The Wild One

When they peered out into the bullpen in the late innings and I saw Ramon Ramirez, I said, "Oh, great. It's Ramon Ramirez." Its amazing how quickly a reputation can change, and Ramon Ramirez, after having the 6th best reliever ERA from 2008-2011, has fallen into a long line of relievers to exert that kind of reaction from Mets fans after killing it in other corners of the MLB. He continued what Jeurys Familia began, who walked the park in his debut but kept the Marlins off the board through 4. Other relievers followed suit, and what was a 2-0 lead became a 2-3 deficit. Mix that with double digit LOBs, and you have a loss.

That's just the nature of the beast.

Of all the bullpen problems, Ramon Ramirez is the most troubling. Others, like Frank Francisco and Jon Rauch, were coming off of uneven seasons. The former you kind of expected something like this (an odd mix of a 5.53 ERA and 23 out of 27 opportunities locked down) and the latter with solid showings sandwiched in between early on and recent non-effective outings. Manny Acosta kind of gets the same "Oh, look who's in the bullpen" reaction Ramon Ramirez gets, but I like Manny when he's pitching well. He's an peculiar show on the mound. Ramon Ramirez was supposed to be THE piece of the Angel Pagan trade. Andres Torres was just replacing a position player, with the hopes he would somewhat duplicate his World Champion 2010 season. "Whatever. Sandy got Ramon Ramirez, one of the most effective righties in the National League." Oofph. He looks lost out there. In another world. I hadn't seen a pitch sail like that in a long, long time. I look forward to not seeing Ramon Ramirez in that bullpen next season. I'd rather see a kid get the chance than give him another shot.

You know, the funny thing about baseball is that even in a game the TV crew dubbed "a 4th place team playing a 5th place team kind of game," and rightfully so, it still tugs on your nervous system as you wait for what the next pitch will bring. After Fred Lewis* got hit by the pitch in the 9th, every Ike Davis foul had me waiting and hoping for the dramatic from my team. I was on the edge of my seat till he almost hit it passed Carlos Lee at 1st for the final out. That's what people who call baseball boring don't understand. All you have to do is focus your mind on following that little white ball from the pitcher's hand to the small diameter of the plate, and seeing what happens to it every time that motion occurs. It's a fascinating game. I absolutely love it.

Anyway.

I'm gonna go watch the rest of episode 3 of New York: A Documentary.

So, let's file this wild one away, and get ready for the final R.A.

KNUCKLE. THAT. BALL.

LET'S. GO. METS.

*Fred Lewis has yet to have a 2012 New York Met Moment. He's running out of chances. I was hoping he would have that moment with 2 out in the 9th, tying the game with a pull home run down the line. Got hit instead. Oh, well.

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