JJ Putz pitched to five batters, coming into the 8th inning with one out and a man on third. Four of the five batters singled up the middle and the last was intentionally walked in Putz’s worst effort of the year so far. Two of the four batters that singled, did so on the first pitch of the at bat, obviously taking advantage of Putz’s recent control issues realizing he’d be trying to throw a first pitch fastball for a strike to get ahead. JJ’s fastball was reaching 95 mph last night, so his velocity was not an issue, it was his placement. The inning could have gone very differently had one of those grounders up the middle gone to one of the middle infielders for an inning ending double play, but none of them did. Putz got knocked around in a bad way, and will be given the day off today to try and work out his problems. Metsblog.com reports that Putz has allowed five hits, three walks, and six runs in his last 29 pitches.
The one through five hitters for the Mets went 1-18 with five walks last night, with Fernando Martinez picking up the only hit. The offense came from a late addition, Jeremy Reed, and an offensive surprise, Wilson Valdez. They combined to go 4-8 with three runs scored and three RBI, with all the offense coming in the 2nd and 3rd innings.
Livan Hernandez pitched well enough to get the win last night going 5.2 innings giving up three runs on seven hits. I think he was taken out an out too soon, as Manuel brought in Bobby Parnell to finish out the 6th inning. It’s not the best idea to use one of your most effective pitchers to get you one out. If Hernandez pitches out the 6th, and Feliciano pitches the 7th, perhaps Parnell is available to pitch the 8th and the game goes differently. That being said, last night’s game was one that you could almost tell the Mets were going to give away. The lead never seemed safe and the offense vanished after the 3rd inning. Even the radio announcers mentioned how the lead seemed to get skinnier every inning. All in all it’s never a good thing to give up a five run lead to a team as bad as the Pirates.
The Mets have the right guy on the mound tonight to help them bounce back from such a tough loss. Johan Santana will try and regain the dominant form he was missing in his last start, as he matches up against Zack Duke. Duke is 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA at home this season and 5-4 overall. Santana, as you all know, has been the model of consistency for this team this year, giving the team a chance to win in all of his starts. Even in his last start, where he struggled with his control, he was able to go out and finish the 6th inning to set up the bullpen. Santana could easily be 9-0 this year so far, giving up no earned runs in either of his two losses.
Other Points-
Angel Pagan has been placed on the DL
Alex Cora will return to the team today
Gary Sheffield was visibly favoring his right hamstring last night
David Wright can’t hit anymore. Calling him streaky is the understatement of the century
If Carlos Beltran can start tonight, Jeremy Reed should start in left field.
Let’s Go Johan!
