Nationals 9, Mets 5 (10 innings)

One of the things you expect when a team spends a lot of money, trades a couple of competent starting pitchers and moves another potentially good starter into relief in order to assemble a good bullpen is that the resulting bullpen will not suck. You figure that, asked to record just nine outs in a game, they will occasionally be able to do so without allowing a run. You do not expect them to lead you to completely reevaluate your thoughts on the team's ability to compete for a playoff spot before the second game of the season is even over. Or, at least, I don't.

The Mets' vaunted bullpen features one man with an unimpeachable resume in Billy Wagner and another who's at least recently posted numbers to match the expectations in Aaron Heilman. And then there's Duaner Sanchez and Jorge Julio, two pitchers long on hype and "stuff", short on results. These four men were spoken of in the offseason as comprising the heart of a bullpen that was to be one of the strengths that would help lead this team to the postseason.

Confidence in Wagner and, to a lesser extent, Heilman is understandable. Expecting at least competence from Sanchez, who posted solid numbers in an excellent pitchers' park the last two seasons, is reasonable. But counting on Julio, who hasn't posted an ERA under 4.38 since 2002, to be some sort of important contributor seems highly optimistic.

Sanchez held up his end in his first appearance tonight, pitching a perfect seventh inning. Heilman already faltered in the season's first game, but tonight he returned and pitched well, allowing one hit and striking out one in a scoreless eighth. Wagner got the job done in game one, but game two went less smoothly. He allowed a home run to the first batter he faced in the ninth, blowing the very sort of narrow lead that it is his purpose on this team to protect.

And then there's Julio. Entering a tie game in the top of the tenth inning, he wasted little time in dampening the drama. Three batters in he had already allowed a two-run home run, but he didn't stop there. He was removed after recording just two outs. He had allowed five runs on four hits and one walk, though only two of the runs counted as earned, leaving his season ERA at a mere 27.00. Chad Bradford followed Julio and got an out with the only pitch he threw.

All of this ruined a game that had been started pretty well by both Brian Bannister and the New York offense. Bannister, in his first major league start, lasted six innings and allowed three runs on two hits and four walks, though he did also hit two batters. He didn't allow a hit until there was one out in the sixth, which makes it seem like he pitched better than he really did. But it was not a bad way to start a career at all.

And the Met bats gave him adequate backup, as the new guys in town continued to impress. Xavier Nady finally made an out in this game. In fact, he made four of them. But not before he hit his first home run of the season. Also going deep for the first time in the orange and blue was Carlos Delgado.

As for guys who were around last year, Jose Reyes beat Carlos Beltran in their race to see who could get a hit first, smacking a single in the first. But Beltran did draw three walks, as compared to Reyes's one, which is impressive in its own right, considering we're talking about Jose Reyes and drawing a walk. David Wright was merely adequate, as all he did was hit a single, drive in the first run of the game and steal a base. Hopefully he'll get back on track soon.

This series finishes up tomorrow night with a far more lopsided pitching matchup. The job of trying to last more than six innings will fall to Pedro Martinez (15-8, 2.82 in 2005) and his nettlesome big toe. The Nationals will send out Ramon Ortiz (9-11, 5.36), who is clearly not as good as Pedro Martinez.  ¶ joe | 11:16 PM |