Beltran's Bunting Fetish Costs Mets

Jimenez, walking the first two batters of the inning in the 4th.

So everyone thinking first pitch fast ball, Beltran at the plate, hitting clean up for crissakes, a good place for an Earl Weaver favourite, the three run homer and what does Beltran do? Bunt foul down the third base line. And spontaneously, a thousand voices shout what the fuck?!

And the inning? Beltran ended with a fielder’s choice and Delgado does his patented groundball double play and that’s that. The Mets’ best chance it would turn out, not to lose the game.

Presumably this moment of idiocy was not sanctioned by Jerry Manuel. It will be intesting to hear his reaction. Will he pull out his shiv and hold it to Beltran's throat telling him if he ever bunts again as the clean up hitter with two men on, none out and the pitcher rapidly losing control, he'll cut him up. Cut him up good.


Ok, thanks for the reminder that your best years are behind you. Now on your bike, son.

So what happened to Pedro in the 5th? Jesus, strolling along and wham! Back to back homers followed by a double. The sun was no longer Pedro’s amigo and pitcher and hitters were all in the shadows. And whilst Jerry Manuel seemed optimistic of Pedro pitching 6 or 7 innings pre-game, Pedro’s pitch count grows. This was payback for the Mets’ explosive 2nd inning the day before. Funny thing is, the pre-game worries were of a pitcher like Pedro pitching in Coors Field and getting into a train wreck. Don’t need to worry about Pedro’s pitch count for long. By the time it’s 6-1, he’s on his way out.

Vargas induces a double play and the inning is mercifully over. Is this Vargas’ audition for 5th inning reliever?

The 6th inning will be the breaking point of this game. The Mets have 1 hit through the first 5, Jose Reyes’ game-opening triple. If they answer the Rockies’ big 5th with a few runs of their own, it’s still anyone’s game. Jimenez, the Rockies’ Oliver Perez clone will certainly be ready to give it up. But if the Mets go down with a whimper, you get bet this is getting marked down as the Mets’ first loss under Jerry Manuel which didn’t involve the distraction of the Sacking of Willie.


Reyes tests Manuel's new dugout toy

And while I’m thinking of it during the pitching change, These are the best mockumentaries I’ve seen in a looooong time.

The Trailer Park Boys and Flight of the Conchords

And, the Mets go down in the 6th like somnambulists. I think it’s safe to say game over already. Wonder what the traffic is like leaving Coors Field.

But oh yes, we keep listening, masochistically as Schoeneweiss does his best to blow the game even further open, a gaping, irreparable 7-1 hole.


No wonder he can't cover second - he can't even keep his bloody head up!

One glaring black eye was Castillo’s idiotic failure to cover second base, not once but twice. The kind of baseball moronity which should enshrine the culprit on the bench next to the manager for a spell to give a hustler like Easley a chance to make Manuel look smart.

Now down to the 9th inning and we know precisely that the Mets are not overcoming this deficit.