Game #136: Braves 13, Mets 5

Yesterday, Howie Rose was quoted as saying something along the lines of, "Daisuke Matsuzaka pitching on Labor Day...I think that's appropriate." Conclusion after today's game: Howie Rose is psychic. Probably. Or Dice-K is just incredibly predictable. But probably the psychic thing.

Matsuzaka was shelled in three innings and the Mets' relief pitchers didn't fare much better in a 13-5 holiday loss to the Braves.

The Bad Stuff:

• Dice-K's final line: 3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER. I think that's self-explanatory.
• Gonzalez Germen, Pedro Feliciano, and David Aardsma each gave up two earned runs in relief (Aardsma's third was unearned).
• New York hit just 3-13 with RISP (compared to Atlanta's astounding 8-20) and stranded eight men on base.

The Good Stuff:

• Josh Satin went 2-5 with a pair of doubles.
• Juan Lagares went 1-3 with a walk, run, and RBI.
• Zack Lutz had an RBI double in his pinch-hit appearance.

Final Analysis:
The one thing I as a Hope College student have in common with major league baseball players: I don't get Labor Day off. It must be nice to do so. The difference is I did what I had to do today. The visiting ball club at Turner Field, on the other hand...

Perhaps it was just the deflated nature of having to play defense and hit behind Dice-K. That would be a tad more excusable.

MM