Yeah…This was such a joke of a game that I insinuated in the shout box that I didn’t even think it deserved a recap. But it happened — and what’s done is done. Zack Wheeler, our touted prospect, took the mound against the Nationals for his Citi Field debut and it was rocky, to say the least. Wheeler looked to be making an effort to throw more pitches over the plate, although his strike:ball ratio (54:35) didn’t particularly show it. Unfortunately for him, he was knocked around for five earned runs and failed to finish the fifth inning, where he was lifted in favor of David Aardsma.
Two of his five runs came the hard way, as Adam LaRoche and Jayson Werth each took the young man deep for a solo home run. The other three runs crossed the plate in the third inning off a combination of hits and a walk. Wheeler struck out five, and his velocity was slightly down at times — which I really hope was not a result of some adjustment Warthen had him make due to his “tipping pitches.” That being said, I really hoped my John Maine comparison was a one-game thing, and not the norm…
There are going to be games like this for Wheeler — and there will likely be games where he dominates too. The question is how frequently we’ll see the dominant Wheeler in comparison to the one that struggled today. Three major league starts does not define a career, however.
There were little bright spots to speak of in this game regardless, however, as Brandon Lyon made an effort to ensure that another top Mets prospect wouldn’t get a win. After Aardsma and Josh Edgin pitched us into the seventh without allowing anymore damage, Lyon was obliterated for six earned runs — although one of them scored as an inherited runner when Scott Rice allowed a base hit. Fan favorite Anthony Recker allowed a two-run home run in the ninth, but got the next three outs easily.
The Mets had a few chances to score in this game, but failed to come through until the ninth, when John Buck ripped a two-run home run. Too little, too late…
Shaun Marcum looks to build on his first win when the Mets take on the Arizona Diamondbacks tomorrow evening.
