Games #45 & 46: Braves 7-6, Mets 5-0

Fans at Citi Field today found themselves recipients of a double feature: they were treated to not one but *two* excruciating Mets losses for the price of one. Oh, goody.

Brandon Lyon allowed two runs in the top of the 10th as the Braves won last night's suspended game 7-5, while Dillon Gee's 5th-inning implosion and a serious lack of offense combined to bury the Mets 6-0 in the nationally-televised regularly-scheduled game.

The Bad Stuff:

• After Jeremy Hefner's great outing on Friday night (see Good Stuff), LaTroy Hawkins let the lead blow up in his face in the 7th, and Scott Rice was no good in the 8th as Atlanta took the lead. New York rallied to tie the game before rain washed out the ending, but after Bobby Parnell's solid 9th to start off Saturday evening's conclusion, Brandon Lyon let in two Braves runs, including one on a B.J. Upton sac bunt, in the top of the 10th.
• Despite getting the first two runners on against the almighty Craig Kimbrel in the bottom of the 10th, the Mets could not put together another rally, as Ruben Tejada failed to advance the runners with a bad sac bunt and Justin Turner grounded into the game-ending 4-6-3 double play.
• In the full Saturday game, Dillon Gee looked solid for 4.2 innings. Then a Chris Johnson single eventually led to five Atlanta runs, including a home run by opposing pitcher Mike Minor.
• The New York (I guess you can call it) "offense" was powerless against Minor, who allowed just three hits and struck out 10 in 7.1 innings.

The Good Stuff:

• The aforementioned Hefner had one of his best outings of the season, allowing two runs on three hits in six innings, including two walks and seven strikeouts on 94 pitches. Despite being on a roll, Terry Collins removed him from the game before the 7th so "he could feel good about himself."
• John Buck hit his 11th home run of the year in the first game.
• Daniel Murphy went 3-4 in the first game with two runs and a key RBI during the 8th-inning comeback.
• Ruben Tejada scored the tying run of the first game on a wild pitch in the 8th and followed up with three hits in the second.
• Following a "golden sombrero" (four strikeouts) on Friday night, Ike Davis actually kept the 10th-inning rally going with a single of Kimbrel, his first hit in what seems like a career and a half.
• While the game was broadcast on FOX, it may not have been completely national: in Indiana at least, they showed us the Cardinals-Dodgers game. So maybe it wasn't the whole country who saw how much we suck. Come tomorrow night on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, though...

Final Analysis:
There is only one word I can use to describe this team, which has now lost five straight and 11 of 14: Ew. Just ew. Nothing is going right for anyone, and even when it does for a moment, the team snuffs out its own success. And Terry Collins's reason for removing Hefner? Pretty lame.

You have to now start wondering whether the New York Mets will be the worst team in baseball in 2013. With the Marlins and Astros struggling so mightily, such a feat would have been hard to believe. All I can say about that is it's a double-edged sword: we will be terrible this year, but we won't even get the top pick in the 2014 MLB Draft. What a gyp.

MM

Game #44: Reds 7, Mets 4

If I told you one of the Mets' undefeated fireballers was going to get his first black mark of the season, you'd be disappointed. If I told you both of them deserved, I'd be telling you about this afternoon.

Matt Harvey had his worst outing of the season, but the game wasn't lost until Bobby Parnell oversaw three runs in the 9th as the Reds swept the Mets 7-4.

The Bad Stuff:

• Matt Harvey was far from the top of his game this afternoon, allowing a season-high four runs on a career-high nine hits in 6.1 innings, walking three and striking out six. In the grand scheme of things, far from the worst any of the Mets' starters have put up in 2013, but when you consider this is Harvey and not Dillon Gee we're talking about, then it gets pretty disturbing.
• Against all odds, New York got to Cincinnati's Mat Latos in the same way, and the game was tied 4-4 going into the 9th inning. But Bobby Parnell gave up a leadoff double to a hustling Shin-Soo Choo, who went to third on a groundout. After Joey Votto was walked, Brandon Phillips chopped a groundball that snuck fair past an awkwardly-positioned Ike Davis and turned into a generous two-run double. A third run came in shortly thereafter.
• The 3-8 hitters in New York's batting order combined to go 3-22 with all six of the team's strikeouts.
• David Wright has gotten himself into a slump at the plate, going 0-4 today to make it 2-19 in his last five games.

The Good Stuff:

• Daniel Murphy and Rick Ankiel combined for a killer 1-2 punch, each going 3-4 two RBIs. Ankiel was especially potent, picking up a triple to go along with his two doubles.
• Again, low strikeout totals for the Mets on the day. Plus two of them came against Aroldis Chapman, so really it's just like four Ks.

Final Analysis:
Remember that momentum that came with winning three of four on the road? Like Sting, consider it gone.

The Mets need the gift of a rare off day at home tomorrow. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Ike Davis took an extended Memorial Day vacation in the next 48 hours.

MM