HEY, DEAL WITH IT!
THE PHILLIES weren’t offering to hus tle any Mets back from any MRI exam appointments, just to make their bid for a sweep a fair fight.
“The first part of year, when they [the Mets] had [Moises] Alou, [Shawn] Green and [Jose] Valentin, you were looking at a more potent, balanced, line-up,” Philadelphia manager Charlie Manuel said. “So make hay while the sun shines.”
Cole Hamels, the winningest pitchfork in the National League, got rocked for consecutive sixth-inning home runs by Carlos Delgado, David Wright and Paul Lo Duca that left the Mets close to a victory Willie Randolph wanted badly enough to summon Billy Wagner for an out in the eighth.
After walking Ryan Howard and the tying run to second, Wagner got that out, fanning Aaron Rowand before Pat Burrell led off the ninth.
“He has a one-path swing, and I put it in his path,” said Wagner after the old Mets killer tied the game with a towering home run, before Scott Schoeneweis surrendered a bloop tie-breaking double to Chase Utley in the 10th, before the fans went home to throw up.
Three straight games the Phillies bullpen beat the Mets bullpen, last night 6-3 on three runs against a guy who, par for the Mets course, is pitching with a bum knee.
“I felt good tonight,” said Schoeneweis, “I thought I made a good pitch [to Utley], not good enough, the way things are going.”
South is the direction things are going as the Mets headed West to Detroit, their bullpen and a lineup that scored in only five of the 27 innings against the Phillies failing in tandem.
“Things can go your way for a short period,” said Manuel had said. “Your weaknesses start to be revealed.”
He could have been talking about his bullpen, which had by far its three best games of the year, not only the Mets depleted state. Three straight stunning homers from the middle of the lineup brought the house down but, for lack of other contributions, they weren’t enough to bring down the Phillies.
Ben Johnson – batting second and playing left because Alou is still having trouble running and Endy Chavez will be out 4-6 weeks – struck out in the ninth with the winning run on second. Nevertheless, Bernie Williams, who had no spring training, would be a people’s choice that would make no short-term sense.
“I don’t think we’ll be going outside the organization,” said Omar Minaya.
The Mets, who sailed along at a first-place pace with both corner outfielders and a second baseman out, with Wright and Delgado struggling, have lost six of eight.
“We’re not being patient,” said Randolph. “Guys feel pressure to pick each other up.”
Jose Valentin, back in the nick of time to spell the newly-hobbled Damion Easley, will hold off inevitable postseason knee surgery by playing with a brace he admits he hated when his .170 average finally drove him out of the 2005 Dodgers lineup.
Your weaknesses will be revealed. In the Mets case, it’s the flesh that’s weak. Alou, who drove in 74 runs in only 98 games last year, can still get the bat around at age 40, but it was 64 games he missed that made him an arguable signing. And now his leg is arguing with him every time he tries to run.
Green is only 34, doesn’t have a history of breaking down, just like the virtually indestructible Tom Glavine. But he tired through mid-season 2006, when the Mets found themselves deep into an NLCS without Orlando Hernandez, who has already missed a month of this season.
The Braves, whose big bullpen fix, Mike Gonzalez, is out for the year, and Phillies – who are missing both closer A, Tom Gordon, and Closer B, Brett Myers – have problems. They also have hope after winning four of five series against the Mets.
“Alou and Valentin have some good play left in them,” said Manuel.
Note he didn’t say how much.
