They tried to battle back from a 5-0 deficit in a matchup of the first place team in the NL East against the Last Place team in the NL East. But it was clear throughout why the two teams are positioned where they are. One wins with predictability, one losses with predictability.
Ooof! Mike Jacobs juggles David Wright's errant throw that opened the floodgates for a 3-unearned run Braves blowup in the 1st inning. "I tried to pick up David," Jacobs said of the errant throw, "but I couldn't." Typical.
So Wright had his 21st error in a season of costly errors and regardless of his key performances at the plate this season, a reminder that although he is quickly blossoming into a star, he still has a long way to go.
Unable to fully take advantage of an un-Tim Hudson-like performance, the Mets showed yet again that they are fate's favourite victims against the Braves.
After back-to-back walks to Carlos Beltran and Cliff Floyd in the bottom of the 1st, David Wright strolled to the plate eager to atone for flubbing what should have been an inning-ending grounder - instead of homering to tie the game, he watched Hudson walk him, the third batter in a row to load the bases for Mike Piazza.
Piazza, back for his first game since getting beaned, had every chance in the world of making this a memorable close out to his Shea career but instead of breaking the game back open, Piazza's liner to centerfield was trapped by Andruw Jones, incorrectly ruled an out and the inning, just as quickly as hope was sprung, was over.
To his credit, Piazza, fuming with anger at the call, came back in his next at-bat to blast a massive angry homerun to the back of the left field bullpen to make it 5-3 and was quickly followed by Mike Jacobs' even more massive 460 foot blast to the back of the right field bullpen to make it 5-4 but that was the extent of the Mets hopes for pulling off a second-straight meaningless victory over the Braves.
Shingo Takatsu gave Marcus Giles a homer in the 7th to fold up the Mets chances. Still pitching for the Mets? Still in New York? Why?
They made one more effort, in the bottom of the 7th, getting the first two men on only to see Beltran, Floyd and Wright retired with barely a whimper.
Ho-hum, Braves beat the Mets again.
Adding a poignant kick to Met misery was the death of Donn Clendenon, the MVP of the 1969 World Series.
Clendenon hit three home runs and four RBIs during the Mets' five-game upset of the Baltimore Orioles.
The power-hitting first baseman batted .274 and amassed 1,273 hits and 159 home runs over a 12-year Major League career that began with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
*****
The chatter is all about Anderson Hernandez, number one in your programmes, getting set to start at second base sometime in the very near future, perhaps a glimpse of what the Mets might look forward to next season after Kaz Matsui is jettisoned like rubbish out of an intergalactic space ship.
Tom Glavine will face his old team in the rubber match today against John Thomson. Rubber match indeed - does anyone really believe the Mets have a chance to take two of three, even in a series which no longer matters?
If that isn't enough excitement for you, how about Willie Randolph Bobblehead giveaway for today's game? It goes to the first 25,000 fans with enough stomach to bother showing up. Think they'll have about 10,000 left over for the E-bay vultures to pick over?
And, if that STILL isn't enough to entice you, all Boy Scouts and Leaders in uniform will participate in a Pre-Game Scout Parade around the field. How much more exciting can it get?
Stay home, kids. Watch the Jets perform miracles against the Dolphins instead.
If you're ever tiring of the dreary droning about the Mets, have a look at my other sports site:
Sports Amnesia.
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