0-For-Houston Cancels Mets’ Optimism

More significantly for me personally, the Mets went 0-for my vacation to Cape Cod, in which my average daily lobster consumption exceeded the Mets average run production per game.  When you’re away from the game you want to come back to some nice Sports Center highlights, instead I got Aaron Heilman losing the game on a salami Friday, and concerns about Billy Wagner’s arm Saturday as he lacked velocity and gave up the winning hit in the tenth.  The most compelling baseball moment I experienced was being on the beach when the Manny Ramirez trade story broke; it reminded me of being in San Francisco when Jerry Garcia died.

Sunday the mighty WFAN signal gave me a torturous game to occupy the drive home.  Reviewing the ugliness of the 4-0 loss to the Astros, which featured an 0-for-10 performance with runners in scoring position, left me feeling that the Mets have lost their way from top to bottom.  The upcoming series against the doormat Padres at Shea could not come at a better time.

Take your pick if you want to assign blame.  I’ll start with backup catcher Robinson Cancel, who exhibited extremes of intelligence and idiocy in his one trip around the bases in the top of the third.  After reaching on a brilliantly sneaky and unexpected bunt toward third base, Robinson Cancelled the Mets rally with his attempt to steal third with two outs and David Wright at the plate.  Not only was this an atrocious decision but the execution was horrible, as Cancel had to slow himself down with a stutter step as he approached third in order to get his discombobulated attempt at a slide down before the bag.  Jerry Manuel was justified with his “brain dead” comment on Cancel.

Also, what a terrible play for Carlos Beltran to get picked off on a pitchout in the first.  Beltran had been moved into the 2-hole in the order in an attempt to inject some energy into his lifeless bat, but it seemed like the change gave Beltran a preconceived notion to steal.  Beltran, who actually has the second highest career stolen base percentange in MLB history, was clearly outside his comfort zone trying to read Randy Wolf’s delivery and looked like a rookie getting burned by the pitchout.

Add in some outfield adventures for Nick Evans and the stinkbomb has been lit.  This rookie also looked like a rookie, tripping over his own feet in the fourth attempting to catch Darrin Erstad’s fly ball.  And Evans wasn’t much better at the plate, striking out with the bases loaded and one out in the 3rd.  Wolf set up Evans perfectly with a couple of exaggerated swooping curveballs, then finished him off with the cheese, just textbook stuff when facing an inexperienced hitter.  What makes his immature failures especially troubling is that Evans was actually celebrating his promotion him to a left field platoon along with fellow call-up Daniel Murphy.  Manuel and VP of Player Mismanagement Tony Bernazard both insist these guys are major league ready, but Evans certainly didn’t look it Sunday.  You can’t tell me that we’re not better off with Endy Chavez in left, at least for this season, and don’t tell me we’re rebuilding or that we’re looking to next year when the Amazins are only 3 games out of first.  Sadly, I don’t think the cloudy-headed Ryan Church even belongs in the conversation at this point.  Worst of all, it feels like the Evans/Murphy promotion was an after-the-fact justification for the Mets inactivity at the trade deadline.

Calling up reliever Eddie Kunz, however, is a move I liked.  The big former Oregon State Beaver features a heavy sinker and was a dominant closer at AA Binghamton.  Kunz can help the Mets a lot with some effective 7th and 8th inning work, but with Wagner’s stiff forearm, which did not go away despite three days rest, I have to think the Mets are breaking in a new closer for this season, which rasies all kinds of concerns.  Between Sanchez, Heilman, Feliciano and Smith you’d hope someone could step into the closer role if Wagner is sidelined, but they’ve all had so many struggles I wonder if Kunz won’t end up the man sooner rather than later.  Wagner has another MRI Tuesday, but I’m expecting no structural damage and no clear answers to come out of it, which means more waiting and more head-scratching.

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