It's hard to win when your ace gives up runs in each of his first 3 innings. By the end of the top frame, we were given a look as to what the final product of the game would be: The Mets chipping away, but alas, a run short. They could not tie it within the 1st half-hour, and they could not tie it by the end of the 9th. While an entertaining game, it still ended up on the right side of the record, as The Mets lost 6-7. Apparently, every time I go to the ballpark to see the Orange and Blue take on the Orange or the Blue, they have to lose by 1 run.
I think we all sometimes forget that Johan Santana is coming off major shoulder surgery. It was remarkable what he was able to do for most of the year, but it was unrealistic to believe he would continue to only give up 0-3 runs each start. While he has been sub-par since the no-no, I do not believe the 134-pitch performance is what has caused this lapse in good pitching. He hasn't pitched a full year since (honestly) 2008, and I believe his ineffectiveness is due to that fact. It's certainly bothering him more than it is bothering us. Johan is a battler and he will ease his way through this. (Sounds like they might give him some rest with a possible DL stint. Not a terrible idea. We need him at his best.)
He just keeps on doin' it. Jordany Valdespin is making as big a case as can be made to pencil his name in the starting line-up everyday. Things happen when he's out there, as they did when he reached 1st on an infield single in the 9th, heading to 2nd on an errant throw. Obviously we want a productive, right-handed bat in the middle of our line-up with all the lefties runnin' down the line, and Jason Bay has looked better at the plate coming off this DL trip than his last DL trip (troubling sentence, though). Jordany keeps coming through in big spots late, however, putting us in positions to win ball games. If he were making things happen early on, though, maybe we would actually win these ball games.
Oh, lost in the...well...loss...was Daniel Murphy going 4-5, with every hit traveling the opposite way to left field. Man, he's such a good hitter. Murph's a lot of fun to watch.
And my girlfriend and I did our best impression of a vanishing act before Daughtry could penetrate our ears.
Luckily, the NL East didn't have the best evening (other than the Braves, who came back from 9 down to win in 11 innings against the Nats, by the way), but this series MUST be won. Miguel Batista (who said we're the "best team in baseball" a couple days ago) can do his part to back up his words today at 1:10PM, when he takes on our old friend Chris Capuano.
LET'S.
GO. METS.
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