I actually found it quite funny by that point in the game that Josh Edgin gave up a Grand Slam to the same man he lost to the night before. I think Edgin's stuff is FANTASTIC, and I have no doubt the failures he has faced against Utley and Howard will only be turned into successes in the future. If the look on his face says anything, Josh will be watching these at bats over and over again in the offseason. We've got a sharp one on our hands.
I invited the Big Bad Baseball Gypsy to Citi Field Wednesday evening, trying not to think or care of Karma, Superstition, or any factor outside of the Mets own ineptness. My buddy on the inside got me what turned out to be even sweeter tickets than he usually gets for me, right behind home plate in seats I thought I bought at Raymour and Flannigan.
Literally directly in front of us in the first row of the new seats turned out to be my cousin (the one who witnessed the No-han with me), and around the 7th inning, 4 rows in front of us, was a girl I dated in college who recognized me out of the corner of her eye. The night was weird like that. By the end of it, the Voodoo Gypsy was rooting for anything to move the game along, and was ready for Chase Utley to strike out so he could get outta there. When Utley walked, he said, "Well, now Howard's gonna hit a dinger." Big Bad Baseball Voodoo is making it very hard to throw superstition out the window right about now. There were many factors other than the Gypsy that led to this loss, not short of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, who have been one of the big differences between the Mets and the Phillies since 2007. Certainly, the bright spots of the game that make it meaningful include Matt Harvey's Final Awesomeness of the Year and the Continuing Education of Josh Edgin. But I'm very irritable this morning, which is mainly because I had to wake up at 5:30. It was the Voodoo Gypsy's 3rd Citi Field game ever. I had been begging him for a while, for some odd reason, to come to Citi Field with me, and in July of 2011, he relented. That first game we won 11-2 over the Phils, but he tied it with the 2-6 loss to the Nats that got the Voodoo Legend started. Last night's 9th inning played like a rubber match. I'll give him the series, and never invite him to Flushing again. Don't think we need to turn it into a 5-game series. On the way home, of all the songs playing on 101.1 and 104.3, the following was the most poignant for the evening.
"Wouldn't it be nice if we were older? Then we wouldn't have to wait so long." Only 4 wins all 2nd half. What's another loss? As Amazin' Avenue said, "Come On!"
It's extremely rare we get to say something like that. I can't remember ever saying it this year. But Josh Edgin, Robert Carson, Jon Rauch and Frank Francisco did just that to lock down the 3-2 win for Matt Harvey, The Duda and the Mets. The work of the bullpen the last week or so has been extremely refreshing for this entire fanbase.
Matt Harvey once again showed his guts by pitching well without his best stuff. He wiggled out of a few jams, with some excellent plays made behind him, including a key double play by Tejada and Murph (seriously!? mets.com? No video of that awesome turned-2?) and The Duda going with the ball, making an over-the-shoulder catch to get out of 5th inning trouble. He also stole a base, and went 2 for 4 with 2 very important RBI on the go-ahead 2-run homer. It's such a beautiful swing when he's on. Backman apparently worked real hard down on the Farm to get Lucas to believe in himself. It has paid dividends, so far. Certainly, The Duda gets our Abider of the Game (yeah, I know "abider" isn't a word, but neither was "abide" before somebody created it. So, whatever. I think I'll give it out after every remaining win.)
Oh, yeah. and Harvey got his 6th hit in 12 at bats, driving in the 1st run of the game, his 3rd RBI in the Majors. We have a DH every 5th day.
Looking forward to going for the Phillie sweep once more this afternoon.
Usually in a back and forth LOB scoreless game like that, the better team will win. The better team will not always be the best team on any given night, but the better team will most likely be the best team by the end of a game like that. While a 0-3 loss, an interesting game, nonetheless. Props to all the pitchers who did their job under severe cardiac arrest. Both the Mets and the Reds popped the clutch as they sped off towards the cliff. Unfortunately, the Mets got their coat caught on the handle and fell to their death, while the Reds were able to roll out safely. Jot this one down in the right column. Prepare for another game.
I sat there in the 9th inning, completely believing what I was seeing, as absent of stress as a fan could possibly be when their team is potentially throwing away a 5-run lead with 2 OUT. The extent that the bullpen can blow it isn't new to any of us, whether you sat through the inferior ESPN broadcast or you were actually at the ballpark (or if you are Terry Collins.) I sat there actually impressed with the fact they didn't blow it, especially since that strikeout-Rob-Johnson-throw-down-to-1st was RIDICULOUSLY close.
Only this team. Only the 2012 New York Mets.
Niese did a fantastic job keeping the Braves off-balance all night. After that 1st inning mess, where Michael Bourn softly got his way on early in the count before Martin Prado walked, Niese was excellent. Other than the pitch to Freddie Freeman that resulted in a mammoth home run that the folks at ESPN couldn't get over, Niese hit his spots, selected his pitches nicely and did not abandon his curveball. We need this kind of execution from Niese in every outing. It's one thing to not have your best stuff on any given night, but Niese's problem is usually all in game plan, execution, and adjustments mid-game, as has been infamously reported this year. Niese was completely in the game this time out, and I look forward to him finally having some consistency as we enter the home stretch.
The offense finally looked like it had some juice in it. They got to Ben Sheets early, with a Mike Baxter 1-out single and a David Wright bloop double, just weakly hit enough to get Ron Burgundy's dog home from 1st. And my fellow half-Jew Ike Davis made us proud by going 2 for 4 with 2 RBI. Jordany took advantage of a high-inside fastball and TATTOOED the ball Giancarlo-style to the middle of the right field porch. More Mets batters should be using that porch to their advantage in the future. Andres Torres got it done with the bat and glove (I like rootin' for the guy.) Tonight's offense, with solid hitting and a 2-out mentality, is what this team can still be.
And speaking of Jordany's home run, ESPN didn't give us one single replay right after that home run occurred. We saw the Freddie Freeman dinger from 3 different angles in the inning he hit it, plus another replay in the middle innings. And hey, if Freddie Freeman were my player, I'd marvel at how level his body is through the home run swing just like ESPN did tonight. All the director had the broadcast do for our guy's homer, however, was follow Jordany around in the dugout, which was cool and all, but I wanted to see a close-up of where that pitch was, and they for some reason didn't. Come on, ESPN. Pick up your game. Your baseball broadcasts suck.
And oh, the bullpen. Whattya gonna do? Josh Edgin is growing and Francisco hasn't gotten into any kind of rhythm 'cause we've been losing. I'm almost glad this is the way it went, because there's no doubting we've needed to practice gettin' it done in 1-run games. That's what this one ended up being, a 6-5 tightrope that I'm happy they put in the books.
The funny thing is that The Newsroom made a joke this evening:
"(You've managed to go) from 2nd to 5th place in the course of 5 days, a feat I previously thought was only accomplishable by the New York Mets."
In the bottom of the 2nd inning, the Mets loaded the bases with 0 out. Andres Torres struck out swinging, though, leading me to recite a familiar refrain: here we go again. Edison Volquez, however, had terrible trouble locating most of his pitches for strikes, and he walked Josh Thole for the 1st run of the game. Jeremy Hefner struck out swinging (instead of making contact and grounding into a double play) giving Ruben Tejada a chance with 2 out. He walked as well, giving the Mets a 2-0 lead. 2 runs handed to us is fantastic, but had that been it and they failed to tack on more, the inning would have been viewed by me as a disappointment. Jordany Valdespin, however, did what you're supposed to do to a pitcher struggling to throw strikes: make solid contact with the strike that he throws. The 'Spin Master delivered a 2-run double, easing the tension of what could have been another edge-of-our-seat high LOB thriller. Instead, the Mets took control of the game thanks to tack-on runs, a solid outing by Jeremy Hefner and a good job by the bullpen (sans Bobby Parnell), winning 6-2.
Hefner has done nothing but keep the Mets in every start since Johan went on the DL. He took advantage of a free-swinging Padres team and kept his count real low over 6 innings. Other than when he gutted it out and raked his way to his 1st Major League victory, this was his best start of the year. They are apparently putting him in the bullpen as the long-man when Johan arrives back, and I wholeheartedly agree. We should expect him to make another start or two before closing the book on the 2012 New York Mets...whenever that may be.
Mike Baxter. Continuing to make Metropolitan history with a record 5 walks. No At-Bat for you tonight, young man. He also tied the National League record for most walks in a 9-inning game, the last batter being Ryan Howard in 2006. The Kid from Whitestone doesn't cease to impress.
"And the strange relationship between Bobby Parnell and the 9th inning continues."
--Gary Cohen, SNY
I never thought I'd say this, but I'm glad to see Frank Francisco back. We've actually missed him.
And the '89 throwbacks were nice, but I was happy to see the regular road uniforms. They are MUCH, MUCH better. The Mets this year finally got it right by going back to what they got right in the first place...when they were dead last.
Seriously pumped up to see Matt Harvey close the series out with his 3rd Major League start. He'll take on Jason Marquis at 3:30PM. You know, the Jason Marquis who's from Staten Island and has always wanted to play for his home team...blaa, blaa, blaa, blaa, blaa, kick those Padre butts.
That's all I got to say, and I got away for a chance to say it.
Get us back on track, RA.
LET'S.
GO. METS.
(Clearly, none of us could help making the reference to this song when the power went out in the 2nd, and I couldn't help it in this instance as well.)
