Half Full vs. Half Empty

Game 21: Mets 3, Nationals 4
13-8 for the season

if you're a glass half-full kind of person, you might focus on Oliver Perez's second really solid start in a row. he had 9 strikeouts and not a single walk in seven innings, ultimately throwing 120 pitches, much further than starting pitchers are asked to go in the majors these days. I'm mulling a post about how pitching has changed, but it's not fully formed yet, so in the interim I will just say that it was a fun throwback to see a pitcher allowed to go so far into his pitch count to gain every possible chance of a win. from a glass half-full perspective, you might also note that Alou went 3-for-4, LoDuca had a great sac fly in there, and Wright and Beltran both hit (if not at the most opportune times).

however, if that glass is looking half-empty to you, it might be impossible to get past the part where the Mets stranded 9 baserunners over the course of the game, never scored more than one run on any hit, missed chances to score guys from third base at least twice, and ultimately lost by a single run not because the pitching was bad but because the offense didn't produce.

my dad asked me a couple of weeks ago what worries me most about the team, and this is it-- the stranding of batters on base. championship teams don't do that very often. here's hoping this is merely an early-season blip.