Brewers 5, Mets 4 (Mil: 15-15, NYM: 17-15)

What's going on with Tom Glavine? Back when the Mets signed him, I was bummed. I didn't want to root for him, because he's a Brave...but more importantly, I knew he wouldn't be effective with the Mets, because up until 2005, no one who ever signs with the Mets as a free agent is ever as effective with the Mets as they have been in their careers to that point. Then Glavine had an OK 2003, followed by a better 2004, and I'm thinking, nothing's going to stop him in 2005!!! He has easily been the worst pitcher on the Mets staff this year. Easily. I'm mad. After I write this, I'm cutting him from my fantasy team. I don't know what else it's going to take to get him going in real life.

I hate to begin my first posting in two weeks on such a negative note, because the Mets have done so well in the absence of my writing. They have just two losses since May began, but the problem is, they easily could have won on Sunday, completing a sweep of the Brewers and moving up in the NL East standings. But Glavine gave up 11 hits and 4 earned runs in 6 innings (lowering his ERA to 6.87), and the Mets came back to tie, only to lose the game in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The Mets tied it in the eighth, at 4, then in the bottom of the ninth, Mike Piazza (who hadn't started) came in on defense after Cliff Floyd (who also hadn't started) pinch hit for Ramon Castro in the ninth. With one out, Junior Spivey singled, then immediately stole second. I couldn't watch this game, because it wasn't on DirecTV, but it sounds like, from the AP article and Mets' quotes, Piazza actually got Spivey. The Mets pitched out, and Miguel Cairo says he tagged Spivey before he hit the bag...but the ump didn't see it that way. So after Mike DeJean got a strikeout, he gave up a 2-out single to J.J. Hardy, and the Brewers won. DeJean said the game-winning hit came on what was probably his best sinker of the year. Too bad the Mets didn't win this one.

Notes from the past couple of weeks: Whenever the Mets get hot, everyone else in the National League East gets hot. Until Sunday, everyone in the East had a winning streak of at least 2 games, and were within 5 or so games of first. The Braves crushed Houston Sunday, 16-0, but other than that game, the rest of the division lost, so the Mets just drop a game to the Braves.

In my writing absence, Future Hall of Famer David Wright cooled off, then heated up, then cooled off again. He hit career homers number 17, 18, 19, and 20 since I last wrote.

Piazza might be finally finding his stroke. At one point Friday into Saturday he homered in three consecutive at-bats. Let's hope the wind is blowing out at Wrigley, and boosts his confidence a little more.

Kris Benson is back, and so is Mike Cameron. Cameron has been on fire - I wonder if Victor Diaz's recent success helped light that fire in Cameron. In order to activate Benson and Cameron, the Mets sent down Jae Seo and Royce Ring. I wouldn't be surprised if Seo ends up getting traded now that he's shown he can still be an effective Major League pitcher. A nice showcase by him the past week and a half.

Aaron Heilman also continues to impress. With Benson on a pitch count in his season debut, Heilman came in in relief (I think he got the win) and went three innings, giving up just one hit.

I apologize for the lack of writing...I have been very busy with school. But now things should cool down a bit - I'm just looking for a job. I figured what day to get back into the baseball blog then on the one-year anniversary of my marriage. Happy Anniversary Kathy!!

I realize, as I check the mailbag, my absence was noted. I apologize:

"Dear JohnnyMets,

Where ya been? I've been doing my part -- logging on to JMDBSDC every
3-4 times each waking hour -- but I'm disappointed each time.

I had to learn about the tarp fiasco in Washington on the wires. Now when my
grandchildren ask me where I was when I learned about the Great Tarp
Fiasco of 2005, I'll have to tell them on the AP instead of on JMDBSDC.
Please return soon.

Dave in Brighton"

Dave refers to the last game in Washington, where the grounds crew did a horrendous job putting the tarp on the field, resulting in a called game in the eighth inning, when the Mets could have made a comeback. They protested, that protest has since been denied. The Tarp Fiasco was reminiscent of the Mets' first trip to Miami to play the Marlins back in 1993. Bad groundscrewing then too. Maybe it was 1992...

More e-mail:

"I know you don't like to cross-polinate your blogs, but I have to know what you think of the Jets taking a kicker in the SECOND ROUND of the draft. The second round??

kevin
JMDBSDC Southern Bureau"

The Jets had a better draft than people give them credit for. Tune in to johnnyjets.blogspot.com soon for a draft recap and season preview. I am still not pleased they let Anthony Becht sign elsewhere.

Mets go to Chicago for three beginning Monday night. I'll try to be better about writing.