Sunday, July 27, 2008By Mike Steffanos
Game 104: Cardinals 10 - Mets 8 (14)
I guess if you want to look on the bright side, this was a game that the Mets would have lost with a lot less fight earlier this season. On the other hand, it's tough to have to burn your bullpen the way they had to last night and then not come away with a victory.
Perhaps if Brandon Knight could have made it through the first inning easier, he might have been able to come out this game with a win. After allowing a 4-spot in the first frame he was a lot better, if hardly dominating. By the time he left the game, he actually had a chance for a victory, but Carlos Muniz and Joe Smith combined to spot the Cards another 4-run inning in the sixth.
But the Mets fought back again, thanks to Delgado's second homer of the game in the bottom of that frame and more late inning heroics from Fernando Tatis, who homered in the ninth to tie it.
Five of the Mets' runs came on 4 homers, including their last 4 of the game. They had their chances to win this thing, but it was the failure to come up with a base hit in key spots that ultimately led to an "L".
Kudos for the fight they showed, but it's tough to lose winnable games when you spent the first half of the season running in place. They really need a big one from Santana today, not only to save the bullpen but also to take this series.
No pitching chart for Brandon Knight, who seems unlikely to get a second start for the Mets as things stand.
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Comments (3)
They got a big one today out of Johan, who did the complete game win, and even went 2-4 at the plate. If you take the 4 2/3 stinker from Cincy out of the ledger, Johan's last two outings were his best this season. Maybe we're seeing the "JOHAN SANTANA SECOND HALF MAGIC" that we've been hearing about?
Is it just me or does Kyle Loshe not look all that impressive? Yeah, he's 12-3 with an ERA about 3.60, but why do I get the feeling that he's mostly been the beneficiary of the Pujols-Ludwick-Ankiel-Glaus lineup, and not really worth his record? I guess today's game showed something, where the Mets lineup battered him around for 6 innings. The Cards really need Wainwright (and probably also Carpenter) to get back- I wasn't all that enthusiastic about Boggs, Pinero, and Loshe in this 3 game series.
Also, the Mets could definitely use a bullpen arm, since Duaner is definitely showing some wear and tear. He hasn't pitched competitively for nearly 2 years until this year, and he's practically relearning how to throw out there. Huston Street or Brian Fuentes for the 8th inning, anyone?
Posted by Jason B | July 27, 2008 8:00 PM
Good win in the rubber game, Santana looked good again, and the offense is rolling for the most part. Need to play big in this Marlins series to keep first place. I agree with J.B. on another bullpen arm and they say there are a number of quality arms out there. Maybe another bat depending upon Church's status. It's coming into the "dog days of summer", and hopefully the Mets can endure. Lets Go Mets!
Posted by L.J.Phipps | July 28, 2008 7:11 AM
Jason - Loshe has been pitching effectively all year. He hasn't been getting many strikeouts, but he had only allowed 9 HR in 22 games before yesterday. The real question is whether he can continue to pitch that well this season and beyond, or if he is enjoying a season like Jae Seo's last one with the Mets when they made a lot of changes. He looked unhittable for a while but then the hitters caught up to him. I suspect that's what's going to happen with Loshe.
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LJ - I'm sure Omar will pick up someone, but there is a lot of competition for those players, too.
Posted by Mike Steffanos | July 28, 2008 12:35 PM