Rain Beats Mets, 2-0

For all intents and purposes, the Mets lost this game in the first inning.

Phillies starter Gavin Floyd had walked the bases full with two outs. David Wright, one batter previous, had narrowly missed a three-run homer that curved foul instead. Xavier Nady, who had been 0-14 when batting with 2 outs and runners in scoring position, then slammed Floyd's bases loaded offering deep to the fence in centerfield for what seemed certain to be at least a three-run triple.



Instead, Aaron Rowand slammed full force into the wall at the 398 foot mark and somehow made the grab of the season, held on to the ball and killed the Mets rally all in one bloodied nose blow that sent the Mets reeling into the bottom of the first still tied at 0-0 rather than ahead at least 3-0.

And then, as if to punctuate the fact the Mets weren't going to win this game no matter what, in the bottom of the first, the Mets Killah, Chase Utley punched a ball over Xavier Nady's head to right center field to give the Phillies a 1-0 lead they wouldn't relinquish.


The self-satisfied smirk of a man who loves to kill the Mets as he completes his homerun trot.

Say what you like about this game but you might as well have turned off the radio at that point right there, the fate was sealed. Instead of leading 3-0 or 4-0, the Mets were behind 1-0 and yes, let us not forget, the all-important first run scored went to the enemy not ourselves, dooming the remaining, soggy innings.

It doesn't matter that Chase Utley would have had a second homerun in his next at bat were it not for the wind suddenly kicking it back into the stadium for an out. It doesn't matter that Victorino, who replaced the bloody-faced Rowand after The Catch, went 2 for 2 in his stead, kicking out a double in the 4th inning and was driven in a batter later by none other than the Ultimate Disappointment, David Bell to give the Phillies a 2-0 lead.

It doesn't matter that Chase Utley came to the plate once more, this time with the bases loaded and you could almost feel the bloody migraine coming on one more time only to see him bounce back to Steve Trachsel harmlessly ending the inning.

It doesn't matter that the about five seconds after Carlos Beltran was called out on strikes in the top of the 5th making the game "official", that the heavens opened up, pissing down rain for the rest of the night and ending any hope the Mets might have had to catch up.

The Mets wouldn't have caught up because the game was decided by The Catch, symbolic of the sneer of the baseball gods who were going to see to it one way or another that the Phillies took this home series (much as Archie Bunker's Army predicted, incidentally.)

The only surprise was the fact that Billy Wagner after blowing all that hot air, never got into a game to face the angry and ugly Philly crowd. Now he'll have to wait to face the music because Willie decided to protect him in Game One and leave Aaron Heilman to the wolves instead like a sacrificial little lamb.

It was perhaps that specific sort of cowardice which the baseball gods sought to punish Willie and the Mets for. The reason this game ended as it did. Hopefully it isn't a momentum shift as much as a one-off payback for not bringing Wagner into the game the first time.

With a win last night the Mets could have matched the 23-11 start of the 1988 team that won 100 games for the third time in franchise history, but lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers in seven games in the NL championship series. But they didn't.

And now they leave Philly for Milwaukee not quite empty handed, but certainly feeling dissatisfied, perhaps cheated by fate and who knows, wondering whether or not these Phillies are going to prove, like the Mets have been trying to prove, to be the "new" Braves of the NL East.

*****

Something to think about for the next Phillies series: Cole Hamels.

"You don't see those guys come around very often," said Braves manager Bobby Cox of the promotion of Hamels from AAA. "I only had one look at him [in spring training], but that was enough. The kid's special. This will be a huge plus for the Phillies."

And meanwhile, the Mets will throw rubbish like Jose Lima and Jeremi Gonzalez at the Brewers this weekend.

NL East Irony

Interesting that as the Mets were ending the Phillies nine game winning streak, the Marlins were ending their own streak against the Braves - their 11-3 victory ended their 11 game home losing streak. The Braves, ahhhh, how low they've sunken!

*****

Bad Brew Town!


Sure this isn't Tranny Bobblehead Giveaway Night?

This Saturday's 6:05 p.m. start against the Mets features the first all-fan bobble head giveaway of the 2006 season, and it comes with a unique twist. Derrick Turnbow is the featured player, and the doll comes complete with long, lifelike hair spilling out from under his cap. The dolls, which are compliments of Badger Mutual Insurance, showcase Turnbow in the white home uniform and 5,000 random dolls will feature Turnbow in the alternate retro pinstripe home uniform. Plus, 100 lucky fans will find cards in their box that can be redeemed for a doll autographed by Turnbow. The game is a virtual sellout (single seats and standing room remain in very limited quantities).


Might have to fly to Milwaukee for this kind of bargain...When will the Mets hold the Jose Lima Crazy Orange Hair Bobblehead Night with the exploding Bobblehead?