Mets-Nationals: Angel Pagan's in-the-Parker, Triple Play Not Enough in 5-3 Loss

Flushing Baseball Daily

May 20, 2010

The Mets just can’t seem to figure out the Nationals, as the Metropolitans went to Washington to get beat 5-3 despite a solid performance by starter R.A. Dickey and Angel Pagan’s inside-the-park home run and triple play.

The Mets jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning thanks to Pagan's homer, but two runs were quickly given back in the bottom of the inning.

The Mets tied the game in the top of the sixth only to give it back in the bottom of the seventh when they probably took Dickey out too early.

TOP NEWS

The bullpen gave up three runs that inning, which were enough as the Mets could only muster one more run in the bottom of the ninth thanks to a Fernando Tatis homer.

Notes

R.A. Dickey’s line: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 0 HR. He had only walked eight batters in over 60 innings in Triple-A this season.
Raul Valdes (0.1 IP), Fernando Nieve (0.1 IP), Oliver Perez (0.1 IP), and Manny Acosta (1 IP) combined for this line: 2 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 0 HR.
Jose Reyes went 0-for-4.
Luis Castillo went 0-for-4.
Jason Bay went 0-for-3 with a walk and a run scored.
Ike Davis went 1-for-4.
Angel Pagan went 1-for-3 with a home run and a walk.
Jeff Francoeur went 1-for-2 with a walk.
Fernando Tatis went 1-for-4 with a home run.
Henry Blanco went 1-for-3.

Thoughts

Why is Angel Pagan batting fifth?
This offense sucks.
Have all the injuries caught up to Jose Reyes? Will he ever be the player he once was?
With all the problems this team is having, why is David Wright the scapegoat? Despite the fact that he’s not living up to his own numbers, he is doing better than the rest of the team.
I think this bullpen is turning the corner, going from good to burned out.

Line of the Day

R.A. Dickey’s line: 6 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K, 0 HR. If this guy can prove that he can get major league hitters out with that knuckleball, he could end up being an important and versatile pitcher for this club.

Quote

“It’s going to be tough for us to put together any kind of offense,” Mets manager Jerry Manuel said. “We are really, really struggling right now in that area. I thought...today would be a good day for us to break out. I saw some real good signs. But it didn’t happen.”

Up Next

The Mets really have to take this season one series at a time. It sounds cliché, but when you get swept by the Marlins, taking two of three from the Nationals is still a positive, and it must be looked at that way. That said, winning tonight would get them a series win, and it would hopefully carry over as they face a Yankees team that has been decimated by injuries lately.
Thursday, May 20: RHP John Maine (1-3, 6.13) vs. RHP Luis Atilano (3-0, 3.90).

Like this post? Want the latest Mets news and rumors? Subscribe to Flushing Baseball Daily via RSS Reader, by Email, Twitter, or Facebook. You can also follow this post's author, Rob Abruzzese, on Twitter.

Related Stories