... the Mets snoozed through a 5-1 loss to the Padres. Here are the late details.
BY DAVID LENNON
SAN DIEGO – The enduring image from last night’s game at PETCO Park was the sight of pitcher Jorge Sosa, fresh off the disabled list, hobbling as fast as he could in a desperate attempt to get to second base. Really, what was the point?
Sosa wound up with the first double of his career, and eventually made it as far as third. But like many of the Mets these days, Sosa never got around to touching the plate, and his teammates weren’t much help either in a 5-1 loss to the Padres.
This was the game the Mets needed to win. David Wells was the weak link of this series – Jake Peavy and Greg Maddux follow him -- but he allowed just one run in six innings. The 44-year-old lefthander gave up seven hits, and incredibly, Sosa’s double was the only one that went for extra bases.
“He had a good approach tonight, actually,” said manager Willie Randolph, who wasn’t trying to be funny. “He worked a walk and hit a double. He’s always been able to swing the bat a little bit.”
What about the rest of the Mets? GM Omar Minaya axed hitting coach Rick Down last Thursday in attempt to revive the team’s moribund offense, but team still looks like it needs CPR. They were batting .249 with runners in scoring position, and went 2-for-6 last night, but scored only one run because Sosa held up at third base on Jose Reyes’ two-out single in the third inning.
It was Paul Lo Duca, hitting just .182 in those situations, who finally came through with his run-scoring single in the fourth inning – his first RBI since July 1. Of course, Shawn Green immediately bounced into a 4-6-3 double play.
Carlos Beltran was another repeat offender. With the Mets down, 2-1, in the fifth inning, Beltran came up with runners at second and third with two outs. But he grounded meekly to second base, dropping his average to .121 (4-for-33) in those two-out scoring chances.
“This offense really clicks when we can draw some walks and have some long at-bats,” David Wright said, “and we didn’t have that tonight.”
To add insult to injury, two former Mets played prominent roles. Heath Bell pitched a scoreless seventh inning with a strikeout and Mike Cameron crushed a long solo home run off Aaron Heilman in the eighth.
The Mets’ last-ditch effort to tie the score in the seventh inning backfired when Ruben Gotay, who reached on a two-out infield single, was cut down trying to steal second. It seemed like a strange play with Jose Reyes at the plate, but Randolph later explained that he put Gotay in motion with the expectation that Reyes would rip the 3-and-1 pitch into a gap somewhere.
“We got the pitch he wanted to hit and he took a fastball down the middle,” Randolph said. “I guess it works out that way sometimes. I was hoping Jose would get a fastball to hit and he took it. With a big ballpark like this, you have to be aggressive. You can’t lay back.”
Said Reyes, “I kind of froze there.”
Not that it mattered. In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Padres added an insurance run on Marcus Giles’ groundout and Cameron homered in the eighth.
Sosa was last seen limping off the field at Citizens Bank Park on June 30, the victim of a strained left hamstring. But after watching the likes of Mike Pelfrey, Jason Vargas and Dave Williams, the Mets were anxious to get him back into the rotation. He looked pretty decent against the Padres, allowing five hits and two runs in six innings.
“My leg is 100 percent fine,” Sosa said through an interpreter. “I didn’t have a problem.”
The Mets just don’t provide much of a margin for error these days. Sosa’s trouble started in the second inning with a one-out walk to Milton Bradley. Khalil Greene followed with a double to leftfield and Michael Barrett ripped the next pitch for a two-run single. Wells even got into the act with a two-out bloop single, only his third hit in 31 at-bats this season. But Sosa escaped the first-and-third jam when Brian Giles grounded out.
Feeling stranded by his pitiful offense, Sosa did what he could at the plate, too. Wells retired eight in a row to open the game before Sosa’s two-out double, the first of his career, in the third inning. Sosa, concerned about his left leg, ran gingerly to second and walked the last few feet. He made it as far as third on Reyes’ infield single, but Lastings Milledge, batting in the No. 2 spot last night, grounded out to end the threat.
Comments (6)
HERE WE GO WE JUST LOST TO THE WORST PITCHER THE PODS HAVE AND WE ONLY GET 1RUN,I JUST HOPE WE STAR TO HIT OR WE WILL FIND OURSELF IN 3TH PLACE BY THE TIME THIS WEST COAST TRIP ENDS,AND WE LOST A CHANCE TO MAKE ROOM IN THE STANDINGS,I BELIVE THAT OMAR AS TO DO SOMETHING OR WE MITE NOT EVEN MAKE THE PLAYOFFS THE WAY WE ARE HITTING,IT IS TIME TO GET DELGATO OUT OF HERE,IF THERE IS ANY ONE THAT WILL GIVE US SOMETHING IN RETURN FOR HIM,OR TRY TO PLY AWAY DYE FROM THE WHITE SOX,IAM NOT A GM BUT SOMETHING AS TO BE DONE SOON.LETS GO METS!!!!!
Omar needs to pick up an OF, preferably one who is not collecting Social Security and also needs to revamp the bullpen. I also beleive 2nd base is a need area, just remember Valentin in last years playoffs. He looks much the saem now so there is no reason to beleive that he is going to get hot. Forget it. The mets need a 2nd baseman with some speed to hit in the 2 hole. This lineup is amazingly undisciplined and there is simply no pop what dso ever. When is the last time the Mets had a 4 run or more inning? Seems like 30 games or so. Right now this team is not a division winner. It needs a kicj in the ass and for some reason Willie is looking like Joe (Sleeping at the Wheel) Torre. There is no energy or strut in this team, maybe it is because there is no true leadership on the field. Whatever the problem the only person who can do something is OMAR! Shake it up move Heilman, Milledge, Maybe Green, and anyone else who can get us some new faces. There are players out there that will make a difference, DYE, Loretta, Lidge all will give beter then the above mentioned. Green is absolutely horrible, tired of watching him make bonehead plays in RF and hitting a homer 2x a month. This is really ridiculous and OMAR is the designer of this roster. It doesn't work and needs to be blown up.
Shawn Green isn't the problem. Beltran and Delgado are. Last night the Mets were behind 2-1 when I fell sleep. This morning I see they lost 5-1. To David Wells? Come on. The guy should be the poster child for a local pizza and beer joint. I see Heilman did his immitation of the Santa Clause again and gave away another gift to an opposing batter. Last nights game is why the Mets need to trade for someone like Griffey. They need to score more runs. I'll take the proven talent of Griffey now over the unproven hype of Milledge 3 years from now.
As of now, Griffey has 12 doubles, 24 homeruns, and 63 RBI. That far exceeds anything on the Mets. And Griffey plays on a bad team. He's under contract for 2 more years I believe, and if he hits 30 homers and drives in 90 runs as an average for the next few years, He'll be well worth the price of Milledge. Milledge will never reach those numbers in the future. Griffey could be a power hitting version of Endy Chavez. He could play 4-5 times a week in any of the postions. That way Alou stays healthy, Green gets some rest, and Beltran can stop stinking up the batters box a couple times a week. At least when Beltran sits, someone will be at the plate who can hit the ball.
Heilman has to go. He hasn't been the same since game 7 of the NLCS last year. Send him somewhere where his wish to be a starter will come true. Milledge also can be used as trade bait. He'll never amount to anything near what people expect him to be while in NY.
I read that Willie actually put a hit and run play on. Problem was, Gotey ran and Reyes didn't swing at a perfect strike. Then Gotey gets thrown out at second, inning over. That was a perfect example of the Mets players looking at too many pitches. I'm sick of it. No one wins pennants by looking at strikes and running up pitch counts. Pennants are won by hitting the ball and scoring runs. The Braves and Phillies both lost and the Mets layed another egg.
Anybody know when Beltran last had a hit? Back in Philly? Man, when he's hot he's hot and when he slumps he REALLY slumps. We could have used a single from him with 2 RISP last night. At least Delgado is getting hits now. Griffey is not coming to NY, no matter what you think and I'd still rather have Milledge than get a rental to get us to the playoffs and then get eliminated in the first or second round.
Long suffering Mets fan,
Griffey wouldn't be a rental. He's under contract for at least 2 more years. By the time he's ready to leave, Gomez and Martinez will be ready to carry the Mets and Beltran on their young speedy legs and strong bats. It's a trade that would almost guarentee the Mets a trip to the Series. Milledge isn't going to be any more than a role player for the Mets. Both Gomez and Martinez are better prospects/players than Milledge. This team can't wait 2 or 3 years for Milledge to maybe blossum into the player he might become.
Griffey is a big stiffy....
don't let the "Great American Ballpark" numbers fool you.
Example: Adam (Dum)Dunn
.219 on the road
.294 at home.
Their players are poison trade value fellas.