Game #76: Rangers 8, Mets 1

Mike Pelfrey gives up four earned runs and eight hits over six innings in an 8-1 loss to Texas. (NYDailyNews.com)

Then again, small ball can only get you so far.

The Rangers launched three 2-run homers and the Mets couldn't get anything going offensively, losing 8-1 to the defending American League champions.

The Bad Stuff:

• This one was lost from the very beginning. After Ian Kinsler led off with a double, Josh Hamilton brought him home on a single. Adrian Beltre then launched a 2-run bomb to left-center, and just like that Texas was up 3-0.
• Mike Pelfrey managed to eat up 6 innings, allowing "just" 4 runs on 8 hits. It wasn't the best outing, but it was just not-terrible enough to keep the Mets in the game. Manny Acosta changed all that in his 1 2/3 innings of relief work, giving up 2-run moonshots to Michael Young in the 7th and Hamilton in the 8th.
• The Mets offense couldn't get anything going against Texas starter Matt Harrison and company, hitting 7 singles and 1 double the whole game. The Amazin's have only managed one XBH in the past 2 games.
• Even when New York was close to getting something going, the Rangers buckled down and refused to give an inch. With 2 on and 1 out in the 5th, Jose Reyes represented the tying run at the plate, but shot a hard grounder to third to set up a rare double play. The next inning, same situation, but a flyout and a lineout ended that threat. Then, with runners on the corners in the 8th, Texas was forced to go to their bullpen, which had been shaky recently. Shake be gone: Lucas Duda fell victim to a Mark Lowe slider and the lights went out in Arlington.

The Good Stuff:

• Just before Reyes' double play in the 5th, Ruben Tejada saved the Mets the embarrassment of being shut out in the most run-friendly ballpark in the bigs, driving home Ronny Paulino with an RBI single.
• Jason Bay went 3-4 with 3 singles from the cleanup spot, raising his batting average into the .240s for the first time in what seems like forever.

Final Analysis:
Not the best way to start out the most crucial stretch of the season. This loss can mean only one of two things: either the Mets have gotten all the bad baseball out of their system, or this is a sign of things to come. If it's the latter, then we're in for a long couple of weeks.

Jon Niese will look to prove fans wrong tomorrow afternoon on FOX. The good news: Josh Hamilton can't hit in the day because he has blue eyes. The bad news: Jason Bay has blue eyes too.

MM

P.S. In wake of Rigglegate, the Washington Nationals have named Davey Johnson their new manager. Nice to see Davey getting another job. Although frankly, with a winning percentage of .564, I'm surprised he wasn't already taken.