Tuesday, September 12, 2006By Mike Steffanos
Marlins 16 - Mets 5
Dave Williams couldn't do anything right, and he wasn't getting much help from his defense. Williams gave up 9 runs in 3+ innings of work, with Heath Bell and Royce Ring also taking their lumps. Only Roberto Hernandez escaped this game without his ERA going up.
I can't even work up the ambition to spend much time recapping this game. Lately I have a sense of déjàvu as the recent period of up and down play is reminiscent of September of 1986 when the Mets were close to clinching things and went threw a real rough strecth.
Thoughts on the game
I felt bad for Dave Williams, who had been doing a respectable workmanlike job filling in for all of the fallen starters and earned my respect with his aggressive pitching. I know Pedro will be back Friday, so I'm not sure if Williams gets another start. This would certainly be a tough one on which to end his season.
Perhaps I jinxed Williams by suggesting that the recent struggles of Trachsel and John Maine have left the door open the slightest of cracks for Williams or Tuesday night's starter, Oliver Perez, to sneak in to the post-season thinking. If that's the case, let me state categorically for any gremlins who may be listening that Perez has no chance of starting a playoff game. Are we clear? I don't want to sit through another game like tonight.
All kidding aside Williams, who had been a strike-throwing machine, struggled with command of his curve and changeup tonight. A kid like that with fairly ordinary stuff doesn't have much margin for error. Let's update the chart:
| Dave Williams | |||||||||||
| Date | Opp. | IP | R | ER | H | K | BB | HR | ERA | WHIP | Team Result |
| 8/19 | COL | 5.2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 4.76 | 1.06 | W |
| 8/24 | STL | 6.1 | 2 | 2 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2.84 | 1.26 | W |
| 8/30 | @COL | 7 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 3.86 | 1.43 | W |
| 9/6 | ATL | 6 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1.50 | 1.00 | W |
| 9/11 | @FLA | 3 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 27.00 | 4.33 | L |
| Total (5 Games) | 28 | 18 | 18 | 38 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 5.79 | 1.50 | 4-1 | |
Williams had some solid numbers coming in, but this game certainly skewed everything downward. I still can see this kid at the bottom of the rotation or in the bullpen next year.
Positives: Beltran hit his 40th homerun tonight, and Floyd had a nice 2-run bomb. Oh yeah, and the score resets back to 0-0 for Tuesday night's game.
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Comments (4)
To my thinking Williams clearly falls into that category of pitchers who can get the job done for a superior defensive team. Most of this year that would describe the Mets, but last night the defense collapsed; and Dave Williams can't survive that.
Ron Darling has correctly pointed out that the starting pitchers shouldn't go through stale periods, not when you only play once every five days. But teams, the everyday players, will lose focus occasionally during the long season.
We stunk up the place; get 'em next game.
Posted by dd | September 12, 2006 7:39 AM
dd -- it wasn't just the D, his control was abysmal. For the most part, his location had been good in the 4 previous.
Posted by Mike S. | September 12, 2006 12:49 PM
Absolutel right on!!! I pray that Perez will show consistency from his last outing!!! Eddie Mets
Posted by Atl Mets | September 12, 2006 1:06 PM
That would be something if he could string a couple of good games back to back.
Posted by Mike S. | September 12, 2006 1:15 PM