Boxscore

The only loss all year that really stings.  Anytime your starter gives you as good a performance as Chris Young gave the Mets it is a game you look back on later in the season and regret.  He mastered the Nationals offense through 7 innings allowing just 1 hit and the minute they got into the bullpen the wheels came off.

D.J. Carrasco is going to take a lot of heat for this one for blowing the lead when it wasn’t all his fault.  If Carlos Beltran had been playing right field instead of Lucas Duda I have no doubt the leadoff double from Pudge Rodriguez would have been caught changing the dynamic of the inning. Carrasco also got unlucky when he induced weakly hit pop up from Ian Desmond that managed to fall in the only place in the ballpark it could have to be a hit.

The offense made the mistake this afternoon by not putting the game away early with a struggling Jason Marquis at the bomb.  They did some pretty good things going 3-for-9 with RISP even driving in a run with out, but Marquis was just laboring in the early parts of the game with his command and another run then could have been crucial to having a different outcome in the game.

As long as Jose Reyes continues to stay on fire and put the Mets in a position to score early runs (has gotten on base in the first inning in seven straight games) this ball club should do good things with the starting pitching performances they have been getting.  The one thing that looks to need some shoring up is the bullpen. More on that later…

I had been right on my predictions thus far saying the Mets would take 2-of-3 from the Marlins and 1-of-3 from the Phillies, but this game cost me to continue my streak since I had them taking 2-of-3 from the Nats.

Players of the Game: 1. Chris Young (3pts) 2. Jose Reyes (2pts) 3. Ike Davis (1pt)

a-Struck out for Buchholz, T in the 5th. b-Grounded out for Beato in the 8th.

BATTING
2B: Reyes, Jo (2, Blanton), Davis, I (3, Blanton).
HR: Pagan (1, 4th inning off Blanton, 1 on, 0 out).
TB: Reyes, Jo 3; Harris, W; Wright, D; Beltran; Pagan 5; Davis, I 3; Emaus 2; Murphy, Dn.
RBI: Pagan 2 (3), Wright, D (5), Beltran (2), Davis, I 2 (6), Murphy, Dn (2).
2-out RBI: Murphy, Dn.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Beltran; Reyes, Jo 2.
GIDP: Thole; Emaus.
Team RISP: 5-for-10.
Team LOB: 7.

BASERUNNING
SB: Reyes, Jo (2, 2nd base off Blanton/Schneider).

FIELDING
E: Pelfrey (1, throw).
DP: (Emaus-Reyes, Jo-Davis, I).

My take: Sometimes it is the loses that tell you more about your team than the wins.

I think it is time to start getting concerned about Mike Pelfrey. The bad spring to go along with this awful start is worrisome. He is leaving his sinker high in the zone and catching way to much plate and it is getting hit hard.  His velocity has been fluctuating a lot and is change up is having absolutely no effect.  The one thing I did like is that he started showing his curveball again, but at this point all it is, is a “show me” pitch. He needs to get that pitch back to the days when he was a college ace.  Throwing the curve shows me he knows an adjustment needs to be made, but he is going to need to make some more before the next game if he wants different results.

Even though they blew the game I thought the bullpen was fantastic.  They were forced to eat 6 innings thanks to Pelf and for the most part they kept the Mets in it, and I use that term very loosely.  Taylor Buchholz and Pedro Beato in particular I thought were very impressive.

The way the offense battled back showed me a lot.  Last year down by 7 against the Phillies in the 3rd inning the game was over.  To come back and answer with 7 runs in the next two innings is a major accomplishment.  They are clicking on almost all cylinders right now and if the adjustment Angel Pagan made with Dave Hudgens sticks and he gets back on track the offense becomes SCARY.  Jose Reyes is looking like vintage Jose, Carlos Beltran is doing his thing, and David Wright looks like a mix between the ’08 and ’09 Wrights.

You can’t win them all and I am just loving the fight in this team right now. Still staying positive for 2011.

a-Reached on a fielder’s choice for Duda in the 8th. b-Lined out for Carrasco, D in the 8th.

BATTING
2B: Reyes, Jo (1, Vazquez, J), Murphy, Dn (1, Vazquez, J), Thole (1, Webb, R).
HR: Harris, W (1, 1st inning off Vazquez, J, 1 on, 0 out), Davis, I (1, 3rd inning off Vazquez, J, 0 on, 1 out).
TB: Reyes, Jo 3; Harris, W 4; Davis, I 5; Duda; Murphy, Dn 2; Thole 2.
RBI: Harris, W 2 (4), Davis, I (3), Murphy, Dn (1), Pagan (1), Hairston, S (1).
2-out RBI: Pagan; Hairston, S.
Runners left in scoring position, 2 out: Harris, W 2; Wright, D 2; Hairston, S; Beltran 2.
SAC: Dickey.
Team RISP: 2-for-15.
Team LOB: 11.

BASERUNNING
SB: Harris, W (1, 2nd base off Choate/Buck, J).

FIELDING
PB: Thole (1).

My Take:  It is still really early in the season, but this team is a lot more fun to watch then last years bunch.  The opening day lackluster performance is understandable because Josh Johnson is really one of the best pitchers in baseball, but put up 15 runs in the last two games.  They have already faced some adversity and responded very well. Again still 159 games to go, but so far so good. And I am really liking Terry Collins.

Early on in the game it looked like R.A. Dickey was struggling a bit to command his knuckle ball.  It was still getting great movement and when he settled in started racking up the K’s.  Can’t help but love the veteran knuckleballer carving up the young offense.  The bullpen ran into some trouble, but later in the year you won’t be seeing Chris Capuano coming out of it, which kind of changed the dynamics of it so I am not worrying about the pen.

Willie “Frickin” Harris.  He is absolutely getting it done right now.  He has already done enough for me to move from the dog house because he was a Met a killer to being a Met.  When Ike Davis connects you know it is gone.  That was a bomb he hit today.

It is always nice to get the first series win out of the way this early.