ATLANTA — The beginning of the end looks like this:
* You fight the umps with as much fervor as the opponents.
* You get shut down by a reclamation project who has not pitched in the majors in nearly two calendar years.
* Your strength becomes a weakness.
* And your weakness remains same as it ever was.
The Mets exhibited plenty of tenacity and fortitude at times of crisis in the first half. But if you think you have seen this movie before, you are correct.
Everyone remembers the epic, late-season crash and burns of 2007-08 — the beginnings of the end for the Omar Minaya administration. But over the last three seasons, 2009-11, the Mets were 136-130 (.511) in the first halves of seasons, but 90-130 (.409) in the second halves. Only Pittsburgh (.347) and Seattle (.406) have been worse in that span.
Now, these Mets are 0-3 in 2012 after a second-half-opening series that as bellwethers go was akin to seeing the iceberg from aboard the Titanic.
Again, these Mets have been good so far at taking a punch and maybe they will rediscover the magic that was steadily making their fan base true believers. However, at the lowest moments of the first half, the Mets could always count on the durability and above-average work of their rotation to help steer away from sustained losing streaks.
But, once more, as omens go, what do you make of Dillon Gee needing surgery to repair an artery in his right shoulder literally on the first day of the second half?
His likely absence the rest of the season intensifies the onus on the remainder of the group, which rebuked the responsibility by essentially having a Chris Schwinden lookalike contest against the Braves. Chris Young, R.A. Dickey and Johan Santana combined to last just 13 innings while yielding 16 runs on 22 hits.
Pitching coach Dan Warthen suggested this was a blip, citing a league-wide mound malaise out of the break. But there is always a fragility with Young’s health and if hitters will keep chasing 84 mph fastballs up in the zone. Dickey has now given up five runs in three of his last four starts. Meanwhile, Santana has permitted at least six runs in consecutive outings for the first time since the second and third starts of his career in 2000.
Of course, bad starting pitching means the Mets are going to see more of a relief corps they’d as soon disappear into the witness protection program. The bullpen was a factor in losing the first two games to Atlanta. But yesterday was the responsibility of Santana and the Mets’ offense. Although during and after the game the Mets found home-plate umpire C.B. Bucknor most culpable.
Ben Sheets was making his first start in nearly two calendar years, since July 19, 2010. The Braves rushed him after two minor league starts to see what they have before deciding whether to make a trade this month. And the Mets couldn’t hit the righty’s familiar curve/fastball combo from his heyday as he authored six shutout innings. The Mets talked about rust from their starters from the layoff from the break, but they could not do damage against a starter on 727 days’ rest.
But Santana was working on his own shutout into the fifth when he thought he had both Paul Janish and Michael Bourn struck out looking on corner pitches. He got neither call at a time when the Mets believed Sheets was getting a wide zone from Bucknor. Rather than a relatively uneventful inning, those non-calls opened the way to Atlanta scoring all six of their runs in a 6-1 sweep-assuring triumph. It also led to the ejection of Warthen, a day after Terry Collins was ejected.
Now you can make the case, especially yesterday, that Bucknor was inept and, in the words of Josh Thole, “changed the course of the ballgame.”
Still, Santana cannot implode there. Those are not the first bad calls in a big spot in his special career. Bucknor was a handy scapegoat. But did the Mets think one run scored would win yesterday?
Bucknor is probably not headed to Washington, but the Mets are to face the NL’s best team. And already they are at the first four-alarm moment of the second half with so many poor recent second halves raising the concern further.
“We can be in big, big trouble if we play like this there,” Collins said.
For the Mets, right now, D.C. stands for Deep Concern.