Last night’s loss to Atlanta was particularly hard to watch. I know, most losses are hard to stomach. This one was the toughest so far in this young season.
Here’s why:
Wright’s Struggles
It is becoming difficult to watch D. Wright flounder like this.
It doesn’t matter if you agree with it or not, this is a player that is the face of the franchise. The Mets have set it up that way, and the media also places him in this role.
Before I go any further, let me make something very clear. I want him to be the face, and I want him to do well. He works hard, says all of the right things, and keeps himself out of trouble. He is a player that is easy to root for.
Last night he struck out another three times. The last one during a very crucial ninth inning at bat. Luis Castillo was standing on third base with only one out. Wright failed to make contact. He was overpowered by Billy Wagner’s fastball.
As much as I like Wright, he flat-out failed. He needs to get that runner in.
I’ve come to believe that he cannot catch up to anything 93 mph or above. Wagner reached 97mph on the radar last night. It appeared that Wright had no chance.
To compound his horrible night at the plate, Wright threw a ball away in the bottom of the ninth inning that allowed the winning run to score.
The play has a slow, shallow, one hop off of Melky Cabera’s bat that wasn’t a routine chance. Wright managed to get to the ball and throw off-balance. It was a play that many third basemen make. Wright didn’t.
I truly feel for him. That had to be the worst inning in his career.
It definitely had an effect on him.
It’s a tough, humbling game, and it really can bring you to your knees sometimes.
I just hope this is the bottom, and that two months from now we are looking at this game as an afterthought or a rallying point for him.
Santana Can’t Get Any Breaks
Johan Santana gave the Mets another solid start. Another solid start wasted. He went seven innings while giving up only two runs.
At what point does he start to get frustrated?
Davis and Francoeur Homer
The Mets showed some fight once again. And again, it wasn’t enough. I hope they can sustain this scrappy mentality, but at some point losses like this could deflate this team. The rolling over will then commence.
Last night, the Braves were able to get Johan in the third inning, thanks to a Troy Glaus two run home run.
It didn’t look like the Mets were going to be able to touch Kris Medlen.
Ike Davis and Jeff Francoeur showed some moxie as they both were able to come up with solo home runs in the fifth inning.
Maybe this is a sign that Francoeur will get hot again.
On Deck
R.A Dickey gets his first start of the season as he faces the ageless Livan Hernandez in Washington
