See you next season.
Goodbye, Shea Stadium. Hello, Citi Field.
Pitching Performance
Oliver Perez was spectacular for five innings. Through the first five, he allowed only one hit. Coming out in the sixth, Perez allowed three straight hits, with one run scoring. Another run was charged to him when Joe Smith entered the game with the bases loaded and issued a walk, driving in another run, charged to Perez.
Perez walked three and struck out six. He needed 85 pitches, but couldn't get out of the inning in the sixth.
Could have been the last start for Perez as a Met. His first five were simply spectacular, even after taking a ground ball off his pitching hand, but the sixth was a huge speedbump and he couldn't get over it.
Re-sign Oliver?
Smith stayed in the game after the walk and got two big outs to escape the inning with only two runs scoring. Brian Stokes pitched the seventh, allowing a hit and striking out one.
Smith will be back, Stokes should be.
With the game tied in the eighth, Scott Schoeneweis came on to face pinch hitter Wes Helms, a righty. Schoeneweis stayed in the game, and promptly allowed a home run into the bleachers. Luis Ayala entered the game, and he let up a solo home run to Dan Uggla. Ayala ended up throwing one 1-3 innings, allowing two hits and that earned run.
Don't know why Schoeneweis wasn't removed once Helms was announced. He's terrible against righties. Hindsight is 20/20.
Pedro Feliciano and Bobby Parnell each got an out in the ninth as the Mets tried to rally to win.
Both should be back. Maybe Parnell gets some more grooming in the minors, but it all depends what Omar can do this offseason.
Offensive Output
What offense? Five runs in three games isn't going to cut it.
The sole runs came in the bottom of the sixth inning, after Robinson Cancel drew a pinch hit walk, Carlos Beltran belted a two-run homer into the bleachers, tying up the game.
And that was it. That's all. They had more chances sprinkled through the game, but just couldn't get it done.
The Rest of the Story
Endy Chavez entered the game as a defensive replacement, and made another wonderful catch. Going back on the ball, mere feet away from where he made his catch in '06, Chavez tracked one down on the track, jumped, and snagged it out of mid-air. The parallels are frightening.
David Wright had his nine game hit streak snapped.
Game Ball: Carlos Beltran.
