Reds 6, Mets 4 (35-35, 3.5 GB)

Wednesday, June 23, 2004

First of all, how about that numerology? Mets are 35-35, 3.5 back. Too bad they didn't lose 5-3 last night.

So, I missed the first five innings of last night's game because of softball (more on that game later), but I saw the last 7. Apparently, I missed a lot more in those first five innings than I saw in the rest of the game.

Kaz Matsui is on very thin ice in NYC. I never saw the replay of where he was thrown out at the plate - but I don't care who you are - there's no way you can get thrown out at the plate on a ball hit to the wall when you're on second base!! I have to see that replay - I can't believe it happened. From what I hear, Jason Phillips could have scored on that play!

But the Mets got plenty of clutch hitting last night through the first 8 innings - they just couldn't get that last hit to get them to two games over .500 in the 9th, 10th, 11th, or 12th. Didn't realize there was such a huge difference between .500 and two games over. It's a very sudden drop. The Mets would have been sitting pretty with a win last night...now they need to bounce back.

THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED, Jose Reyes, suffered his first loss of the year in a Mets uniform last night. He's struggling at the plate, but he will come around. In a month, even a week, if the Mets are in the same situation they were in in the 12th last night, down 2 runs, top of the order coming up, they'll win that game. Last night, Matsui singled, then THE GREATEST BALLPLAYER WHO EVER LIVED Reyes grounded back to the pitcher for a double play. Very soon, that will be a single or a double, setting Mike Piazza up for a chance to tie or win the game.

The Mets also blew another opportunity to win the game in the ninth. With Todd Zeile on first, Jason Phillips pinch hit and singled to right field. Zeile went all the way to third, but was stranded when Matsui struck out, and "T.G.B.W.E.L." (yeah, I might start abbreviating that) Reyes grounded out. Phillips has kind of been the odd man out lately, since Piazza has been catching, and Eric Valent has been playing first, because the Mets have been winning with that lineup. But maybe that pinch hit will help Phillips heat up a bit. If I were Art Howe, I'd start Phillips today to get him some at-bats. At the very least, Phillips should see plenty of action this weekend, with the Mets playing at the Yankees, and Piazza likely DH-ing.

I don't fault John Franco for the loss. He was just facing a great hitter, and Sean Casey was looking for that pitch. It wasn't a bad pitch - nine times out of ten I think Franco gets a left-handed batter out on that pitch inside. But Casey was looking for it, and yanked it out of the park. Just a good hitter. I wasn't heart-broken when the Mets lost last night's game. It just makes today's game a whole lot more important - thank goodness the stopper is on the hill. Tom Glavine faces Cory Lidle. I know there's no such thing as an automatic win...but Glavine will pitch a great game today. Two out of three from Cincinnati will be good going into a weekend series against the Yankees.

Note: Annoying most of the time, Fran Healy can be a riot sometimes. Last night, Matt Loughlin (for you Boston readers, the "Mets' equivalent of Eric Frede, interviewing fans in the stands") interviewed a couple from Cincinnati who had gotten engaged in Central Park earlier that day. They had a sign that said, "MOM - SHE SAID YES!" Something like that. Anyway, the guy says something to the effect of, "I knew she'd say yes. I wasn't that nervous." So Loughlin tosses it back to the booth, and Fran says, "Confidence is a big thing in a proposal". Like he's talking about Mike Cameron breaking out of his slump or something. I swear, that guy doesn't know what he's talking about half the time.

WRIGHT WATCH: The Tides were off last night.

SOFTBALL UPDATE: Best game of the year last night. Outstanding. After last week's blowout win, which nearly tore the team apart due to the "running up the score controversy" (for those of you who don't know/don't remember, I - and other members of the team - were upset that some members of the team kept hitting the ball to the weak right fielder and circling the bases when we were already up like 30-3 or something like that), we played our most solid game of the year, winning 5-3! A 5-3 softball game, can you believe it?! It was a good one - we played great defense, and got some timely hitting. Although some members of our team were heard saying stuff like, "this game sucks. We scored 30 runs last week, now we can only get 5?!" How about, the other team is actually good this week?

The only other thing that left a bad taste in my mouth was when it was still light out, and the other team wanted to play another inning, a couple of our team members said, 'OK, but we already win the official game'. Come on. What a bunch of wusses. (We proceeded to go on to a 9-3 win, if the extra inning counted.) I can't believe they were scared we were going to lose. Anyway, we're now 4-0. I might miss next week's game - next week's going to be busy. I'll keep you posted, like you care.