sweep the fish

Game 49: Mets 6, Marlins 4
32-17 for the season

the Mets were playing very shorthanded today, with Green and Gomez both active but not able to play in the outfield. after considering LoDuca in left field (which would have been awesome!) and rejecting the idea because his shoulder is bruised from the injury yesterday, Randolph played Easley in left field. it was the first time he'd ever played that position in a major league game, and he did just fine. with only four everyday players on the field (Beltran, Delgado, Reyes, and Wright), the way the game was won is a real testament to the strength of the Mets bench.

Carlos Delgado is definitely coming out of his slump, and even had his second steal of the season today (it was also his second double steal, and the first one of the season was Carlos' first in many years. he hits, he doesn't run). but the real reason we won today is that the Marlins' starting pitcher, Olsen, has no control of his emotions, and the Marlins defense gets to be called a "defense" only because they play defensive positions, not because they are able to act defensively on any kind of regular basis. Olsen's control is great until something bad happens in the field-- then he completely loses it, throwing wildly and taking a few pitches to calm back down. he certainly doesn't seem like a guy you'd want to hang out with, particularly once you've heard that he's known for having fights with his own teammates. and with the Marlins as teammates, Olsen finds himself frustrated by what goes on behind him on the field quite a bit.

truth is, you just can't play bad D against a good team and expect to win, and that's why the Mets took all three games in Miami, even while fielding the B-team.

with an off-day and surgical consults for both Green and Gomez tomorrow, Willie has some time to decide what to do in terms of the DL and putting players in the outfield. I might say me'sheberach for Pedro, Shawn, Paulie, Carlos, and Jose V. but even if I don't actually pray for them, I'm sending all the injured Mets best wishes for the speediest possible recovery.