Despite the incredible effort by Jeremy Hefner on Tuesday night, the Mets were unable to get just three more outs as a ninth inning meltdown capped off by a Brandon Lyon wild pitch handed the Marlins their second straight walk-off victory against the Amazin’s and their first series win of the season.

Surprisingly enough, the Mets have become quite used to the demoralizing oddity known as the walk-off wild pitch. In fact, last night was the third time in four seasons that Flushing’s Finest have allowed the game-winning run to score on a pitch to the backstop.

On May 14 of the 2010 season, Johan Santana was on the mound in a premiere matchup with then-Marlins ace Josh Johnson. Santana went seven innings allowing just one unearned run on six hits and seven strikeouts. He left for a pinch-hitter with the game tied at one. After pitching a scoreless eighth, reliever Fernando Nieve took the hill to pitch a perfect ninth to send the game into extra innings. After getting Jorge Cantu to fly to left for the first out of the tenth, Nieve walked Cody Ross and quickly allowed a Ronny Paulino single to put Ross at third. Then on the first pitch to Dan Uggla, Nieve bounced it to the plate past Rod Barajas as Ross raced home to win it for the Marlins. The walk-off wild pitch would be the first victory for the Fish in what would be a four game sweep of the Mets.

Fast forward two years to July of 2012… Jon Niese is having a heck of a game against the Nationals Ross Detwiler. They both exit after seven, Niese surrendering one run and punching out eight, Detwiler spotless, giving the Nats a 1-0 advantage. They would go up 2-0 after a Steve Lombardozzi RBI double. Comes the top of the ninth, the Mets put up a three spot to go ahead 3-2. However the lead would be short lived as Bobby Parnell would blow the save, allowing the Nats to tie it and send it to extra innings. Josh Thole doubled to drive in Daniel Murphy and give the Amazin’s their second lead in as many innings. Tim Byrdak came on to close out the tenth and after a game tying, RBI triple to the rookie sensation Bryce Harper, he walked the bases loaded and was lifted for Pedro Beato. Beato, on a 1-2 pitch to Tyler Moore, threw a breaking ball that went right past Josh Thole, allowing Ryan Zimmerman to slide home and win it for the Nats by a score of 5-4.

Then we have last night. A suddenly hot Jeremy Hefner came in to finish off a shutout, and came away with a loss as both the tying and go-ahead runs were charged to the 27-year old despite a meltdown by Brandon Lyon capped off by a wild pitch of his own that bounced off the glove of Anthony Recker and ricocheted towards the home dugout.

Before this recent stretch, the last time the Mets lost a ballgame on a walk-off wild pitch dates back all the way to 1981 when Mike Marshall let one fly at Houston. You have to go all the way back to the beginning of the Reagan administration for that one! Meanwhile all three of these most recent “wild” endings have occurred under the same commander in chief. 

Not a theme the Mets would like to continue, however with the quality–or lack there of–of arms they continue to acquire for the ‘pen, what can you expect? Sure Brandon Lyon is supposed to be a solid set-up man, however that hasn’t been the case up to this point. You get what you pay for; you get out of it what you put in. When you don’t go and add significant arms for innings seven through nine and beyond, losses such as those mentioned above are going to happen.

Speaking as someone who was content with the idea that it took more than a season to screw this franchise up and that it will take more than a season to fix the mistakes of those that came before him, I tolerated the notion that 2014 might be the year the Mets find themselves back on the map.  So, I waited.  Waited for what, I’m not exactly sure, but I’m pretty sure I expected the framework for such a rebuild in place a mere season away from the self-imposed rebuilding deadline.  For sure, the team would need at least a season to mesh, right?  And still, I wait.

I think I’ve gotten to the point that I’m actually bored with what going on here.  Quite frankly, I don’t care what the team’s financial situation.  Furthermore, the methodical approach of Sandy Alderson seems to do nothing but make the agony of knowing there is little immediate hope on the horizon even worse.  You see there is nothing wrong with signing low risk, high reward players like Tim Byrdak to minor league contracts.  In fact, its good baseball sense.  However, these are not the signings necessary to put the chips in place for a rebuild.

To be perfectly honest, resigning David Wright and RA Dickey only maintains the organization’s current position of limbo.  These are the players that the front office should build around, but even their future is in doubt.  If we’re lucky enough to ink them to long-term deals, I fear that the players filled in around them will simply maintain the status quo.  Two months ago it was unfathomable that fifth outfielder, Andres Torres, might occupy a roster spot next season.  Now it appears borderline likely.  Simply put, scratching the bottom of the bargain bin has become tiresome.

As another spring training draws near, the blueprint for success is no clearer today than it was two years ago.  Addition by subtraction has replaced the big market mindset brought to you by Omar Minaya and Bernie Madoff.  Whether you blame poor investing, poor free agent signings, or even poor player development, the Mets schtick just seems stale at this point.  Resigning Wright and Dickey may pacify some fans, but it will be the players brought in around them that will inspire the imaginations of the masses.  They don’t have to be nine-figure players, but the Ronnie Cedenos of the world just aren’t going to get it done.

I’m bored Sandy Alderson.  Give me a reason to get excited, a reason to look forward to the future, hell.. give me a reason to come to the ballpark.  Show fans that this organization is still interested in winning.  Enough with the stopgaps.  Lets build something worth the our time..and our money.

Follow me on Twitter at @RobPatterson83

Jeremy Hefner started off the game rough, and the offense was stifled on the whole by Stephen Strasburg in their sixth loss in a row, 5-2 to the Nationals.

Game Recap

Jeremy Hefner, filling in the rotation in the spot vacated by the designation of Miguel Batista was hit hard in the early innings, giving up back to back solo home runs in the second. Hefner settled down, and after a Josh Thole error, Hefner allowed the third run of the game. Hefner’s final line was six innings pitched, with three runs (two earned) on six hits, walking two and striking out seven. While this isn’t horrible, Hefner got himself into tricky situations and was forced to make pitches in hitters counts.

The bullpen today continued its inability to hold the fort down, with Tim Byrdak going two-thirds of an inning, allowing two runs on one hit with one walk. The homer was given up to a lefty, and if this is a product of overuse or just Byrdak being off his game is yet to be seen. Jon Rauch pitched one-third of an inning with nothing allowed, and Elvin Ramirez pitched the last two innings, walking one and striking out one.

Offensively, the Mets struggled off of Stephen Strasburg, netting four hits on the entire day, including an Ike Davis solo home run. Jordany Valdespin plated a run on an RBI groundout. The hitters have struggled the last few days, barely making solid contact in addition to playing poor defense.

GOAT: Tim Byrdak – as the LOOGY, it is the primary objective to get out lefty hitters. When you allow a two-run homer in the seventh inning when down by two with an ace on the mound for the other team, it is not acceptable.

Game Notes: David Wright was 0 for 4 with three strikeouts, being befuddled by Nationals pitchers all day. Ike Davis hit his 16th home run on the season, making him the team leader and taking a turn after a horrible April and May. Frank Francisco had his first rehab outing today for Binghamton, and didn’t look great but will be shaking the rust off in the next few outings. The Mets will begin a road trip tomorrow, sending heralded prospect Matt Harvey to the mound in his first Major League start against the Diamondbacks, opposing Wade Miley. Game time is 9:40 P.M.

Chris Young had a good outing but ran out of steam in the seventh, and the bullpen faltered in the 9-2 loss against the Phillies

Game Recap

Chris Young went to the mound and has kept with the theme of quality outings, going seven innings allowing  three runs on five hits while striking out three and walking none with all of his runs allowed in the seventh inning. Chris gave up two big home runs back-to-back, and the issues as mentioned on the SNY broadcast is that Chris doesn’t seem to tire as much as his repertoire becomes predictable. The only concerns with Chris Young are durability and exactly how many innings is Chris Young good for per start.

The bullpen received some work today, with Miguel Batista coming out for the eighth inning to face one batter, and gave up a hit and a run. Tim Byrdak relieved him and gave up two runs in two-thirds of an inning on one hit while walking one. Jeremy Hefner came out to do the heavy lifting, giving up three runs on five hits in one and one-third innings including a home run.

The pen has been horrible. Outside of Francisco or Parnell, the Mets do not have another pitcher they can rely on in a situation of any leverage to get a key out, less in fact a strikeout.

On offense, the Mets hitters were fooled by Phillies starter Cliff Lee for most of the game, minus a Scott Hairston solo home run and a sixth inning that saw a series of singles capped off with a David Wright RBI single. After that, the offense was victimized by Cliff Lee and called third strikes on the day.

Game Notes

Mets one through six hitters each had one hit, with Andres Torres and Mike Nickeas both struggling. Torres struggles have been noted, but with the recent development of Kirk Nieuwenhuis and his hand possibly sending him to the DL, he looks to be the starting center fielder for the foreseeable future.

Ruben Tejada went 2 for 4, continuing his hot hitting since his return from the DL. Ruben’s average on the season is now at .331.

Miguel Batista ended June with a 4.22 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. Beato-watch 2012 looks like: after the ASB.

Jordanny Valdespin was called up and took the place of LHP Justin Hampson. Whether this is a precursor to a possible DL stint for Kirk or just to avoid playing with a short bench will be decided.

Turning Point

When the bullpen surrendered six more runs. In only two innings of work.

On Deck

The Mets will look to win the series tomorrow, sending all-star pitcher R.A. Dickey (12-1, 2.15) to the mound to face-off against the Phillies and Cole Hamels (10-4, 3.08). Game time is 7:10 P.M.

Game Recap

Jeremy Hefner coming off of his last outing couldn’t duplicate the same level of success today against Washington. Hefner went six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits, walking one and striking out three. The aforementioned home run came off of the bat of Adam Laroche, and one of the runners on base was thanks to a Daniel Murphy error. While not a poor outing from Hefner, it just wasn’t as stellar as his last outing.

The bullpen was forced into some work today, and received two-thirds of an inning from Tim Byrdak, allowing a run on one hit, while walking one. Miguel Batista came out for the last inning and one-third, and allowed one hit and one strikeout while walking two. With the much welcomed news that Pedro Beato was called up, hopefully the Mets pen will not have as much heavy-lifting tomorrow as they did today.

Offensively, the Mets managed three runs on three hits the entire game, drawing five walks. Ike Davis was the only Mets player with an extra base hit. When a team manages three hits, but does score three runs it is a curious situation. Runs scored on a Kirk Nieuwenhuis RBI single in the third, an RBI groundout by Lucas Duda in the fourth and a Omar Quintinilla RBI groundout in the seventh.

Game Notes

Daniel Murphy continued his struggles both offensively and defensively, going 0 for 4 today with a strikeout, and making two more fielding errors. As the SNY broadcast mentioned, he seems to be losing focus during the transfer, and that is if he gets passed the actual catch

Josh Satin was designated for assignment to make room for Pedro Beato, while Chris Young was placed on paternity leave to allow Jason Bay to be on the roster. Once Young returns, it seems likely either Vinny Rottino or Jordany Valdespin would be heading down.

Ike Davis went 1 for 2 with two walks, a double and a run scored. By Ike’s recent standards, this is a good game.

Tim Byrdak is at 33 Games played this season – we have yet to reach the All-Star Break

No Player Of The Game today, with the second straight ugly day of baseball who honestly performed to deserve it?

On Deck

The Mets will look to salvage a game from this series, sending RHP R.A. Dickey (8-1, 2.69)to the mound to face off against the Nats and RHP Chien-Ming Wang (1-1, 6.43) at 1:05 P.M.

Chris Young looked good in his first start since May of 2011, but a comedy of errors lead to a thrilling game that was decided in the twelfth in the Mets 7-6 loss.

Game Recap

Chris Young coming back to the Mets in his first start in over a year pitched admirably, going five innings while giving up three runs (two earned) on six hits, walking one and striking out two. Young consistently coaxed weak contact, and was only victimized in the fifth inning, when a serious of mistakes that ended in an Omar Quintilla throwing error lead to an unearned run. Young maintained the velocity he had pre-operation, pitching around 84-86 MPH with his fastball. The key factor to remember with Young is that it isn’t about velocity, but it is about location and sequencing.

With the short bullpen today due to Jon Rauch getting a few days off and the Mets going with a six man rotation, Miguel Batista fresh off his DL stint came out and pitched two very effective innings, allowing no hits while walking one and striking out two. Tim Byrdak came out for one-third of an inning, and allowed one hit. Byrdak just barely missed getting a double-play, but the transition was fumbled by Murphy and only turned into one out. Frank Francisco came out for a five-out save and after getting one out, gave up an RBI single that was charged to Tim Byrdak to tie the game in the eighth. Francisco pitched a solid ninth after blowing the save, getting two strikeouts and allowing one hit. His final line would read one and two-third innings, allowing two hits and striking out two. Bobby Parnell came out in the tenth to save the game, and his defense was very unkind to him. Parnell gave up an unearned run, allowing a hit and a walk, striking out two. Elvin Ramirez came in and after allowing a leadoff walk, struck out the next three hitters. Ramirez had much more trouble in the twelfth, giving up two doubles including one for an RBI, a wild pitch and a walk-off RBI single.

The Mets offense was quiet until the sixth inning, when Jordany Valdespin had his third hit of the season, which was also his second pinch-hit home run on the season. David Wright hit his seventh home run of the season shortly after, bringing the Mets to within one run. Andres Torres hit a two-RBI triple in the eighth to put the Mets ahead. Scott Hairston got a leadoff single in the tenth, stole second, advanced to third on an out and scored on a wild-pitch. Scott Hairston would come through with another heroic blast in the eleventh inning.

Game Changing Moment: Elvin Ramirez losing any effectiveness in the twelfth inning.

Player Of The Game: Scott Hairston, coming through in a huge way today going 2 for 2 with three runs, a home run and a stolen base. Scott had his best performance as a Mets player today.

On Deck

The Mets will continue the series against the Nationals tomorrow at 7:05, and will send RHP Jeremy Hefner (1-2, 5.60) to the mound against RHP Edwin Jackson (1-3, 3.17).

Through the use of the scorecard, let’s take a look at how David Wright did this week:

Wright continues to impress everyone this year, and his batting average for the entire year sits at .412. His strikeout count has decreased quite a bit this year, he is not chasing many pitches out of the zone and thus is also getting more walks this year.

Honorable Mentions

These players, although not winning the Player of the Week award, had a very strong showing this week and deserve to be recognized. We will also show how strong a showing they had through the use of the scorecard.

Mike Baxter

Lucas Duda

Miguel Batista (Now on DL)

Tim Byrdak

Rob Johnson (Catcher in Relief)

Not So Hot

The Not So Hot area mentions a few players who did not have a good week this week.

Manny Acosta

Jon Niese

Jon Rauch

Dillon Gee

Mike Nickeas

Andres Torres

Ike Davis

Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Player Of The Week Scoreboard

This area shows the scoreboard of the Players of the Week, and who has won already this season and how many times.

1. David Wright – 3

T2. Kirk Nieuwenhuis – 1

T2. Johan Santana – 1

T2. Andres Torres – 1

Trivia

To finish off the Player of the Week announcement each week, I’ll be asking you a trivia question. The answer will be announced during the next Player of the Week announcement, as well as the first person who answered correctly. Another question will then be asked. Last Week’s Answer is: 16 wins for Tom Seaver in 1967. Adam was the first person to correctly answer the question. So here is this week’s question:

When did David Wright make his Major League debut and against what team?

Through the use of the scorecard, let’s take a look at how David Wright did this week:

Wright continued his stellar year with another great week. This year, he has looked much better, both at the plate and in the field. He is showing why he deserves an extension when the time for an extension comes.

Honorable Mentions

These players, although not winning the Player of the Week award, had a very strong showing this week and deserve to be recognized. We will also show how strong a showing they had through the use of the scorecard.

Daniel Murphy

Kirk Nieuwenhuis

Lucas Duda

Ike Davis (Hotter than he has been)

Tim Byrdak

Jon Niese

Not So Hot

The Not So Hot area mentions a few players who did not have a good week this week.

Frank Francisco

Manny Acosta

Player Of The Week Scoreboard

This area shows the scoreboard of the Players of the Week, and who has won already this season and how many times.

1. David Wright – 2

T2. Kirk Nieuwenhuis – 1

T2. Johan Santana – 1

T2. Andres Torres – 1

Trivia

To finish off the Player of the Week announcement each week, I’ll be asking you a trivia question. The answer will be announced during the next Player of the Week announcement, as well as the first person who answered correctly. Another question will then be asked. Last Week’s Answer is: Doug Sisk. Alex68 was the first person to correctly answer the question. So here is this week’s question:

Tom Seaver was the NL 1967 Rookie of the Year by winning how many games for the New York Mets?

Dillon Gee pitched a strong six innings, but the bullpen failed yet again in the Mets 5-4 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Recap

Dillon Gee went six strong innings, allowing two runs on four hits while striking out six, walking three and hitting a batter. Gee didn’t seem to have his best command on the day, but he managed to get the anxious Dbacks hitters to swing at numerous poor pitches and relied on a few good defensive plays. Dillon’s ERA was only victimized by a Cody Ransom home-run. As long as Gee can pitch and induced weak contact, easy fly-ball outs and strikeouts he will be in good company.

Once Gee gave way, however the bullpen began its true struggle. Parnell pitched an inning and allowed an unearned run on an Ike Davis error. Tim Byrdak went one-third of an inning, striking out one, allowing a run and walking one. Jon Rauch came out for two-thirds of an inning, allowing three hits, a run and a strikeout to take the game from no decision to the Mets on the losing side.

The Mets bullpen has been overworked, or overmatched, but either way they have not put together quality innings as a group in quite some times. It will be interesting to see how Terry Collins plays this bullpen from now on, knowing Bobby Parnell is his most effective reliever, period.

The offense struck early, but then never re-appeared. A big third inning accounted for all of the Mets runs, on a Scott Hairston RBI doubler, an Ike Davis RBI groundout and an Andres Torres RBI single. After that, the Mets offense put runners on base but couldn’t manage to drive them in, as has been the theme of lately.

Game Notes

-David Wright extended his hitting streak to 10 games, while going 1 for 2 with two walks. The most inspiring thing about this season isn’t David’s high average which is being held up by an unsustaniably high BABIP, but his ability to draw walks.

-Andres Torres went 3 for 4 with an RBI. Although seeing Kirk displaced as the CF is something many Mets fans are not fond of seeing, seeing the man replacing him hit takes away some of the sting

- Lucas Duda has looked significantly better as of lately in handling the outfield, squaring balls off the bat much better. Although it is a slight improvement, it is always better to see improvement than regression

GOAT of The Game

Jon Rauch struggled with his control, allowing three hits that scored an inherited runner, as well as one of his own. If Jon cannot keep the ball down in the zone, pitching him with runners on base does not become an option anymore

On Deck

The Mets will continue the series tomorrow at 4:05 PM, sending Johan Santana to the mound against Diamondbacks rookie Patrick Corbin.

Now, what do I mean by that?

It was reported this morning that David Wright had an ultrasound-guided injection of a cortisone shot.

It was also reported that Tim Byrdak will have surgery done on his meniscus.

Byrdak should only be out up to six weeks from what reports are saying, and yet Mets fans are acting like he is out for the season.

As for Wright, he could be playing by next week and he has said emphatically that if this was the regular season, he would be playing.

I like that the Mets are being cautious, and are not forcing people to play injured during Spring Training.

They are taking it step by step with Johan Santana to make sure he doesn’t get re-injured. Fans seem to be too worried that he won’t be at his regular form at all this season, but ignore the tremendous progress he continues to make.

All I am saying is that we shouldn’t be overreacting.

It is only March, and we are in Spring Training. If this was the regular season, and it was like August, then we could worry.

However, we still have a 162-game regular season left to play, as well as the rest of this Spring Training. We should just let it play out, and see how things are for Opening Day, All Star Game, August, etc., before officially tossing in the towel on the season.

The players have plenty of time left to recover from injuries, and to get back to form for this season.

Mike Pelfrey pitched a solid game, but left runners on and the bullpen couldn’t hold in the Mets 6-0 loss against the Marlins.

Game Notes

Mike Pelfrey went six innings, and looked to be having one of his better starts in recent memory. Pelfrey allowed four runs on six hits, walking four and striking out three. While the control didn’t kill him today since he minimized the hits and didn’t allow an extra base hit until the seventh inning, it wasn’t as sharp as one would expect. Pelfrey was victimized by the Marlins hitting the balls where the Mets weren’t.

Tim Byrdak came out to clean up Mike Pelfrey’s mess, and allowed a hard-groundout, a walk and a two-RBI single that found its way passed a diving Nick Evans. Ryota Igarashi finished up the inning, getting a pop-up, allowing a run to score (run charged to Byrdak) and then getting the man who led off the inning, Mike Cameron to pop out to end the inning. The bullpen held for the eighth, and in the ninth D.J. Carrasco gave up a solo home run to Mike Stanton.

The recent pitching of the Mets carried them, and today it failed them in addition to the lack of an appearance from the…

Offense, which consisted of three hits before the eighth and a few walks. Not having an extra base hit on the day of the game will definitely make it hard to score runs. The Mets put up a chance to rally in the eighth, but with the bases loaded Lucas Duda struck out against hard-throwing lefty Mike Dunn

Lucas Duda – 0 for 4, two strikeouts. Tough day, Lucas.

Jason Bay – 0 for 4 with a strikeout in return from strained shoulder. Like he never left.

David Wright – 2 for 3 with a walk and a strikeout. Did make a boneheaded read on the wheel play. Apparently forgot, nobody covers first.

Josh Thole – 2 for 3 with a strikeout. Thole continues to hit, they are singles but still hits. His only issue? He has practically no chance at throwing out runners in almost every situation.

Turning Point - 

The Marlins sixth inning, when a double, a walk and a failed wheel play put the game into dangerous territory.

Goat Of The Game: Its a tie between Mike Pelfrey/The Wheel Play/Byrdak/Iggy.

On Deck

The Mets will look to finish up their series against the Marlins, sending Chris Capuano to the mound to face-off against righty Chris Volstad. Game time is 7:10 P.M.

For angry thoughts about this game and other Mets related news, follow me on Twitter @TheSeanKenny

R.A. Dickey pitched a strong seven innings, but the bullpen combined to give up four runs in the last two innings in their 6-2 loss to the Brewers.

Game Notes

R.A. Dickey looked great today, and had another quality outing. Dickey went seven innings, allowing two runs on six hits, walking none and striking out four. Dickey would’ve gone more innings if not for the Brewers manager walking Ruben Tejada in the bottom of the seventh to force Terry Collins to bring in a pinch hitter.

The bullpen failed horribly for the second day in a row, with Manny Acosta, Tim Byrdak, Jason Isringhausen and Pedro Beato combining to allow another four runs. The bullpen has been god awful, and it can only get better hopefully. Not one arm has been able to shut things down or stop the bleeding.

The bats didn’t do much today, outside of two big hits that were back-to-back, a Lucas Duda two-run blast to the deepest part of the park and a Jason Bay double to LF that was two-feet short of being a home run, and would’ve been out in any other park. Another weak offensive day, with six total hits and only one walk.

Angel Pagan – 2 for 4. Angel has been hitting much better, but over-ran a ball in the fifth and missed a catch.

Lucas Duda – 1 for 4 with a two-run homer. Oh, three strikeouts too. Great way to break up the golden sombrero.

Thoughts

Justin Turner continues to struggle defensively, making an extremely poor throw that cost the Mets two outs, and prolonged the inning.

Ryan Braun stole two bases, and neither throw by Josh Thole was accurate or strong.

Turning Point

Making Terry Collins play for the win in the seventh and pulling his extremely effective starter.

Game Ball

R.A. Dickey, the victim of poor run support/bad luck. Great outing, usual expected outcome. R.A. Dickey is the best 5-11 pitcher in the MLB.

On Deck

The Mets will travel to Philly to face off against Cliff Lee and the Phillies. Dillon Gee will take the mound and game time is 7:05 P.M.

Some of you may remember the article I wrote earlier in the season where I predicted the Mets would move Carlos Beltran, Francisco Rodriguez, and others. All the while I predicted Reyes would NOT be traded at the deadline. That now is certain because of this injury, but he would have not been traded at the deadline anyway.

It’s now becoming clear Sandy Alderson is doing one of two things.

A. Truly interested in re-signing Reyes. (This is what he should be doing. It’s obvious Reyes is the best player on this team right now.)

B. Alderson is just gauging interest to see what it may take to bring him back. In this scenario, Alderson can better prepare for his offseason plan now by seeing the range of $$$$ Reyes agents are dreaming about. (We can all thank god Reyes didn’t switch to Boras.)

Forget Reyes for a minute and let’s switch back to our inevitable mini fire sale.

I expect Alderson will attempt to trade Beltran, Rodriguez, Capuano, Isringhausen, and Byrdak. Hell, he may even shock us and deal Pelfrey. I wouldn’t shed a tear. We could move all the guys above and I’d be praising Mr. Alderson for whatever he gets in return.

The Mets have proved one thing this year – They are not the same Mets, but they’re really similar. Extremely injury prone and Streaky (Mets biggest downfall every year in recent memory).

However they’ve shown bright spots in an otherwise mediocre season. Dillon Gee, Pedro Beato and Justin Turner are just a few. These guys could very likely be on many future 25-man rosters. Alderson will craft the team in the fashion he sees fit. If that includes Reyes, amazing. That’s what I’ve been predicting (and praying) would happen all along. If it does not, then it’s obvious he wasn’t interested in coughing up 100+ million for a player that relies so much on his legs. This of course is due to his history of leg injuries. That may very well happen. It wouldn’t shock me at all if Alderson saw Reyes price skyrocket, then decided his money might be better spent in other various areas.

Regardless, selling is inevitable. Let’s hope we get some nice presents for Baseball Christmas (July 31st).

Dillon Gee had his worst major league outing, and the bullpen didn’t fare much better as the Mets lost to the Oakland Athletics, 7-2

Game Notes

Dillon Gee had a horrible outing, and it isn’t shown by the basic stats. Dillon Gee allowed four runs on three hits, striking out one but walking SIX. Gee walked in a run, and just got burned by an inability to put batters away. With the bases loaded in the fifth inning, the Mets took out Gee for pinch hitter Scott Hairston. It was a combination of walks and no offense, but this was a horrible outing for Gee.

D.J. Carrasco apparently ate at the same place as gee, giving up three runs in two innings on four hits, walking two and striking out none. With the Mets keeping the walks in check, this game just showed how easily a game could unravel. Nine walks to ten hits equals seven runs. Manny Acosta went one inning allowing a hit. Tim Byrdak went an inning, striking out two. Byrdak has looked much better recently. Bobby Parnell came out and threw the ball hard for an inning, walking one and giving up two hit. If only Bobby could throw a changeup..slower then 90 MPH. Parnell was saved by a great 5-3 double play.

The offense couldn’t put together hits against Josh Outman, putting his back against the wall on a few occasions and then failing to capitalize when it mattered. Ruben Tejada’s sac-fly with the bases loaded proved to be the only major offense until the sixth inning home run by everyone’s favorite Met, Jason Bay hit his third home run of the year. Mr. Bay would add an RBI triple that missed being a home run by a glove (literally).

Mets 1 through 4 hitters – 1 for 18 with a walk and four strikeouts. Never a good recipe for success.

Scott Hairston – 0 for 1 with a pop-out in a big situation. .263 against lefties this year with fourteen K’s. All Scott’s HR’s this year? Against righties. eek.

Mets received major help in the fourth from Jemile Weeks with two bad plays that allowed baserunners.

Turning Point

When Dillon Gee couldn’t throw strikes. So…inning one?

Game Ball

Jason Bay. 3 for 3 with a walk, home run, triple, a run and two RBI. This is hopefully a turning point for Bay.

On Deck

The Mets will look to rebound from two straight losses tommorrow at 7:10 P.M, sending Gio Gonzalez to the mound to face off against R.A. Dickey.