The Mets yesterday split a double header with the last place Reds that they should have won. In 1986 they would have won and in 2006 they would have won. After winning their last game on the road to salvage a .500 road trip and scoring 12 runs, the Mets looked like they came alive and showed some passion in the first game, giving Santana 12 runs to work with. That was all the Ace needed to get his first win at Shea.
In the nightcap, the Mets stalled, getting only 4 hits off a struggling 8.00 ERA Bronson Arroyo. He embarrassed them and the Mets also made two sloppy errors as well in the field. Jeff Keppinger has more hits then the whole Mets team.
This is the problem. Good teams grind out those nightcaps, don't go to asleep and give games away to last place teams and .800 ERA pitchers. Good teams knock out the .800 pitcher in the 5th inning with a few runs and attack the bullpen. If the team is struggling offensively (how can you say that when the Mets scored 24 runs in the previous two games?) then you foul off a ton of pitches, earn some walks, try to steal and force the pitchers to make mistakes and raise the pitch count.
If the Mets can't win these kind of games, what makes you think they can win a critical Game 7 in October? (Or a critical game in September to clinch a spot in the playoffs.)
This team is good, there is no doubt about, but it lacks the passion. When it finds that drive, that will to win, they will easily overtake their division and possibility go to the World Series. But they won't make the playoffs if they don't find it.
Posted by Steve in New York (Still needing time to digest the Knicks move...)