The Mets lost again, the seventh time in their last 10 games, as they fell to the Cincinnati Reds 6-1 on Wednesday. If there was a bright spot, at least the Philadelphia Phillies also lost so the Mets are still clinging to a tenuous one-game lead for third place in the NL East.
But let’s talk about some people in baseball who had worse days than the Mets:
- Melky Cabrera failed a test for performance-enhancing drugs. He will be suspended for 50 games, denying the San Francisco Giants the services of one of the National League’s leading hitters and likely costing himself a big free-agent payday this offseason.
- The Tamp Bay
DevilRays were the victims of Felix Hernandez‘s perfect game, the third in Major League Baseball this season. - Bobby Valentine is still trying to deal with the fallout from the attempted clubhouse mutiny in Boston, though Red Sox owner John Henry has said that the players did not try to get him fired and gave Valentine a vote of confidence.
Back to the Mets, though. Someone should really remind the offense that the season isn’t over yet. Mike Leake limited the Mets to just four hits in his complete game victory, and New York’s lone run scored when Daniel Murphy hit into a double play.
R.A. Dickey had a disappointing start, allowing five runs on ten hits (including three home runs) and two walks over six innings even though he struck out 10. Thanks to the movement of Dickey’s knuckleball, Josh Thole set a team record he probably wishes he didn’t have – he was charged with three passed balls in the game.
Dickey may have been bothered by the umpires’ decision to require him to cut off friendship bracelets made for him by his daughters. Terry Collins had this to say after the game:
“The rule is, as they explained it, you’re not suppose to have anything on your wrist. They must be newly enforcing it. Twenty-three starts he hasn’t had to take it off yet. So tonight it was an issue…. We just want to know what the big deal was…I think it bothered him, yes. He still has to pitch through it and he knows that.”
Collins plans to mess with his starting pitchers’ routines by going to a six-man rotation this week, ostensibly to give Johan Santana and Chris Young extra rest. Remember how well Santana did on extra rest in his first start after his no-hitter? Evidently the Mets’ skipper forgot, even though he said after that game that he regretted his decision. Hopefully it works out better this time around.
PaulHadsall.com 
I just hope Collins continues to keep his cool down the stretch. It’s not his fault that he inherited a terrifically mediocre team. This is a good test to see how much he’s matured as a manager over the years. And, hey, at least he’s not Bobby Valentine!
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True. Aside from the bizarreness with Ruben Tejada this spring and some occasionally questionable in-game strategy, I think Terry Collins has done a good job with this team. But he can’t afford to let everything go down the drain over the final six weeks, and he can’t go having a meltdown of his own.
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