Game #70: Angels 4, Mets 3

The Mets' Daniel Murphy tripled against the Angels on Friday. (NYTimes.com)

Bad luck followed the Mets home from Atlanta tonight. And the shining hope of last week's road trip appears to be in the rear-view mirror.

Chris Capuano just couldn't escape the 6th and a Mets rally in the 9th was cut off at the knees by Angels' closer Jordan Walden. The result? A disappointing 4-3 loss.

The Bad Stuff:

• Chris Capuano allowed 3 runs (2 earned) in 6 innings of work. It was almost only 2 runs, but with 2 outs in the 6th, a single, error-like single, and double turned into another run, and New York was down 3-2.
• Bobby Parnell, who had been so brilliant two nights ago in Atlanta, proved to be all-too mortal in the 7th. Maicer Izturis hit a leadoff double, and after a groundball advanced him to third, Torii Hunter singled him in to make it 4-2. Those were the only two hits he gave up, but they sure as heck counted against New York.
• The way things had been going lately, only giving up 4 runs shouldn't have been a big deal. But an old bane resurfaced once again. Last name? Scoring Position. First name? Runners In. His issues? 3-16. Also laying in his wake: 11 runners left on base.
• It would've enough just to wither away and die at the end of this game, but the Mets had to tease fans first before they lost it. Down 4-3 in the bottom of the 9th, Jose Reyes and Justin Turner drew walks against a shaky Walden. The heart of the New York order was coming up: Carlos Beltran, Daniel Murphy, Angel Pagan. It appeared the stage was set for the Mets' first walkoff win of the season. So what happened? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. Beltran, Murphy, and Pagan all fell victim to Walden's wicked slider. Swing and a miss, swing and a miss, swing and a miss. Three outs. Game over. Angels rejoice, and there is weeping and gnashing of the teeth in Mets country.

The Good Stuff:

• When the Angels scored in the 2nd and 3rd innings, the Mets kept up in their halves thanks to Angel Pagan, who drove in both tying runs on singles. With a 2-4 night, his batting average continues to climb; now it's at .255, 96 points above what it was when he went on the DL in April.
• Jason Bay had another hit, a single in the 8th. He was driven in by Ronny Paulino, whose double made it 4-3. You know, back when it looked like we might come back. Sigh...

Final Analysis:
This was the perfect chance to show how these new, improved June Mets could shake off a tough loss and show resolve. Unfortunately, the team reverted back to its April form and let another one get away. It was a punch-for-punch game, and the Angels got one more good roundhouse than we did.

The loss brings us back in the rut: 2 games under .500, fighting to reach level ground. The next five games are crucial: two more against the Angels, then three against the life-support Oakland A's. After that, it's a trip to Arlington to face the Rangers. Now Texas is struggling, having lost 7 of their last 10, but it would sure as heck help to go down there 38-37 rather than 37-38, or worse.

MM