The Mets lost a sleeper this evening to the Pittsburgh Pirates by the score of 7-3 at a sparsely filled Citi Field.
Shaun Marcum was making his third start of the season for the Mets and once again failed to last five innings. The truth is he’s looked awful every time out there, but tonight was the worst we’ve seen yet.
Marcum, now 0-3, saw his ERA balloon to 8.59 for the season after surrendering six earned runs on nine hits, two hit-batters and a home run in 4.2 innings tonight against the Bucs.
In the second inning he allowed five straight Pirates to reach base and at this point I’m ready to declare him a $4 million dollar bust. I’ve seen enough. His fastball never topped 85 MPH and he looks like he’s tossing batting practice out there.
Adding insult to injury (or injury to insult), Marcum took a line drive off his left wrist in the second inning, but remained in the game after a couple of visits by trainer Ray Ramirez. He should be ok.
Terry Collins blames Marcum’s troubles on trying to rush back from rehab and not getting a full spring training. “I think we’ve got to run him out there again, because as we said the last start, he’s basically right toward the end of spring training.”
Offensively, the Mets were a day late and a dollar short.
Anthony Recker started at catcher and smacked his first home run as a Met, a solo shot in the fifth to get the Mets on the board. He has some pop in that bat…
The Mets scored two more runs in the ninth, but there would be no walk-off dramatics on this night, despite a booming home run to right center by – wait for it – Jordany Valdespin. He’s so amazing…
Funny thing… Almost as if in a moment of defiance, Valdespin looked straight into the Mets dugout, flipped his bat, and rounded the bases with a swagger that screamed – You keep benching me and I’ll keep making you look like the clown prince.
Okay, so let me end this on a positive note…
Ah yes, the Mets pounded out ten hits, but were 1-for-14 with men on-base tonight and are batting just a woeful .219 in their last ten games. Yikes!
Wait, that’s not a positive note… Ike Davis had two hits… There we go… 🙂
The Mets will have Jon Niese (2-3, 4.66 ERA) on the mound opposing Bucs left-hander Francisco Liriano in a 1:10 PM matinee start. It’s Banner Day tomorrow, but will it be a banner day for the Mets?
Tune in to find out… Lets Go Mets!
