Bullpen Blows Another With 7 Run 7th

You might have thought Friday night's debacle was one of the low points of the season and you might have been right. It ranked right up there with the blown Opening Day game against the Reds.

But last night seemed to confirm the bullpen is hunched over the toilet, spilling its collective guts.

Whereas the meltdown on Friday night involved a four run lead, Aaron Heilman and closer Bradon Looper, Saturday involved a very ugly 7th inning which blew the game wide open as Heath Bell and Danny Graves combined to allow 7 runs to the Pittsburgh Pirates and blew their second consecutive game in a row, this time by an 11-4 margin.

Friday the heartbreaker, Saturday the haymaker.

The bullpen that had gone 12 innings without surrendering a run and allowing only one hit all series against the Washington Nationals proceeded to give up 11 runs in what amounted to three innings of disaster against the Pittsburgh Pirates, hardly a team you would expect a collapse against.

Does it mean the bullpen needs revamping? Does it mean the Mets should get desperate for immediate relief? Not yet. The bullpen hasn't been as big an obstacle to victories as has been untimely hitting, moronic baserunning miscues and dodgy fielding but it only takes a pair of horrific performances to get the Mets faithful chirping but if last night proved anything, it should be remembered for the moment Kaz Ishii cashed his last chips in as a Met.

Ishii had another lamentable performance and whereas Victor Zambrano appears to have been healed by Rick Peterson, Ishii appears to have learned nothing. Another four runs in less than six innings knocked him to 2-8 on the season and rolled his ERA up to 5.57. Granted, you don't expect much from a fifth starter but with someone like Jae Seo burning for the chance (6-3 2.84 at AAA Norfolk), Ishii's days as a Mets starter should be numbered.

*****

Pedro gets his final start of the first half of the season for the Mets against the Pirates this afternoon but even a Mets victory will be hard to erase the memory of the last two miserable outings against the Pirates.