SANTANA EFFORT FLUSHED
Once again, Johan Santana pitched like the ace the Mets got him to be, smothering heavy-hitting Philadelphia with eight brilliant innings. And once again, the Amazin’s squandered one of his great efforts, blowing the three-run, ninth-inning lead he had handed them.
The Mets’ 8-6 loss to the Phillies was a microcosm of their season – and his. This time it was an eight-inning, no-walk, four-strikeout effort – including the 1,500th of his career – that they flushed.
“That’s been all year. He’s gotten a bad rap. We haven’t gotten him any run support, haven’t played that good defense behind him,” said David Wright. “He’s doing everything humanly possible to win, and we’re not able to match that behind him or at the plate.”
Santana said because of last year’s collapse and last night’s chance to take over, this was his biggest start as a Met. He held up his end of the bargain.
With Billy Wagner unavailable, Santana went to a three-ball count only once and threw just 105 pitches. But Jerry Manuel pulled him after eight, and he left to a standing ovation from 55,081 and holding a 5-2 lead that Duaner Sanchez and Co. blew.
“I knew coming in this would be the most important game as a Met, because I knew the situation we were in,” Santana said. “I was giving everything I had. It’s tough to lose a game like that. But there’s nothing else you can do but sit down and hope these guys can get it done.”
Manuel defended the call to pull him with a fairly low pitch-count, citing the fact that he handed them a three-run lead, been through the lineup too many times, would’ve faced righty Jayson Werth instead of lefty Ryan Howard to start the ninth, and finally pinch-count as reasons for his decision.
