A Minor Blip

The Mets won a ballgame yesterday! Praise the Lord. But, don’t let this fool you. This team is dead, Kaput, finished and this is just a minor blip in an otherwise pathetic season. Wow, if they go on a five game winning streak, they will actually be a couple of games above 5oo but don’t worry, it won’t last.

Mike Pelfrey pitched the game of his life and clearly deserved a win yesterday. Thanks to Billy Wagner and Willie Randolph, that did not happen. I hate what the game has become. Pelfrey in the eight inning was showing that he was getting stronger. He was still throwing in the 90’s, including at least one pitch clocked at 94mph and one at 95.

I give Randolph credit for sending Pelfrey back out to the mound for the ninth. He clearly did it, however, with the intent of pulling him as soon as he gave up a hit. So, when the first batter singled off Pelfrey, out Willie Randolph’s sorry ass came from the Mets dugout to yank the pitcher.

I realize that this is the conventional wisdom but it is what I hate about the game. Pelfrey is showing in this game that he can handle himself, working out of the few jams he got in. At the very least, let Pelfrey go until at least one more hitter reaches base. Even if the hitter gets a homerun, you bring Wagner in to get three outs in the ninth in a one-run game and that is what he is paid to do.

And a word of advice to Willie Randolph. Please realize that Wags is a one dimensional pitcher. All he can do is give you one inning, coming in at the start of the inning (or at least without inherited baserunners). I realize he should be able to do more than be a one dimensional pitcher, but he is unable.

Fortunately the Mets pulled out a win in extra innings, thanks to Carlos Beltran but, make no mistake about it—this was not a good one, it is not one that gets the team motivated. This team is toast and little if anything has changed from the end of Tuesday night’s game to the end of yesterday’s game.

Let’s Go Mets!