Game #143: Nationals 6, Mets 3

In the span of a few hours, the Mets lost their radio voice, their fireball, and the game. What kind of a day this has been.

Justin Turner's hamstring injury highlighted the Mets' struggles as they fell 6-3 to the Nationals.

The Bad Stuff:

• Dillon Gee wasn't on the top of his game tonight, allowing four runs on nine hits in 6.1 innings, walking none and striking out five on 89 pitches.
• Justin Turner left the game in the 6th with a right hamstring injury.
• A run each was charged to Frank Francisco and Tim Byrdak after ex-Met Scott Hairston's two-run homer in the 9th to clinch it for Washington.

The Good Stuff:

• Le Grande Orange Jr. was 2-3 with a double, run, and RBI before his injury.
• Matt den Dekker continues to make strides as he went 1-3 with two RBIs, stealing one base and getting caught on another.

Final Analysis:
After a strong summer, the New York Mets have faltered in September. Stop me if you've heard this before. But frankly, who wouldn't falter under the weight of the ungodly number of injuries? When you've got Andrew Brown and Zach Lutz getting regular time batting third, you know something's up.

MM

P.S. Oh yeah, and now the Mets won't even be on WFAN anymore. They've been booted by the Yankees. The worst news you'll hear all day.

Game #140: Indians 9, Mets 4

There was a great slate of college football on today. Fortunately for Mets fans, they didn't miss much of their team if they slipped away after the 1st.

Cleveland put up a five-spot off Jonathon Niese in the opening act and the Mets could never recover, falling to the Indians 9-4.

The Bad Stuff:

• Jon Niese was ineffective through six innings, allowing six runs (five earned, but the error was his) on five hits, walking two and striking out five on 108 pitches. The damage in the first two frames as Nick Swisher led the way with a 1st-inning double and 2nd-inning home run.
• Asdrubal Cabrera's three-run homer off Scott Atchison in the 7th inning gave the Tribe the insurance it needed to put away the visitors from New York.
• Zack Lutz hit third. Need I say more?

The Good Stuff:

• Justin Turner led the Mets on the offensive side, going 2-4 with a double and a pair of runs and RBIs.
• Matt den Dekker was 2-4 with an RBI.
• Eric Young went 1-2 with a run and another stolen base.

Final Analysis:
Zack Lutz should just never bat anywhere near the top of the order. Just...no. That is all.

MM

Game #132: Mets 11, Phillies 3

What, you were expecting anything less from a lineup of Young-Murphy-Brown-Duda-Turner-den Dekker-Recker-Quintanilla-Torres?

(NYDailyNews.com)

Home runs by Anthony Recker and Andrew Brown and four hits from Daniel Murphy punctuated a brilliant afternoon for the Mets, who blew away the Phillies 11-3 to salvage a series split.

The Good Stuff:

• In a game filled with offense, these New Yorkers stood out in the box score:
• Eric Young (3-5, 3B, 2 R, 3 RBI)
• Daniel Murphy (4-5, 2 2B, R, SB, 2 RBI)
• Andrew Brown (2-5, SB, HR, 2 RBI)
• Anthony Recker (1-2, 2 BB, HR, 3 R, 2 RBI)
• Carlos Torres, supplied with ample run support (five Harvey Days' worth), earned the win with 6.2 innings of one-run, four hit ball, walking none and striking out six on 95 pitches.
• Matt den Dekker made his much-delayed major league debut to the tune of a run, stolen base, and four putouts in center field.

The Bad Stuff:

• How about the obvious: this would have been Matt Harvey's next start. Ouch.
• Lucas Duda struck out twice in his first start since the beginning of the summer.

Final Analysis:
I don't really know how to explain this...so let's just leave it at a fun anomaly of an afternoon. Carry on.

MM