Putz Pitches Put Mets in Precarious Position

You're not supposed to lose the games that Johan Santana pitches. And while Johan looked somewhat mortal (actually allowing 2 runs to score in the first and watching his ERA balloon to 1.10), thanks to Fernando Tatis' first home run of the year (a controversial one at that), the Mets were still in a position to win the ballgame until J.J. Putz entered the game in the eighth.

The Mets normally surehanded eighth inning specialist allowed the Marlins to re-take the lead by scoring two runs. And as mentioned in a previous post, a deficit of just one run is basically insurmountable for the clutchless Citi Fielders. Not to say the Mets didn't put up a fight, but Florida's Matt Lindstrom escaped a bases-loaded jam by getting pinch-hitter Omir Santos on a game ending popup. Why he was pinch-hitting in the first place is a question only the manager can answer.

Jerry Manuel pinch hit Santos for Ramon Castro in that instance. The message to Castro (who already had 2 hits and an rbi in the game - and who I remember as getting some BIG hits over the past few years) was clear: I have no confidence in you. Manuel must be reading the Willie Randolph playbook or something, because his moves are getting more and more questionable. Earlier in the inning with men on first and second with no outs and needing a run to tie, Manuel again opted NOT to bunt to advance the runners, which resulted in a predictable David Wright strikeout, drawing a chorus of boos from the Citi faithful.

And of course, in a story that's getting very old, the Mets finished 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and stranded 14 overall. With questions regarding the starting rotation, questions about the offense, questions about certain defense positions, and now questions about the manager's quirky baseball X's and O's strategy and the bullpen, it's vital the Mets win the games Santana starts.

Losing 2 of 3 to the Marlins is bad enough. Now the team's put added pressure on Mike Pelfrey to open the next series against the Phillies in Philadelphia. That's no easy task, but at least the team will be away from Citi Field, where the Mets are now 6-6 with 10 triples and 7 homeruns.

The team's record is 9-12 and they don't want to fall too far behind in the standings as we all know what September holds in store for the Mets. They really needed this victory. Putz put the team in a very precarious position for the next game. The good news? Chan Ho Park's going for the Phillies. We all remember him in a Met uniform, right?