Red-Eyed and Blue

Game 16 - Mets

Padres 2, Mets 1 (14 inn.)
Record: 11-5

Thursday night's late-night battle was worth staying up to watch; last night's was not. I'm beat from this west coast trip and it's only two games in.

I foolishly stayed up through the 12th, wisely conceding defeat before the Mets themselves did two innings later. Watched the last two innings this morning, then wished I hadn't. Not a ton to say about this one, except that the powerhouse Mets of the first week or two are officially still on hiatus. Hurry back, lads. These oft-swinging, rarely-hitting stand-ins are a pale imitation.

Chad Bradford lost it in the 14th, but he actually did a hell of a job holding down the fort in the last few innings. He can't be expected to throw up goose eggs all night, like, say, any Padre pitcher against the Mets, or any pitcher in the bigs against the Mets at this point.

This is going to seem like piling on, and it may be, but here's this game in a nutshell to me.

1. With two outs in the 5th inning, Kaz Matsui could not make a play on a grounder in the hole. It went off his glove, the tying run scored, and my gut reaction was that Anderson Hernandez (when he's done with his slow heal) makes that play just about every time.

2. With two outs in the 7th inning, San Diego 2B Josh Barfield made an incredible play on a grounder in the hole. He gloved the ball, threw out a pinch-hitting Carlos Beltran, and the would-be go-ahead run was stranded.

3. Then the game went 14 innings and the Mets lost.

That's pretty much all you need to know. (Oh, that and Brian Bannister pitched alternately awful and amazing baseball, escaping every inning except the one mentioned. The bell may toll for Bannister eventually, but he's been living right thus far.)

Get some hits, you bastards.