Game Recap: Santana, Mets Fall 2-1 To Marlins

Typically, when a pitcher throws seven scoreless innings and allows just three hits and strikes out thirteen batters, he comes out of it with a win. But, that wasn’t the case today for Johan Santana, Sunday’s hard luck loser.

The Mets lost a heartbreaker to the Marlins by a score of 2-1. Both Marlins runs were unearned and the result of a fly ball that dropped out of the glove of Daniel Murphy in the second inning. His one handed catch while battling the sun and the wall in leftfield was probably avoidable and was a costly lesson for the aspiring leftfielder. Murph was visibly angry after the inning and flung his glove and hat into the ground as he went into the dugout.

However, don’t go blaming Murphy. Josh Johnson who was on the mound for the Marlins, was simply brilliant and pitched a heck of a game, holding the Mets scoreless until ninth inning when they scored their only run on an RBI hit by Carlos Beltran.

Santana spoke to reporters after the game by his locker. “It was one mistake that he made,” Johan Santana said of Murphy’s misplay. “It cost us the whole ballgame, but it’s part of the game. You’ve got to give credit to the other guy.”

Murphy was critical of his miscue as well. “Inexcusable,” Murphy said. “It can’t happen. Johan threw the ball really well and deserved a lot better than that. I’m better than that. It won’t happen like that again.”

It would have been nice to have a win on the eve of our home opener, but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.

If there are a couple of positive things we can take away from this loss, its this…

1. Murphy will most likely become a better leftfielder because of this. As we all know, Murphy is a hard worker and a quick study. I have no doubt that this is probably the last time we’ll see him commit this type of error.

2. Johan Santana was dealing out there and it’s only his second start of the season. From what I saw, a 20 win season is not out of the question.

Enjoy the home opener tomorrow!