Losing Becomes Habitual

Although it certainly isn't unprecedented, the Collapse of the Mets is beginning to exceed the patience of even the most optimistic of followers.

Last night another loss to the Twins which made it their second in a row and resulted in another series lost, their sixth series lost in a row.

Certainly after riding the high seas of expectation with such brilliance early in the season this three week collapse is now beginning to bear the hallmarks not of a temporary glitch, a stutter, a momentary illusion, but a flawed team that whilst once played above its head, is now suffocating under the weight of its own expectation incapable of righting its own path.


5 walks? No wonder he looks so laboured.

Last night's 6-2 deafeat was not only the 14th loss of their last 18 games but was also significant for it coming with Oliver Perez on the mound. Perez had been the Mets staff ace of sorts having gone 5-2 following a Mets loss previously.

Particular abhorrent was the fact that the Mets lineup was so ineffective, so mewling against the likes of Scott Baker, who had allowed 39 baserunners and 20 runs in his four most recent starts.

Baker allowed seven hits but only two earned runs over his five inning spell and the Twins' bullpen did the rest.

It used to be that the Mets could be counted on not to give up, to batter opposing bullpens and terrify late inning lead-holders with the potential of their explosive rallies.

No more. Now the batting sides for the Mets retire weakly. The ONLY regular with a late-inning batting average over .300 for the Mets is David Wright, who is hitting a monstrous .571 in the late inning of close games.

Conversely, Jose Reyes is hitting .067 in similar circumstances, Beltran and Delgado .200 each.

Bullpens need not fear the late-inning Mets when it matters.

And if you look over the last 30 days, batting orders need not worry about the Mets' bullpen shutting them down. Not when Mota has an ERA of 5.54, Heilman's is 5.40, Joe Smith, having lost the early lustre, has an ERA of 5.56 over the last 30 days and Aaron Sele's is 7.00.

Is it any wonder both the team and the fans are beginnig to become demoralised in the late innings?

*****

The rest of this hopestand does not look any more promising, even with Oakland and St Louis looming on the horizan.

It will not be the quality of the opponents that seals the fate of the Mets this season if they do not pull out of this morass, but the quality of their own team which now, seriously, must be called into question.