Mets 7
Angels 3
ANAHEIM – There were only three National League teams worse than the Mets when the Jim Duquette Era began midday Thursday, and that’s still the case this morning.
Although the clubhouse resembles an infirmary and the $120 million budget is the sporting equivalent of an Enron-type CEO’s mismanagement, the product on the field has looked good the past two games.
Last night, the offense rocked Angels righty Aaron Sele for five runs in 32/3 innings while Michael Bacsik survived fifth-inning trouble to earn his first victory of the season. It coalesced into a 7-3 win, the second straight for the Mets (30-35) under Duquette, the club’s interim GM, and third overall.
All nine regulars hit safely, and Armando Benitez breezed through two perfect innings in a non-save situation. Earlier in the week, Benitez told manager Art Howe he could pitch three innings if needed.
The defending World Series champs are a mediocre 33-31, the seventh-best team in the American League. But that’s a far cry from the Mets, who are 12th in the NL and hopelessly out of the playoff picture.
And yet, there’s stuff to be optimistic about.
Bacsik (1-1), previously winless both with the Mets (with a 14.63 ERA entering the night) and in Triple-A Norfolk (0-5, 6.00 ERA), buckled down just as it looked like he’d melt down in the fifth. Handed a 5-0 lead, he allowed a solo homer to Bengie Molina leading off the frame and surrendered back-to-back doubles by Benji Gil and Eric Owens.
That was the bottom of the order, and then he fell behind 3-and-0 to leadoff hitter David Eckstein. But Bacsik came back with a perfect sequence, cutting a 3-and-2 pitch across the plate for a called strikeout.
Eckstein, a throwback who plays the game properly, had already tossed his bat in anticipation of a walk and argued with plate umpire Kerwin Danley as he made an embarrassing U-turn back to the dugout.
The 25-year-old lefty induced a flyout from Darin Erstad and struck Tim Salmon out. The normally good-natured Bacsik became animated as he headed toward the dugout, pumping his fist.
In the top of the sixth, Burnitz ended the suspense by slamming a two-run line shot down the right-field line for his eighth homer. He victimized reliever Scott Shields, who certainly pitched better than Sele.
Timo Perez stroked his first homer with one out in the first, blasting a weak Sele curve into the right-field seats. The offense added four more in the fourth and chased Sele. A Jason Phillips walk and consecutive singles by Vance Wilson, Jose Reyes and Roger Cedeno gave the Mets a 2-0 lead.
Reyes’ single snapped a 0-for-11 streak and was a perfect bunt down the third-base line.
