The New York Mets' roller coaster of a season is headed downhill again.
The Mets' offense sputtered along on Tuesday night in a 1-0 loss to the last place Washington Nationals. They managed just four hits against Odalis Perez, Mike Hinckley, and Joel Hanrahan, and they spoiled an excellent outing from Mike Pelfrey.
David Wright, Carlos Beltran, and Carlos Delgado are now a combined 1-23 in the last two games against the Nationals.
The loss was New York's third in a row and fourth in the last five games. This has now dropped them out of first place in the NL East. They trail the division leading Phillies by a half game, but lead the struggling Milwaukee Brewers by the same margin in the wild-card race.
Another blow was dealt to the swooning Mets in the fifth inning. Left fielder Fernando Tatis dove for a bloop hit by Washington pitcher Odalis Perez, didn't make the catch, and stayed on the ground grimacing in pain.
He left the game, and it was later reported that Tatis had separated his right shoulder. After the game, Jerry Manuel said in reference to Tatis: "He's done."
- B/R Ticket Guide
So, a big part of the Mets' success will be gone for the remainder of the season. Tatis has been the most clutch hitter for the Mets this season. He began seeing regular at-bats with the big-league club on May 20, and just six days later he delivered a huge walk-off double at Shea against Florida.
Tatis had a .392 batting average with runners in scoring position. In 39 at-bats in late and close situations (seventh inning or later with game tied, a one-run game, or tying run at least on deck), Tatis hit .308 with three home runs and 12 RBI.
In July, the month in which the Mets ran off a 10-game winning streak, Tatis was one of the hottest hitters in the NL with a .397 average.
With Tatis out for the year, rookies Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans will see most of the playing time in left field. This is nothing to fret about, as Murphy and Evans have been contributing offensively.
Murphy has excellent plate discipline, and in 89 major-league at-bats has hit .360 with a .448 on-base percentage. Murphy has also come through in the clutch (.333 avg with RISP), namely with a go-ahead, pinch-hit homer against Florida, and a game-winning double against the Phillies. He will see more playing time than Evans.
Evans will play against left-handed starting pitchers. He is hitting .270 in 100 MLB at-bats, but he has ripped lefties to the tune of a .338 average in 65 at-bats.
Both of these youngsters are converted infielders, so neither is very adept defensively in left. So, Jerry Manuel will often use Endy Chavez as a defensive replacement late in games.
Tomorrow will likely be a battle of the bullpens (oh boy), with Brandon Knight making his second start of the season for the Mets, and Shairon Martis making his third career start for the Nationals.
The Mets' offense will need to break out against the rookie in order to swing the momentum in their favor.
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2 months ago
haha thanks for picking my article
I hate to tell you I'm a Braves fan, but I can say I hate the Phillies as much as the Mets, and I hate the Brewers even more (long story), so whether the Mets or Phillies win the east, it don't matter to me!
and as for beaing a Vols fan, I can't believe you guys let UCLA win...way to embarress the SEC
haha
good article
from 2 months ago
how can you hate the brewers? they havent won in like 45 years dude!
2 months ago
Nice article Patrick...Love the Tatis stat you used...Keep up the good work as Community Leader...We'll need a lot of Mets coverage in these next few weeks
from 2 months ago
Thanks Rory, I appreciate it
2 months ago
Remember when J-Roll said the Phils were the team to beat in the NL East last year? Well they won the east. Carlos Beltran said that of the Met's this year and it's not looking to bright for him...
from 2 months ago
At this time last year it wasn't looking to bright for Jimmy Rollins either cause the Mets had the lead.
from 2 months ago
beltran is pretty much a douchebag- he had an amazing postseason a few years ago- that was the highlight of his career- thats it dude!
from 2 months ago
Carlos Beltran: 2006- .275, 127 runs, 41 HR, 116 RBI, 18 SB
2007- .276, 93 runs, 33 HR, 112 RBI, 23 SB
2008- .282, 110 runs, 26 HR, 106 RBI, 21 SB
He is also arguably the best defensive centerfielder (definitely top 3) in the majors, and is a quiet leader in the clubhouse. It was noted numerous times that he was a huge help with Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans in their transition to the outfield.
from 2 months ago
Yeah insane.. Beltran is obviously overpaid but hes still pretty good...
2 months ago
Beltran is hitting .282 with 26 Home runs and 106 rbis. He has been extrmely consistent over the past three years. Looka t his stats. And he plays one of the best centerfields in the game. Yes the Mets overpaid for him, but they also would not have landed him if they didnt put up that kind of money.
Why does insane have to make such ridiculous comments bashing the Mets? This is supposed to be a network where people make intelligent conversation about the game of baseball, not some chat room or a subway car on the broad street line.
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