The Mets scored four runs in their last two innings, but it was not enough to overcome Jason Bay’s rough day at the plate and in the field, as the Mets lose their series against the Phillies with their 8-5 defeat Sunday afternoon.
[caption id="attachment_312" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="Jason Bay's recent struggles have spread to the outfield in todays 8-5 Mets loss. His lack of production in the Mets lineup might spell doom for the team's wild card hopes."]
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Jason Bay’s ice-cold bat at the plate and iron glove in left field sunk the Mets this afternoon. His forgettable afternoon began in the bottom of the first when he squandered a golden opportunity for the Mets to respond to an early 1-0 deficit. With two on and two out, Bay grounded into an inning ending force play at second base.
With the same situation and score in the Mets half of the third inning, Bay again grounded into an inning ending force out.
His glove was not much better in left field. In the top of the eighth inning, with the Mets already down 5-1, he let a fly ball hit by Ryan Howard clunk off his glove. This error did nothing to help an ineffective Pedro Beato, who was on the mound in relief for the Mets.
Before long, Beato had two on and two out, and if Bay catches Howard’s ball, what happens next probably does not occur. But Beato walked two straight Phillies to force in a run, making the game 6-1.
Even though Terry Collins brought in Ryota Igarashi, the Phillies were not done capitalizing on Bay’s mistake. Jimmy Rollins lined the second pitch he saw from Igarashi into right field for a two-run single, making the game 8-1. Igarashi ended the inning after striking out Michael Martinez, but the difference-making damage was done.
With Bay squandering early RBI opportunities in the game, dropping a fly ball that cost his team three unearned runs, and the Mets finishing three runs short on the final tally, it is easy to assume that all of the blame for the loss can be placed on the struggling left fielder.
While the brunt of it could certainly fall on Bay, starting pitcher Mike Pelfrey was also ineffective in his ninth losing effort of the season. For the most part, he was leaving his sinker up in the strike zone. He was relatively unharmed until the fifth inning, when Martinez hammered a Pelfrey mistake into the right field seats for a three-run homerun. The 6-foot-7 right-hander finished the afternoon after yielding four runs in his five sup-par innings of work.
With the loss, the Mets drop back to .500 on the season. Because the Braves won their game against the Nationals, the Mets also drop to 8.5 games behind Atlanta in the Wild Card race.
The Mets will play the Marlins in a make-up game tomorrow before playing three against the Cardinals, who currently hold a share for first place in the NL Central.
Game Notes:
Carlos Beltran missed his second straight game with flu-like symptoms. Willie Harris replaced him, batting third and playing right field. He finished the afternoon 2-4 with a run scored.
The New York Daily News is reporting that Jose Reyes ran the bases before the game, but will likely need a rehab game before rejoining the Mets. He can come off the DL tomorrow.
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