Game #159: Phillies 9, Mets 4

Mike Pelfrey gives up five runs on nine hits in three innings against the Phillies on Sunday. (NYDailyNews.com)

The Philadelphia Phillies were on the verge of 100 wins before dropping 8 straight. Needless to say, they were gonna get the train back on track eventually. Unfortunately for Mike Pelfrey, he was standing right on those tracks with his feet caught in the mud. You can guess what happened.

Pelfrey got shelled in his final outing of the year, and the New York offense got too little too late as the Phillies avoided the sweep at the hands of the Mets, 9-4.

The Bad Stuff:

• Once upon a time, Mike Pelfrey was good enough to be the Mets Opening Day starter. Six months later, he finishes 2011 with his mere survival in the rotation in doubt. Pelf gave up 5 runs on 9 hits in 3 innings to "earn" his 13th L of the season.
• While fellow starter R.A. Dickey doesn't deserve his 8-13 record, Mike sure as heck looked like a 7-13 pitcher this year. His 4.74 ERA for the year is highest on a staff that averages in the 4.00s. Pelf showed flashes of greatness this year, tossing a couple complete games, but he's widely been unreliable. You have to figure 80% of the staff for next year is set (Dickey, Johan Santana, Dillon Gee, Jon Niese). That last spot is up for grabs, and I wouldn't be surprised if Mike Pelfrey doesn't win out when the dust settles. It's time to find another arm.
• DJ Carrasco, another disappointment this year, couldn't do much better in his inning: he gave up 4 more runs and destroyed any hopes the Amazin's had for a comeback. Carrasco's status for 2012 is up in the air as well, but with an ERA of an absolutely pathetic 6.02 (not to mention that balk-off in Atlanta in June), I would cut that guy from the roster faster than you can say "fuhgeddaboudit."
• Much like most of the league, the New York offense couldn't do much against Roy Halladay. Philly's Doc pitched 6 scoreless innings to pick up his 19th win of the season. And while the team finished with 11 hits, they hit a dismal 2-15 with RISP and left 10 men on base.

The Good Stuff:

• Jose Reyes went 2-4 on the day to raise his batting average to .331. With 3 games to play, he trails Ryan Braun by 2 points for the NL batting crown.
• Justin Turner had 2 doubles and an RBI on the day. Jason Pridie went 3-3 with a run. And Ronny Paulino hit his second home run of the year, a 2-run shot in the 7th.
• The rest of the bullpen kept the Phillies from getting double digit runs; Dale Thayer got through the 5th and 6th unscathed, while Ryota Igarashi, Pedro Beato, and Josh Stinson managed an inning each.

Final Analysis:
So we couldn't sweep the Phillies. That's okay, very few teams can. Winning this one would've been sweet, but we still managed a series win. I'll take that.

It's almost hard to believe, but tomorrow the Mets start their final series of the 2011 season. The Cincinnati Reds, who New York swept in 4 games in late July, come to town for our last taste of Amazin' baseball till next April. Let's make it a good one, boys. Let's get another sweep.

MM