Duke Out-Duel's Santana as Mets Lose their Second in Pittsburgh.

Well it’s been about every other week that the Mets are either playing good baseball, or just plain stink.

I think it’s now safe to say that this team is in full stink mode.

Jerry and David watch their team continue to struggle against a team that hasn't had a winning record in 16 years.

It happens.

You don’t want it to happen when your best pitcher is on the mound, but sometimes a team goes through a mental block.

After J.J. Putz wasted away the win the night prior, you could tell this team came to the park with a lackluster attitude. Their star Center Fielder is still surviving through a nasty stomach flu.

The already depleted lineup now looks almost lifeless.

Gary Sheffield should not have been playing.

He didn’t look 100 percent while running around the base paths with that lower hamstring still tweaked. Pirate left-handed hitters also took advantage of that right field corner he was playing gingerly.

Two of those hits drove in runs in the sixth inning off Santana. 

Santana wasn’t by any means bad tonight.

I believe he might be catching the lackluster attitude of the rest of the team and couldn’t bring an A-Game.  His change-up wasn’t superb and was very hittable against a mild Pirate team. His three strikeouts kind of told the story. With an effective change-up, those strike out numbers are sky high.

We just didn’t receive it tonight.

Johan probably could have pitched longer then the six innings he went, but Jerry Manuel played the all-mighty strategy card and had him pinch-hit for in the seventh. He tossed only 85 pitches; the least he could have done was go one more inning. It would have shown leadership and character to a team desperately seeking those traits.

It just seems like the only thing they have been representative of is a big ball of confusion.

I really don’t think Manuel has been dealing with his confusing lineup in the best way possible. You can throw out the only players you have, yes. But it feels as if he isn’t taking a leadership role. When a manager has an injured squad, it’s his responsibility to motivate those replacement players out on the field.

His attitude right now may be similar to one you share.

We can’t win without Beltran, Reyes, and Delgado, so I don’t know what to do.

Well, time to get your head out of the dark and back on your shoulders. This team can’t win if nobody believes they can.

Especially their coaching staff.

September is a far stretch away right now, but every game feels so critical, especially after these past two years.

Well, I don’t want to look at Sept. 28's game out of first and on the road against the Nationals saying, "we could of won such and such game."

For the rest of the season, it’s win at all costs.

No matter what nine you play...no matter how many runs your down or lead by.

At all costs....Period.

I know I didn’t write this column how I usually write. It’s just sometimes when you pay attention to a team every single day of the season, you start to develop whatever mood the team showcased the previous game.

Baseball—it’s a ravenous addiction.

Two more games on this road trip and if we can win them both, it will be somewhat satisfying. Mike Pelfrey vs. Ross Ohlendorf in tomorrow’s new adventure.

Randy Sobel is a contributor to HowBoutThemMets.com and can be reached at [e-mail].