Out with the Old

Ya think?

Excellence

If you were paying attention last night then you remember the precise moment when anguish, as a potential conclusion, was introduced into the proceedings. It came in the sixth inning when the $12-million dollar man Oliver Perez, using three straight breaking balls, struck out the most feared hitter in baseball, Albert Pujols.

Perez had been in command all evening, mixing speeds on his breaking ball and demonstrating qualities – poise, determination, and focus – that are not usually attached to the volatile left-hander.

Pujols, stymied, walked back to the dugout, wearing a resigned look. Considering the impressive performance turned in by Mike Pelfrey in Colorado 24-hours earlier, I think it safe to say a good feeling was building on the Mets side.

The Mets hadn’t really figured out Chris Carpenter all evening – in fact it took a base-running blunder by Jeff Francouer to upset the scoreless tie – but, supported by spectacular defense, the Mets were in front 1-0 and, with Perez cruising along, looking like he had found something, all indications were this would end up being either the most hopeful of victories or a very frustrating defeat.

Then, the seventh inning happened. Jerry Manuel yanked Oliver Perez with a runner on second base and one out, the bullpen imploded, ultimately resulting in a grand slam by Felipe Lopez, and the Mets’ night-inning comeback predictably fell one run short.

So, what does it all mean?

Well, hopefully Pelfrey and Perez’ performances on this road trip portend similar outings in 2010.

But this is for sure:

In the Omar Minaya Era the New York Mets have cornered the market on gut-wrenching loses. I dare you to find a sports franchise that loses as spectacularly as the Minaya Mets.

There are teams that pitch well.

There are teams that hit well.

Some teams grit well.

The 2007-10 Mets lose, well, better than the rest.

The Rotation

So Mike Pelfrey’s dominating performance against the Rockies got me thinking. Where would the Mets be (or where might they be able to get) without John Maine and Oliver Perez?

In other words, how much better would your favorite team be if instead of Maine and Perez we had two other starting pitchers? Hypothetically speaking, if Maine was replaced by Joel Pineiro and Perez with Ben Sheets in the Mets rotation, what would the Mets have (besides a slightly larger payroll)?

Schmoozer Sanity

Listening to Steve Somers post-game has officially become the best thing -- sorry, the only good thing -- about being a frustrated, die-hard, pain-stricken Mets fan.

Winning Formula

Maybe Johan Santana should ease up just a little bit on his pre-game ritual of sharing a personalized handshake with all of his teammates - bat boys, training staff, and bullpen catchers included. Don’t laugh. He might be wearing his hitters out before they even take the field, as evidenced by the grand total of four runs the Mets have managed in his three starts.

Of course, the reality is Santana doesn’t need all that much run support. He was brilliant again, as the Mets beat the Brew Crew 1-0 on a gorgeous sun-drenched Saturday, the first official day game in Citi Field history.

Santana should thank Ricky Weeks, who dropped a routine toss from Prince Fielder on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Alex Cora in the 7th inning. Weeks’ error helped the Mets push across a run off reliever Carlos Villanueva. A line drive off the bat of Jose Reyes, the next batter, literally knocked Villanueva’s glove off his hand and produced the game’s only run.

A scoreless inning each from Putz and K-Rod, the winning formula drawn up in the winter, sealed the deal.

I wonder if Mike Francesa still thinks it’s the Mets who have problems. Right now the Indians are up by 18, and they haven’t even attempted a three-point field goal.