- Jon Niese went 5.1 innings, giving up two runs on eight hits, while striking out six. He did not walk a batter. Niese was throwing a gem until he imploded in the sixth inning. He started the inning by giving up three doubles in a row, giving the Nationals a 2-0 lead. He was finally able to get Jayson Werth to ground out before being pulled.
- Ryota Igarashi did a nice job of getting out of the sixth inning unscathed, striking out Laynce Nix and Jesus Flores.
- Imagine what Scott Hairston could have done if he started today's game. Hairston pinch-hit in the seventh inning for Lucas Duda and hit his sixth home run of the year. Two innings later, Hairston hit his second home run of the game off Nationals closer Drew Storen.
- Daniel Murphy. He's lucky he can hit, because other than being at the plate, he has no business being on a field. He was 2-4 at the plate today, but his base running hurt the Mets. With the bases loaded in the third inning and no where to go, Murphy strayed too far off first and was doubled off on a fly ball to right field. He was able to make a nice play in the ninth inning to throw out Flores at third. Dumb luck if you ask me, seeing as how he wasn't even looking at third when he made the throw.
- If Bobby Parnell has proven anything this year, it's that he's not a closer. Inconsistency is the name of Parnell's game. He's dominant on the mound for two games, then he'll blow the next three. This afternoon, after giving up a lead-off single to Flores and hitting Rick Ankiel, Parnell was able to get Brian Bixler to ground out into a force out at third base. A wild pitch allowed Ankiel to advance to third. Parnell then gave up the walk-off single to Ian Desmond. After the game, manager Terry Collins told reporters that Parnell twisted his ankle.
Next Up: The Mets head home to Citi Field for a ten game home stand. New York will take on the Marlins Monday night. Game time is 7:10 p.m.
Mets were on a roll. 6-4 on the roadtrip feels like a disappointment, especially with Atlanta losing today.
ReplyDeleteIt feels like there's just too much inconsistency to be able to catch up to the Wildcard spot. In a week they could be in 5th but they've dropped to 7th. They need to play .700 ball as I don't think .600 will cut it. The loss of K-rod has probably doomed them but interestingly, even with a win today, they'd still be solidly in 7th.
Miracles do happen, though!
This team always seems to take two steps forward, and then one giant step back. They do have some fight in them though. They're fun to watch (usually) even if they only hover around .500. But along the same lines as you, you never know what's going to happen. Just keep cheering them on.
ReplyDeleteYou're right all the way except to me it's more 1.5 steps up, 1 step back i.e. not advancing as fast as they need to with time running out (which might be the same equation as yours with the "giant" step back after two forward.) Anyway, the fight in them is indeed what makes it fun. If they were flailing miserably like the Astros then I'd seriously not give a crap until mid-February rolls around. But this is interesting and there still is hope! Can't give up until the day they're mathematically eliminated!!
ReplyDeleteHave a Nice Week!