D-Train Halts A Few Stops Too Short

You had to feel a little anxious going into yesterday's game knowing Dontrelle Willis had a 8-1 record with a 1.85 earned run average in 11 starts against the Mets.


D-Train tosses ball in frustration after David Wright's game-tying triple.

Yesterday's start appeared to be humming along on schedule after he'd held the Mets to three hits through six innings and had retired the last 11 Mets in order. But in the 7th, Paul Lo Duca battled Willis through a 10-pitch at-bat -- including five two-strike fouls -- before the former Marlins catcher singled to right and by the time the D-Train had finished the eighth inning, he had thrown 111 and left for a pinch hitter in the ninth.

And that was the end of the Marlins' hopes.

David Wright changed the game in two instances; a sinking liner that sank a little too much and an inside fastball that stayed a little too up. The sinking liner dropped under right fielder Jeremy Hermida's glove for a two-run, seventh-inning triple, and the second drove Marlin outfielder Jeremy Hermida deep to run down his game-winning sacrifice fly in the ninth.


Beltran earns a few hundred of his millions with a game-winning slide home.

Tom Glavine played the unsung hero, keeping the Mets within reach and nearly matching Dontrelle inning for inning of quality pitching before leaving after six innings having allowed only five hits and two runs. His five strikeouts upped his career total to 2,360 and moved him into 39th place on the all-time list, ahead of Robin Roberts. Next up is Charlie Hough (2,362).

Duaner Sanchez relieved Tom Glavine and pitched two shutout innings. Billy Wagner threw a scoreless ninth to pick up his first victory with the Mets.

Jose Reyes committed two errors, letting Miguel Cabrera's grounder kick off his glove in the eighth and delivering a wide throw that pulled Carlos Delgado off the bag in the ninth. Fortunately and perhaps more evidence the Mets are starting the season on a lucky streak, neither error proved fatal.

*****

Next up for the Mets is a trip to DC to face the Nats once again. After last week's body-plunking excitement, both teams were told to cool it.

*****



There was even more good news for the Mets yesterday in addition to the perhaps unforeseen victory over Dontrelle and that was Larry Jones getting his spikes caught in the soggy field and then in a moment of Queen's excstacy, grabbed his right knee as soon as he went to the ground. He rolled around on the field in pain, staying down for several minutes before being helped off. Poor little Larry. Oh yeah, and the Braves lost again.


Oh, the misery! (that it didn't happen at Shea, that is...)