and then stole third with just one one, giving the Mets a chance to tie the game. But he was nailed at the plate on a grounder by Diaz and that was that.
This week, the Mets (59-58) get another opportunity to put a streak together as the Pirates (51-67) come to town. Kris Benson (8-4, 3.54) takes on his former team in the first game on Tuesday. Mark Redman (5-12, 4.75) gets the start for the Pirates. I wonder how the Mets will manage to lose this one. ¶ joe | 11:56 PM |
Mets 5, Dodgers 1
Dodgers 2, Mets 1
Ugh. What an awful weekend. The Mets came very close to winning all three of these games, only to lose two of them in agonizing fashion. Of course, even this weekend wasn't enough to kill the Mets' playoff chances, as it appears that none of the teams in the National League Wild Card race are any good. But the Mets don't seem like the kind of team that's going to put together the "hot week" it'll take to win the thing.
Friday night began with another rough start from Victor Zambrano, who is becoming reacquainted with his old friend the earth. He lasted into the seventh inning, though he didn't record any outs after the sixth. He gave up a total of five runs on six hits and four walks while striking out five. Three of those runs came in the first inning, but the Mets were able to come back and take a 6-3 lead before Zambrano and Aaron Heilman combined to blow it in the seventh. Heilman gave up a run on two hits and also allowed the two runners that Zambrano walked to start the inning to score, evening things up at six.
David Wright had a decent night, with two doubles, a single, a walk and a stolen base. But the star of the Mets' offensive show was the returning Victor Diaz, who smacked a pair of home runs and also hit a single. The two bombs gave him seven on the year. Given that the Mets started both Gerald Williams and Jose Offerman, the offense had a pretty good night.
But when it came down to a battle of the bullpens, the Mets came up short. Roberto Hernandez and Juan Padilla each pitched a scoreless inning. But Braden Looper only got two-thirds of the way there before he gave up a home run to Dioner Navarro. So the Mets wound up blowing a three-run lead and losing in extra innings. Somehow that wasn't the most depressing finish of the weekend.
Of course, on Saturday, Jae Seo was a ray of sunshine breaking through the darkness. He did finally give up a run after twenty and two-thirds scoreless innings. Though if you phrase it another way, he didn't give up a run in the major leagues for two and a half months, which is Orel Hershiser territory. Surely the Mets won't take this guy out of the rotation again. Right? Anyway, the pride of the Norfolk Tides lasted eight innings and gave up just one run on five hits and one walk while striking out five to lower his season ERA to 1.35. I tell you I'll be outraged if Chris Carpenter wins the Cy Young Award due to factors completely outside his control.
The Mets lineup had another solid day, as home runs by Ramon Castro and Williams led an efficient eight-hit, one-walk, five-run assault. Williams was the only Met with more than one hit, adding a double. But Jose Reyes had a single and two stolen bases while Williams and Diaz each swiped a bag as well.
Sunday was something of a microcosm of what it's like to be a Mets fan. For a while it seems like things are going to work out just right. You've been disappointed so many times that it takes you a while to really believe it. But everything goes perfectly just long enough for you to buy in. And then it all collapses. And then, it gets even worse.
Pedro Martinez walked a guy in the first inning. Then he got twenty-one outs in a row. At that point, even a Mets fan has to start thinking that a no-hitter is a possibility. It was the eighth inning. He'd thrown fewer than ninety pitches. He was facing the Los Angeles Dodgers offense, only Hee Seop Choi and Jeff Kent had the day off. And if anyone could disregard the forty-plus years of hoodoo surrounding the idea of a Mets no-hitter, it'd be Pedro. But then, with one out in the eighth, Antonio Perez hit a long fly ball to left-center field. Now, I think there's a pretty good chance that Carlos Beltran (or Mike Cameron) would have caught this ball had he been stationed in center field on this day. But instead, it was Gerald Williams chasing the ball and then sort of leaping into the air as he reached the warning track and the ball smacked off the wall. Perez wound up with a triple, dashing hopes of a no-hitter. Then Jayson Werth hit a home run to give the Dodgers the lead. Pedro lasted eight innings and gave up just those two hits, but that was enough to lose the game. He struck out five batters and walked just the one.
But in the end, despite giving up ten hits, Brad Penny was more effective than Pedro. Back to back doubles in the top of the fifth by Diaz and Williams accounted for the only Mets run. Cliff Floyd and Marlon Anderson each also had doubles. Floyd and Wright were the only Mets with multiple hits with two each. Anderson hit his double in the top of the ninth and then stole third with just one one, giving the Mets a chance to tie the game. But he was nailed at the plate on a grounder by Diaz and that was that.
This week, the Mets (59-58) get another opportunity to put a streak together as the Pirates (51-67) come to town. Kris Benson (8-4, 3.54) takes on his former team in the first game on Tuesday. Mark Redman (5-12, 4.75) gets the start for the Pirates. I wonder how the Mets will manage to lose this one. ¶ joe | 11:56 PM |
