Game #131: Phillies 3, Mets 2

For the first 2 innings things looked so good...then the dyke began to spring a leak, and just a little bit of water was enough to flood New York out of Philadelphia.

The Mets scored runs in the 1st and 2nd innings but the Phillies scored in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th to take the lead, and the game, 3-2.

The Bad Stuff:

• Jon Niese spread his one bad inning out over 3 frames today, allowing a run each in innings 3-5. The run in the 4th probably shouldn't have happened as Lucas Duda misjudged a flyball in left field that led to a Ty Wigginton double (okay, so we knew Duda wasn't going to become Ichiro after a month in the minors).
• The Mets offense couldn't get any chances off Kyle Kendrick and the Philly bullpen, stranding 6 men on base and only hitting twice (both outs) with men in scoring position.
• Josh Thole went 0-4 and left 3 men on, including stranding the tying run by recording the final out of the game. The embattled catcher is only hitting .242, a career low, and hasn't gotten a hit since August 14 in Cincinnati.

The Good Stuff:

• Niese was a hard-luck loser this afternoon, recording another quality start with a final line of 6 innings, 9 hits, 3 earned runs, a walk, and 4 strikeouts.
• Mike Baxter slugged the second pitch of the game over the wall in right; his second home run of the season (both in this series) gave New York the early 1-0 lead.
• Scott Hairston blasted a solo home run deep to left in the 2nd inning (his 15th on the year).
• Ramon Ramirez and Robert Carson allowed 3 hits in their 2 innings of relief pitching but allowed no more Philly runs to score.

Final Analysis:
It seems the Mets must have used up all their runs in that 9-5 10 inning affair on Tuesday night; they have only managed 5 in the past two games. Niese wasn't spectacular but he was solid once again, which is all he needs to do on a regular basis to earn a long-term spot in the New York rotation. A disappointing end to an otherwise spectacular series. If you told me we'd take 2 of 3 from Philadelphia after the awful stretch we've just gone through, I would've taken it hands down.

The Mets face another bottomfeeder this weekend, traveling to Miami for the first time since Frank Francisco's massive blowout in May. Aside from hoping old skeletons don't emerge from the closet, let's hope his team gives him a chance to redeem himself.

MM