Mets Lose Final Game and Series to Nationals

The Mets dropped two out of three to the Washington Nationals as they lost 5-2 today after their ace Johan Santana gave up a first inning grand slam which proved to be too much for their offense to overcome.

Game Notes

• Johan Santana struggled with consistency today. His line: 5IP, 5H, 5ER, 3BB, 3K. He threw 87 pitches, only 54 for strikes. His fastball topped out at 91.8 MPH.
• Mike Jacobs came into the game batting . 091 and after going 1-for-4 with a 2-run home run he is hitting .133.
• Jose Reyes went 1-for-4 with his first double of the season. He walked once and struck out twice.
• David Wright went 0-for-2 with a pair of walks and a pair of stolen bases.
• Jeff Francoeur now has a 6-game hitting streak to open the season after going 2-for-3 with a triple and a run scored today. His overall average .476.
• Jason Bay has reached base safely in every game this season as he went 1-for-4 today.
• The Mets bullpen continued their impressive season as Raul Valdes, Ryota Igarashi, and Francisco Rodriguez combined to pitch four shutout innings.

Thoughts

• The Mets have now dropped two consecutive series, they lost two-out-of-three against both the Marlins and Nationals, two teams that should be below them in the standings.
• Even though the results are disappointing early, the offense has been aggressive, if they keep it up they will get some breaks. The rotation just needs time to settle in. With these five pitchers health is going to be a huge factor in their success. As long as they stay healthy they will settle in.
• Santana never really looked comfortable on the mound and would have allowed more runs to score in the third inning if Adam Dunn were not so slow. It’s early though and his velocity has been consistent. He’s probably the guy that fans should be least worried about.

Line of the Night

• David Wright: 0-for-2, 2 stolen bases. Wright has been aggressive so far in making sure last season was just a down year and not a trend in his career. He hasn’t homered since opening day, but he’s been hitting everyday and watching him swipe a pair of bags should tell fans that he’s not going to accept another down year. In a game where he didn’t even get a hit he’s trying to make something happen.

Up Next

• The Mets have tomorrow off, but they start a three game series with the Rockies in Colorado starting Tuesday.
• Tues, April 13 RHP John Maine (0-0 7.20 ERA) vs. LHP Greg Smith (0-1, 9.00 ERA)
• Wed, April 14 LHP Jon Niese (0-1, 4.50 ERA) vs. RHP Aaron Cook (0-1, 6.75 ERA)
• Thur, April 15 RHP Mike Pelfrey (1-0, 3.00 ERA) vs. LHP Jorge De La Rosa (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

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• April 9, 2010 -- Mets Drop Series Finale to Marlins 3-1 (0)