Unhappy Recap: Marlins 4 Mets 2

Another season ends just like the last one, with bitter disappointment.

What happened here was a microcosm of the whole season.

Oliver Perez pitched pretty well but it was clear he ran out of gas in the 6th.

Then the bullpen came in and held it for a while, but Manuel used too many guys and it resulted in back to back home runs.

But the real problem once again was an offense that didn't show up. Three games to determine their playoff lives, and the Mets scored 5 runs total. Absolutely inexcusable.

And it's been such a common theme throughout the season, the Mets just cannot get runs when they need them.

Carlos Beltran once again showed his guts with what at the time was an incredibly clutch 2-run game-tying home run.

Jose Reyes went 2 for 13 in the Marlins series. Carlos Delgado went 2 for 11. Ryan Church went 0 for 9 with 6 strikeouts. All when the Mets needed them most.

An incredibly disappointing ending to another incredibly disappointing season.

Happy Recap: Mets 2 Marlins 0

What a performance by Johan Santana!

He was the definition of clutch. When the Mets needed him most he single-handedly won the game for them. On 3 days rest. After throwing a career-high 125 pitches in his previous outing.

Earlier in the season I complained that Santana pitched just well enough to lose (believe me, I feel bad about it now), but in this case he pitched so well he could not lose. For three months and 17 starts now he has been unbeatable (or at least unbeaten) today he was unhittable.



And it didn't even seem for a moment that there was any doubt. Once the Mets gave him one run it seemed like he knew (and his teammates knew) that he was going to make that one run stand up.

With this virtuoso performance Santana earned the eternal respect of all Mets fans, he earned $137 million dollars, he earned a place in the pantheon of great games ever pitched by the Mets (Seaver's near-perfect game, Cone's 19 Ks, Bobby Jones's playoff 1-hitter, Maine's near-no-hitter in the second to last game of last year, Al Leiter in the 1-game playoff in 1999), he earned a reptuation as a clutch pitcher, and he may have earned a Cy Young Award.

An absolutely incredible, wonderful, magnificent, superb, splendid performance by Johan Santana.

But one adjective I didn't use was "inspiring." Hopefully with one game left to go and a possible 1-game playoff looming, this performance by Santana will prove to be an inspiration to his teammates.

Unhappy Recap: Marlins 6 Mets 1

It amazes me how a team that showed so much heart the night before, could die like dogs with no fight at all the very next game.

It amazes me how a team that is so good at getting runners on, is so bad at getting runners in.

Once again that's what this game came down to. After the starting pitcher put the Mets in an early hole again Delgado struck out with first and second and Church flied out with the bases loaded in the first inning.

In the second it was Reyes and Murphy who failed with two men on.

And in the third it was Church who evidently didn't break out of his slump, again failing, this time hitting into a double play with 2 on.

The Mets had one more chance in the 7th inning when a base running mistake by Ramon Martinez may have cost them, but best case it would have been a runner on third and 2 out so no big deal. But at the time it seemed big because the lead was only 3-1.

But then the bullpen took over. Of all the horrible games and innings turned in by bullpen this year, this was one of the worst.

Bobby Parnell showed the rest of the relievers have been rubbing off on him as he allowed a walk and a wild pitch, then a hit, allowing a run to score when Daniel Murphy committed another error. Then came Pedro Feliciano who can't get anyone out anymore. He hit the only batter he faced and may way for Aaron Heilman. Heilman actually got two outs, but he also walked 2 batters, including one with the bases loaded. I am so sick of this guy coming and walking batters. It's so sickening to watch. I hope this was his last ever appearance as a Met.

Joe Smith, the only reliable reliever came in to get the last out but it was too little too late as the offense let the Mets down again.

Now it falls to Johan Santana again who is going to come back on 3 days rest, after the most pitches of his career, to try to keep the dream alive for one more day. Doesn't seem like the best situation for him, but we shall see.

Happy Recap: Mets 6 Marlins 2

The Mets needed this game to avoid losing the series. As long as they keep winning series I think they will be all right.

Carlos Beltran came through with a big home run to answer the Marlins' 2-run first inning.

After that they got back-to-back homers from Nick Evans and David Wright to take the lead.

And Pedro pitched pretty well after his rough first inning. He put tons of guys on in the first three innings but then retired 8 in a row to build the bridge to the bullpen.

Manuel was able to manipulate the bullpen to get Schoeneweis and Heilman through the 7th, then Feliciano and Smith in the 8th and turned it over to Brian Stokes in the 9th. Right now Stokes is the Mets most reliable reliever, but like everyone else he seems to pitch everyday (5 of the last 6 games) so he'll likely break down eventually, like everyone else.

But the key here was the Mets added insurance runs in the 7th on hits from Reyes and Church and tacked one more on with a sacrifice fly from Beltran.

That cushion seemed to give the bullpen the confidence to pitch 3 good innings and close this victory out.

Unhappy Recap: Marlins 4 Mets 3

There's a good reason Aaron Heilman leads the Mets in losses. He's absolutely gutless in a big spot. He comes into games and is afraid to throw strikes. He started the inning with a walk to Ramirez and ended it with a bases loaded walk. Inexcusable. I'm so sick and tired of watching this guy blow game after game.

But he's far from the only culprit in this horrible bullpen. Pedro Feliciano can't get anyone out right now.

And Duaner Sanchez allowed the game-winning home run. But at least he got the strikeout that ended the 7th.

It looks like Brian Stokes is the go-to guy out of the bullpen right now.

Mike Pelfrey pitched very well he just lost it in the 6th inning. Unfortunately this came right after Keith Hernandez said he was "cruising" and "dominating" and suggested he might be able to pitch another complete game. It was about that time he allowed 2 hits, a walk and another hit, to cut the lead to one. A lead way too small for the bullpen to protect.

And once again the Mets offense got out early, scoring 2 in the first on a David Wright home run. It was the 18th game of the last 22 that the Mets scored in the first inning.

They added a run in the third after a Reyes triple. Before tonight the Mets won 75% of the games in which Reyes scored.

But after that triple the Mets went in a complete funk, and it happens so often, and it's utterly inexplicable. The Mets got no hits from the 5th inning on, until Daniel Murphy led off the 9th with a single.

And then Jerry Manuel bunted him over. That move never works for the Mets. When you do that you are asking two guys to get one hit. In this case it was Easley and Reyes who failed but the Mets never seem to push that run home after a sacrifice bunt.

Another bad loss for a horrible bullpen in a game when Mike Pelfrey deserved better.

Happy Recap: Mets 5 Marlins 4

What a win! Following up on the other night's game, this was an absolutely huge come from behind victory for a team that seldom gets those wins.

And the fact that it came off the bat of Carlos Beltran is even better. Now that Delgado has caught fire many Mets fans were turning their dissatisfaction towards Beltran but if Delgados homer the other night saved the season, this one damn near did the same thing, only with less of a psychological aspect because it came against the Marlins and not the Phillies.

Beltran has always fallen just short of expectations during his career with the Mets but he's still an excellent player and he does have a history of some big home runs. An absolutely monumental night for him.

Now if I could say a negative word about the golden boy, David Wright. I know he has an OPS above .900, he has 100 RBI and all his underlying splits are either average or better, but he just doesn't seem (and perceptions can be wrong) to be coming through in the big spots all that often. In the first inning he struck out with a man on third and less than 2 outs, the 9th time in 44 at bats in that situation. That's a strikeout rate only slightly higher than in all his other at bats, but still frustrating. Then he had the chance to make amends in the 7th inning, with 2 outs and the bases loaded, but he struck out again. But in the 9th his single extended the inning for Delgado and eventually Beltran to win it.

Oliver Perez battled but didn't have his best control. He only allowed one earned run and 3 hits in 6 innings but the 5 walks constantly put pressure on him. Still, it's amazing how he only has 9 wins considering this is the 12th start in which he's allowed 1 or 0 earned runs.

Luis Ayala got the save which is all that matters, even though it was definitely a little too scary. But one thing I liked about his performance was that he was throwing strikes. He started Hanley Ramirez with a pitch right down the middle, because he knew Ramirez would be taking. Then he got one on the outside corner to put Ramirez in an 0-2 hole. He eventually got him to hit a weak grounder, but he's just too fast. 95% of hitters would have been out on that play. On a team where every reliever seems scared to throw strikes, at least Ayala is challenging hitters. And what really matters is that in this game he got the job done and the Mets pulled out a huge victory.

Unhappy Recap: Marlins 8 Mets 2

Not much to say about this one, except that Mike Pelfrey got killed. It's too early to get worried about him, but this is 2 out of 3 bad starts and he might be falling into some bad habits again.

Specifically, he gave up 3 straight 2 out hits in the 4th, and he could have gotten out of it by getting the 8th place hitter (I would have walked him to face the pitcher). And again in the 5th, after he got 2 outs he allowed a walk, a double, a hit by pitch and another walk before he got yanked.

The offense wasn't much to speak of, but Daniel Murphy got another hit, but his average fell to .478.

Happy Recap: Mets 8 Marlins 6

After a 4-game losing streak the Mets fired back with a 3-game winning streak, thanks to a powerful performance by the offense.

It was key for the Mets to get off to that big start to give Brain Stokes some room to work. Carlos Beltran almost hit a homer in the first inning, but instead it was a 2-run double.

Then when he got up in the 7th SNY showed a stat that Beltran hadn't homered in 82 straight at bats. On the next pitch he homered.

Carlos Delgado also contributed a 2-run homer in the first to help pad the early lead. It was his 25th homer, one more than he had last year. And he will very likely get 15 more RBI to pass last year's total in that category as well.

In addition to pitching capably, Brian Stokes also got his first big league hit. The ball was thrown in so that it could be kept as a souvenir for Stokes. But Mike Jacobs threw the ball on top of the Mets dugout and the ball bounced to a kid. An usher immediately came over, and Carlos Delgado popped out of the dugout and offered the kid a different ball in exchange for Stokes's memento.

Daniel Murphy also got a milestone in this game, his first Major League home run. This kid is absolutely incredible. 10 for 20 so far in the big leagues. Plenty of guys in the history of baseball have come up and had starts like this and never turned into anything but for a franchise starved for good young players, Murphy's early play is a much needed revelation.

As was the relief appearance of Aaron Heilman. After Joe Smith laid the groundwork for another bullpen meltdown, Heilman came in for the save and pitched well. He did walk a batter but it was almost more encouraging that he didn't give up a home run with a man on base for a change.

Scott Schoeneweis was the one who really bailed out Smith, getting an inning-ending doubleplay. It was the second time this week the Mets got a key double in the 8th inning to preserve a lead.

Happy Recap: Mets 3 Marlins 0

What a game by Oliver Perez. Considering a lot of people wanted to dump him from the rotation earlier this season, his turnaround is nothing short of amazing. The Mets absolutely have to resign him in the offseason and a guy pitching this well, this young, could definitely get a 5-year, $70 million contract. I think once he got out of that trouble in the second inning, he relaxed and got ahead of hitters. And when he pitches that way he is damn near unhittable. I think it was wise for Manuel to stick with him for that extra inning even though his pitch count was high. I don't believe in pushing guys over 100 consistently, but in this case it was warranted.

Who was that guy wearing Aaron Heilman's jersey? Whoever it was retired 6 straight batters and struck out 3. I thought Manuel did the right thing by giving him two innings. First of all, he was going well, so you stick with the hot guy. Also, you give the rest of the bullpen the night off, which will be key with a rookie starting the next game.

In the span of 4 at bats for the Mets, David Wright hit 2 2-run homers.

And I think with Perez especially it's key to get him a lead early because all the starters probably feel if they don't pitch a shutout, and leave with a 4-run lead, the bullpen will blow it. Getting that early lead took some of the edge off.

Carlos Delgado also had a solo homer. He has slowed down a little, but hasn't fallen into that huge slump he was in for 3 months. The Mets need him to be a consistent performer.

Daniel Murphy is awesome. What a start to a major league career.

This was a big victory because the Mets need to take this series and will have trouble winning with Brian Stokes on the mound.

Unhappy Recap: Marlins 7 Mets 5

So Mike Pelfrey finally had a bad game. I'm hoping it's just an anomaly but I'm a little worried because he had several chances with 2 outs to get out of the inning and couldn't extricate himself from the situation. That was a problem that plauged him earlier in the year and hopefully it won't start again.

I'm angrier at Joe Smith for allowing that home run to Dan Uggla. I think the Mets have actually lost more games because the bullpen blew close games wide open, then they did because the bullpen blew leads.

Damion Easley sure hits a lot of big home runs, doesn't he?

Happy Recap: Mets 4 Marlins 1

Oliver Perez ends his July the same way he started it, by being awesome. In five starts this month he allowed only 5 runs for a 1.38 ERA, but thanks to some anemic offense he only went 1-1. But if you throw in his late June start against the Yankees he's been awesome for six straight starts.

In this game though he didn't really have his best stuff and was behind a lot of hitters but somehow found a way to avoid trouble.



Carlos Delgado is ridiculous. Another home run, this time coming in a key spot to give the bullpen some breathing room. I have nothing else to say on the matter because I've exhauster all original thoughts I have on the guy. His recent success is mind-blowing.

But how does he even consider bunting there? He can't bunt and he's been hot as a pistol. Plus a sacrifice bunt in that situation doesn't work. We've seen it so many times this year, bunting a guy to second with no outs is a bad percentage play. With Endy Chavez, with a pitcher but especially with Carlos Delgado. Thankfully, he didn't get it down.



I don't have a major problem with Jose Reyes's play in the first inning, because I want him to be aggressive, but there are several reasons he should have stayed on second with a double. First of all, the ball was hit to left field, making the throw much shorter. Second, he was the first batter of the game. If you should never make the first out of an inning at third base, it should go double in the first inning. But there's no guarantee that the Mets would have gotten a bigger inning if he stops at second.



It was nice to see Carlos Beltran get the tie-breaking hit because he's been struggling so much with runners in scoring position and 2 outs. He's now hitting .156 in those situations on the year.

Delgado also deserves credit for working out a walk that pushed Evans to second putting him in position to score on Beltran's single.

And of course Aaron Heilman's 2 scoreless innings were a welcome salve for a troubled bullpen.

Unhappy Recap: Marlins 7 Mets 3

An old problem is popping back up and threatening the good feelings that have surrounded the Mets this month. The Mets are 4-3 in the last 7 games and in all 3 losses the bullpen imploded, blowing a lead and allowing at least 4 runs in an inning each time. If they don't figure out something (and I'm not advocating a trade) the bullpen will surely combust at the wrong time and cost the Mets a playoff spot for the second year in a row.

John Maine's health is now another worry. He hasn't been great lately but the Mets can't afford to lose him, especially while we don't know what kind of performance Pedro will provide when he comes back. Maine says he'll be ok but clearly Dan Warthen noticed something in his delivery and the next pitch after their meeting was hit for a home run.

Fernando Tatis drove in 2 more runs.

David Wright scored a run for the 12th straight game, tying a Mets record.

Happy Recap: Mets 7 Marlins 6

If ever there were a game that could turn around the fortunes of a lifeless team, this is it.

Endy Chavez and Fernando Tatis saved the season.

I think this may be the best part of the fighting for his job Willie. He's willing to take chances to make things happen and do things he wouldn't normally do, like rest Delgado and Schneider for two days in a row.

With all the injuries the Mets have Willie absolutely has to keep Tatis in the lineup. He can play right and left while Church and Alou are out and when they come back he should play everyday at second base. Or at least until his hot hitting ends. The Mets are in desperate need of the kind of clutch hitting Tatis has provided.



And as I stated before I think Endy is returning to form as a clutch utility man, not the guy who can play everyday but the guy who can come off the bench and produce big plays. If the Mets turn their season around his homer will have been the impetus.



Oliver Perez just can't seem to get it together. He pitched pretty well but couldn't escape the long ball.

The bullpen was absolutely awesome in this game. Even with the home run Sanchez allowed the Mets relievers pitched 6 innings allowed 1 hit and 1 run, while walking none and striking out 9. Best performance by the bullpen all year.

The Mets got 3 home runs in this game, by Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo and Endy Chavez. How unlikely is that?

Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran and Moises Alou: 417 at bats, 12 home runs
Jose Reyes, Luis Castillo and Endy Chavez: 430 at bats, 10 home runs

That's a lot closer than you'd have thought it would be.

I sure hope this is the start of something big, but if it's not at least it was fun to see the Mets celebrate a come from behind victory.




Bonus picture of Tatis's tumbling catch in the second inning.

Happy Recap: Mets 5 Marlins 3

This is how the Mets are supposed to win games.

Jose Reyes leads off the game by getting on base, the big hitters get key hits behind him, Johan pitches 7 good innings, and Sanchez and Wagner bring it home.

The only difference here is that the big hitters were Tatis and Castro. They each had 2 2-out run scoring hits. That's the biggest thing the Mets are lacking this season, hits with 2 outs and runners in scoring position.

Reyes now has a 12 game hitting streak and has reached base in 27 straight games.

Beltran has reached base in 30 straight games, and considering his lack of productivity in RBI situations, if Church and Alou ever come back Willie should consider batting Beltran second, a position in the lineup where he used to excel. But of course Willie never tries anything, he just sits on his hands and hopes things will get better, which is the biggest problem with him.

Reyes led off with a double and Castillo foolishly tried to sacrifice him to third, it worked out but it's a bad move. The Mets need to play for more than one run, especially in the first inning.



But what is wrong with Reyes's defense? He made another error on an easy ground ball that led to a Florida run. But the run was earned because the infield was back and Reyes made the play the run would have scored anyway.



Santana was his good old consistent self. Three runs in seven innings is pretty much what we're going to get from him. But if the offense comes around that should be good enough to win a lot of games. Plus this was a must-win game for him and he came through.

I really think Willie Randolph needs to start platooning Schneider and Castro. After a hot start, Schneider has slowed down and the Mets could use offense right now with Alou and Church out. It's too bad Castro can't stay healthy because I would have loved to see him be the everyday catcher. But he was shown a great ability to get the big hit at the right time throughout his four seasons with the Mets. Based on these two hits alone, he deserves to see some more playing time.



I'd also like to see Fernando Tatis in the lineup a little more often.



Cody Ross is 7 for his last 29 with 6 home runs.

Dan Uggla was one of the hottest hitters in the majors coming into this game. But Santana got him three times with men on base and 2 outs.

Huge swing game tonight for Oliver Perez. If he can win it the Mets take 2 of 3 from the division leader, if not the calls for Willie's head will continue.

Unhappy Recap: Marlins 7 Mets 3

I'm at my wit's end with this team. I have no idea why there are so bad but I'm quite certain they stink right now.

Every bad play they make haunts them and they can't come through with the big hit when they need one.

I really thought they would come out of it when Jose Reyes did but over this losing streak he's had hits in every game and is batting .306, but he has only 4 runs scored, 2 of them on his own home runs.

He's raised his average 30 points over the last 16 games and the Mets are 5-11.



Plus he's been playing terribly in the field and on the bases.

Mike Pelfrey absolutely sucks. But it wasn't his fault that Reyes prevented him from getting an easy inning in the first. But it was his fault that he allowed 4 runs in the 4th, though Beltran cost him a run by diving.



But the Mets missed so many chances it's just ridiculous.

First inning, bases loaded, no outs, 1 run. Now I'm glad Delgado hit a sacrifice fly because the Mets almost never do, but they needed more.

Fourth inning, first and second, one out, Castillo hits into a double play. That's the 7th double play he's hit into this year, more than all of last season. He is so bad. I can't wait for Church and Alou to come back so they can get him out of the 2 hole.

Fifth inning, first and second, no outs, no runs. Delgado, Schneider and Evans all made out without even advancing the runners.

And after that the Mets just quit. Does anyone else find it an indictment of this team's heart that they've only won one game in which they've been trailing at any point in the 6th inning or later?

That's the problem with this team. Well, the first problem is they suck with men on base. The second problem is that they are a lifeless bunch. I had to chalk things up to immeasurables like that but it sure seems that way. Once they get behind, they quit. I guess that goes back to hitting with men on base and relief pitching, but some of it has to be measured by heart and desire.

And if the Mets love Willie Randolph so much how come when his job is on the line they've pretty much laid down and died? It's almost like they want him to get fired.



I've never advocated firing Willie, it's not his fault these players suck, but I don't see anyway they are going to improve and if they lose the next two games and fall 8 1/2 back, I don't see anyway they're coming back.

But Aaron Heilman pitched well, which is nice.

Happy Recap: Mets 13 Marlins 0

Few things in life are more enjoyable than a 13-0 blowout.

Oliver Perez was great. If he can keep his walks down (he had 1) he can really be sensational. But the one thing we see about Perez as compared to other pitchers is that while some pitchers give up 3 runs per start, Perez is more likely to give up zero and then 6 the next time out. He has to work on his consistency from start to start if he wants to earn a big contract when he becomes a free agent in the offseason.

Beltran and Wright are absolutely on fire right now.

Beltran is on pace for 270 doubles.

I'm really liking Pagan and Church as corner outfielders.

I think Willie managed the bullpen well here, I'm glad he got Oliver out of there (though later in the season I'd want him to work deeper), then used Figueroa (to get his feet wet), followed by Feliciano and Wagner. He needed to get Wagner some work because of the offday. If he hadn't used him here he might have felt compelled to do so on Friday regardless of the situation.

Unhappy Recap: Marlins 5 Mets 4

I'm not going to freak out about 1 loss, especially this early in the season, but this one was about as bad as it gets.

The most important problem is obviously Pedro's injury. But Mets fans can't blame this on bad luck. The team is full of old broken down guys who can't stay healthy. This is part of the deal. In fact when the Mets signed Pedro after the 2004 season I said it was a bad move because by the time the team was good enough, he'd be too old, and too injured to help. He had a great first year on a mediocre team, he missed the second half of the second year, and pitched 5 games the third year. It looks like the Mets may have given $56 million to a cheerleader and recruiter.

Hopefully that's not the case, but this doesn't look good.

And is it more or less discouraging that Pedro was in the midst of getting bombed when he got injured?

I'm not too pissed about Matt Wise allowing the game winning homer because that's what happens when your bullpen is called on early and your 5th best guy is pitching in extra innings. But every team in the majors has a weak link in the back of their bullpen. Hopefully over the course of the season the Mets will win more games against other teams' bad relievers than other teams do against Wise, etc.

Carlos Delgado struck out with two men on, then popped out weakly with Wright on first.

Angel Pagan looks awesome and could be a good fillin for the 80 to 100 games that Alou is going to miss.

Happy Recap: Mets 7 Marlins 2

This is exactly the Johan Santana we signed up for. 7 innings, 2 runs, make it easy on the bullpen, fantastic. He is prone to the home run ball but I think pitching in Shea will cut down on his homers.



I actually liked the way Randolph used the bullpen. He didn't want to use Wagner for no reason so he decided to give the 9th to Heilman. Then he pieced together the 8th inning with a few different guys. He gave Wise a chance, then yanked him at the right time. And Schoeneweis should be used exactly that way, get one lefty out. I'm also glad he didn't panic and bring in Heilman in the 8th, better let him start off an inning. Effective use of a bullpen requires you to use guys like Sosa, Smith, Schoeneweis for only one batter sometimes.

Angel Pagan could really help if he can provide some offense while Alou is out.

It's always great to get a win on Opening Day, start the season out on the right foot, and hopefully be in first place wire to wire.

Unhappy Recap: Marlins 8 Mets 1

The choke is complete.

Tom Glavine absolutely choked in this game. He had the worst performance of any pitcher ever, in a game of this magnitude. In the history of baseball, no pitcher has ever done worse in such an important game. Horrible, just horrible. If Michael Vick owned the Mets he would have electrocuted Glavine.

Glavine was scared. I don't want to hear anything about his previous big game resume. He was scared in this game. He refused to throw strikes and sulked and pouted when Joe West didn't call his pitches strikes. They weren't strikes. Glavine got behind almost every hitter and yes, there were some bloop base hits, but it was all his own doing. I know he has to live on the corners, but once the strike zone is established by the ump, he refuses to change his style to it, he just throws the same pitches, and bitches when the ump calls them balls.

So the game was basically over after the top of the first inning. But the Mets showed comeback but just couldn't get it done. In the first inning Ramon Castro blasted one deep to left with the bases loaded, he thought it was gone, but it was caught. In the second David Wright struck out with two men on. And Paul LoDuca in his last at bat as a Met (probably), hit a check swing roller to the pitcher with the bases loaded in the third. After that the Mets gave up.

The bullpen was actually excellent in this game and if the Mets had just gotten one more hit in each of the first three innings they might have had a chance. But once again the Mets situational hitting failed them, and they died a horrible painful death.

Happy Recap: Mets 13 Marlins 0

Absolutely, by far and away the best game the Mets played all season, at the time when they needed it most. Although had they gotten one like this in the last 8 against Philadelphia the season would be over.

John Maine pitched the game of his life, definitely up there with all-time best Mets performances (Seaver's 8 1/3 perfect, Bobby Jones's 1-hitter in the playoffs, Heilman's 1-hitter, David Cone and Seaver both with 19 strikeout games). And the one hit he allowed was a little nubber.

The Mets offense exploded, scoring 2 in the first and 3 in the second, on 5 2-out hits.

Milledge started the third inning with a 2-run homer (he'd add another one later) and the rout was on.

The Mets kept piling on pushing the total to 13 and leaving no suspense at all other than could Maine pitch a no-hitter.

Castro also hit a homer which makes me wonder why Willie hasn't used him and Milledge more down the stretch. With extra catchers on the roster Castro should be the first pinch hitter off the bench. And he should be playing 2 games a week in favor of LoDuca.

One interesting note happened in the 5th inning when a near brawl broke out. After Reyes doubled the Marlins threw two pitches behind Luis Castillo. Castillo walked towards the mound and the benches cleared. Then after Castillo walked the Marlins removed their pitcher and Jose Reyes got into it with Marlins catcher Miguel Olivo during the pitching change. Olivo and Reyes know each and are friends but each one of them says the other asked him if he wanted to fight. Reyes thought Olivo was kidding so he said yes. Olivo thought Reyes was serious, so he went over and tried to punch him. He missed but got ejected for his troubles nonetheless.

I hope the incident inspires Reyes, but not the Marlins.

The Mets live to fight another day. All they need is a win. All they need is a miracle. Tom Glavine, all they need is you.