Here’s the post game audio from the Mets 6-5 loss to the D-Backs. It’s the Mets third loss in this four game series at Citi Field. This lost series may well be the death knell for the 2009 version of the Mets that we’ve all come to dislike. Dropping to 50-55 on the season and 8 games out of the wild card leaves us with little hope for post-season play.
Jerry Manuel:
The D-Backs Ryan Roberts:
The Mets appeared to be lost right from the start of this one only to come back and get into the game. Nelson Figueroa got absolutely demolished! He gave up 6 runs in 1.2 innings including three home runs, two to Mark Reynolds. The bullpen did a great job of holding the D-Backs scoreless over the final 7.1 innings but the damage was done.
The Mets climbed back into the game scoring in the third, fifth, and sixth innings.
The really bad news here is that the Mets lost three of four at home to the lowly D-Backs. This type of terrible series just shows how poor this Mets team is right now. And don’t expect to see Figueroa again with the Mets after this dismal performance. At 35 years old they’re just not going to give him multiple chances to get bombed like he did tonight.
We’ve been waiting for months now for the injured Mets to heal and get back to help this team to a miracle playoff run. But if the current Mets can’t, at least, hang on there won’t be a chance at all. The Mets need to go 40-18 over their final 58 games of the 2009 season to reach the 90 win plateau. That’s the number of wins that it took the Milwaukee Brewers to beat out the Mets by one game in 2008 for the wild card spot in the National League. It should take about that same number of wins to take the wild card spot this year.
The Mets had a good little run going against Houston and Colorado over the last week. But that will come crashing down quickly if the Mets lose tonight to the D-Backs and Dan Haren. Losing three out of four games at home to a team that’s completely out of it, like the D-Backs, is going to hurt the Mets badly this late in the season.
Even if Carlos Beltran, Jose Reyes, Carlos Delgado, J.J. Putz, John Maine, and Billy Wagner are playing for the Mets in September, will it really matter? September could be a very quiet venue for the Mets. And the season ticket holders that are trying to sell on Stubhub and eBay will be taking a big loss in the secondary market.
I understand why Mets GM Omar Minaya chose to stand pat at the non-waiver trading deadline. The team often looks dead and spending resources appears to be a lost cause. But it would have been nice to bring in some much needed offense that would be here next season too. Say a Victor Martinez. But that didn’t happen. So we’re still watching and waiting. Watching this impostor of a big league team. Waiting for the players to heal. The same high-priced players that are drawing their salaries from the pricey seats at Citi Field.
The Mets are bringing Nelson Figueroa in for a spot start against the D-Backs and Dan Haren tonight at Citi Field. To make room on the roster, Pat Misch was optioned to Triple-A Buffalo. He wasn’t designated for assignment as some other websites have reported. Misch doesn’t have enough MLB service time yet so he still has options.
Figueroa has been fantastic at Buffalo this season starting 17 games with a 7-5 record and 2.25 ERA and 1.03 WHIP. Keep in mind this is a Buffalo team that’s in last place and 24 games under .500 in the International League.
Misch hadn’t pitched in two weeks before yesterday’s game. Although he hasn’t lit the world on fire this season with his 4.08 ERA and 1.74 WHIP, he has’t been terrible either. The league is hitting .308 against him, which has led to him having few clean innings.
Before yesterday’s game against the D-Backs J.J. Putz spoke to the media and said that he pitched in the bullpen at Citi Field and he’s shooting for a return in about three weeks. He’s been on the disabled list for about two months after having surgery to remove a bone spur in his right elbow.
Billy Wagner is going to pitch again in St. Lucie today in a rehab game. He threw an inning on Friday for them as well. It looks like he’s on track to return to the Mets around the same time as Putz, at the end of the month.
Unfortunately, I think they’ll both be coming back to a team that’s out of playoff contention. But both players are really pitching for next season. Putz has a team option for next season at $8.6M with a $1M buyout. It’s highly unlikely the Mets will exercise that option. And Wagner has a team option for $8M with a $1M buyout that the Mets have already told him that they aren’t picking up.
Arizona D-Backs (46-59 Road: 22-26) at New York Mets (50-54 Home: 29-23) 7:10pm
Dan Haren (10-6 2.19) vs. Nelson Figueroa (0-1 4.50)
TV: SNY
What to watch: Figueroa is making a spot start because of the rain forced double header last Thursday. Haren has had a terrific season but he has been vulnerable in his last two starts only going 5 innings in each. Hopefully, that trend will continue or the Mets will be in serious danger of losing three of four games at home to the D-Backs.
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