Sunday, July 24, 2011

Game #101: Marlins 5, Mets 4

Things were going so well. Then, quite simply, they weren't.

David Wright's home run gave New York a lead late, but Bobby Parnell gave it away in the 8th, and the Mets fell to the Marlins 5-4.

The Bad Stuff:
  • New York had finally reached upstream and took a 4-3 lead into the 8th, but newly crowned set-up man Bobby Parnell couldn't keep the Fish from swimming ahead: a leadoff homer from Logan Morrison tied it, then a single and double by John Buck put Florida back on top.
  • Dillon Gee didn't have his best stuff, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits in 5 innings. He got out of a few tough jams, but still left after 96 pitches on the hook for the loss.
  • The Mets had their chances to put more on the board, but only hit 1-9 with RISP and stranded 7 castaways on Gilligan's Island: Miami Branch.
The Good Stuff:
  • When you have the chance to win in the 8th, you must have done some good stuff. Such was the case today. Jose Reyes went 2-5 (multi-hit game #47) and scored the game's first run on Carlos Beltran's sac fly. Jason Bay got New York closer in the 6th with an RBI single. And David Wright finished off his welcome back series in grand style, slashing a 2-run homer to left in the 7th to make it 4-3 (the rally once again began with 2 outs).
  • Manny Acosta had one of his best outings of the season, holding down the fort with 2 perfect innings after Gee's exit, striking out 3.
Final Analysis:
Oh, how nice it would have been to get out of Miami with a series win. The Mets had the win in their grasp, but much like the sand on South Beach, it slipped through their fingers. No other way to put it: this one hurts.

The good news is we get out of the extreme heat of South Florida...into the extreme heat of Cincinnati. New York opens up a 4-game series with the Reds tomorrow night. This series means much to me because it's one of the rare times the Mets get anywhere near Indiana in a year. So this Midwestern Met will be taking a road trip to the banks of the Ohio River and seeing the boys play live on Wednesday and Thursday...hopefully Carlos Beltran will be able to join me there.

MM

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