Getting swept down in Philly in August was bad. Getting swept in September in your house foreshadows the end of a fine season. There are no excuses for losing eight in a row to your closest rival. Are the Phillies really the better team?
The Mets pitching is self-destructing. Starters John Maine and Oliver Perez are inconsistent at best and Orlando Hernandez is hurting again. Pedro Martinez and Tom Glavine give the team a chance to win only to see the bullpen fall apart.
Half-a-dozen Willie continues to mismanage his pitchers. It's crunch time, yet he continues to leave his starters in to give up six quick runs. Willie is still infatuated with Guillermo Mota, bringing him in game after game only to see the steroidless reliever give up crucial runs. Now that Mota's ERA is over half a dozen (6.06) will Miniya release him?
Willie stepped out of character and brought Billy Wagner into a tie game in the eight and Wagner was untouchable. So instead of leaving him in for the ninth, he yanks him. What a wasted appearance!
It took Scott Schoeneweis all summer to finally settle in and pitch well in relief. So what does Willie do? He lets him rot in the bullpen for two weeks. Joe Smith finally returned to Shea Sunday and promptly bailed the Mets out of a tight situation. Oh Hum.
Thankfully the schedule maker is smiling upon the Mets for the last 14 games. The team has to rally together and pound the second-string teams they play if they want to win the NL East. Let's hope someone else knocks the Phillies out of the playoff picture.
Congratulations to David Wright for joining the 30 – 30 club.
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