CHICAGO – In late March, John Maine said that lasting six innings in all his starts this year was something he was shooting for. He didn’t get there yesterday. Or halfway there.
The nightmare for Maine occurred in the third inning at Wrigley Field, as he suffered through 10 batters worth of misery against the Cubs. During his daytime horror, the righty was ripped en route to his shortest start as a Met and his worst start of the season, lasting just 22/3 innings and serving up six runs in the Mets’ 6-2 loss.
“Didn’t throw strikes,” Maine said of his third inning.
The last time Maine lasted that short in a game was when he also tossed 22/3 innings on Sept. 30, 2005. Yesterday’s 44-pitch third featured an infield hit, two run-scoring singles, a double, three walks and a hit-by-pitch.
In his opening two innings, Maine sailed, going six up, six down, through the toughest part of the Cub lineup. He had no problem the first time he faced Alfonso Soriano, Derrek Lee, Aramis Ramirez, Cliff Floyd and Co.
“First [two] innings, he was dealing,” catcher Ramon Castro said. “I don’t really know what happened.”
Jacque Jones happened first – he led off the third with a double to right. Maine then walked Jason Kendall, the eighth man in the lineup, which may have been an additional rally-starter.
Cub starter Ted Lilly tried to bunt both runners over, but Carlos Delgado threw out Jones going to third, and Maine followed by getting Soriano on a comebacker. With two outs, though, Maine got a tough break, as Ryan Theriot hit a grounder to short, and on a very close play at first, ump Marty Foster called him safe, bringing in the first run.
“He was out,” Maine said, “but the call wasn’t made that way.”
Maine didn’t get another out after that. He walked Lee to load the bases, and on a 3-2 count to Ramirez, Maine walked in a run to make it 2-0. He handed the Cubs a third tally when he drilled Floyd on the right leg with a 2-2 pitch.
“He was up in the zone in that inning,” Castro said, “and he got lost.”
Said Maine, “I couldn’t find it. And I kept pressing to try to find it. It just wasn’t there.”
The Cubs’ next three runs came on ropes. Mark DeRosa lined a two-run single to left to make it 5-0, and Jones ripped an RBI single to right to push the rout to 6-0.
The Mets had a few shots at the plate in the early innings against Lilly (72/3 innings, two runs), but Moises Alou and David Wright both missed their chances.
In the first, with two on and two outs, Alou – who later smashed two solo homers – was caught looking to end the threat. In the third, after Luis Castillo knocked a two-out double, DeRosa made a great catch in shallow right on Wright’s pop-up, saving a run.
Cubs 6 Mets 2
