Not Even Pedro Is Enough

"You don't want this carrying over,"
--Marlon Anderson. the 2nd Met ejected in 2 games, on the string of losses to the Phillies.



All sorts of evil theories could spring up following Saturday's brutal 5-3 loss to the Phillies, the 7th loss in a row for the Mets against their closest rivals.

The primary one, that The Bullpen Sucks was never in more evidence than Saturday: well, perhaps that's a bit hyperbolic - so many nights the bullpen has seemed ineffective that the competition for the more demoralising or worst example is simply too numerous to narrow down.

In Philly they're getting so cocky they're calling us The NY Pets.

The normally steady Pedro Feliciano allowed a leadoff double and an unearned run in the seventh inning, and he gave up a leadoff home run to Aaron Rowand in the eighth that tied the score. Striking out the side the inning before was exciting but one wonders what Willie was thinking leaving Feliciano out there for an unusual second inning of work.

Jorge Sosa, (taking Heilman's usual set-up spot because Heilman was going to do the closing since Willie had declared Billy Wagner needed the night off (during an important series against your closest rivals? Is this smoke to cover a more serious fire?), was even worse than Feliciano. Sosa walked his first batter, pinch-hitter Wes Helms, retired two batters -- one on a sacrifice bunt -- and walked Pete Laforest with Rollins, author of The Team To Beat phrase and a primary MVP candidate for the Phillies, on deck.

The galling thing about the lack of success of the Mets bullpen in blowing their second game in a row is how good and scoreless the Phillies bullpen has been by comparison.

If you recall earlier this season, the bullpen was thought to be the Phillies' achilles heel, the reason they really weren't the team to beat.

But the Mets are also exceedingly good at beating themselves against the Phillies. It comes in the form of misplays in the field, (witness Beltran's misplay of the line drive to left-center field in the eighth inning hit by Jimmy Rollins that cracked the game open and a crucial thrown-out-stealing against Reyes to kill a 6th inning rally.)


By the 8th you just knew there was no comeback remaining...

The craziest thing of all was that even with the Mets leading 3-1, that "here we go again" moment was never very far away. And this kind of failure breeds and feeds upon itself to the point of being self-prophesising. Against the Phillies, unlike the rest of the league, the Mets just don't seem as sure they can do the job.

Not suprisingly, the Phillies lead the majors with 45 come-from-behind wins.


Lost in another loss was a Pedro-esque performance which would raise hopes for the post-season, provided of course, the Phillies don't make it in as a wild card...