If anybody deserved to be mad at his team mates about what hap pened last night at Citi Field, it was Mike Pelfrey. He had pitched arguably his best game of the season when he handed the ball and a 2-1 lead to reliever Mike O’Connor with two outs and Jimmy Rollins on first base in the eighth inning.
By the time the inning was over, the Phillies had scored three runs to take a 4-2 lead en route to a 5-2 victory and a no-decision for Pelfrey. It was the Mets’ sixth loss in seven games.
But standing at his locker room minutes after the defeat, Pelfrey had his head up, preaching about how the Mets are not about to give up on each other during this difficult stretch. It may have been his most noble effort of the night.
“In years past, I felt it got to the point where losing became acceptable. It wasn’t a big deal,” said Pelfrey, who is in his sixth year with the Mets. “But I think we’ve got a good group of guys here, and I think it starts with [manager] Terry Collins and [GM] Sandy Alderson and the changes they made and the people they brought in here.
“There’s a real will and real desire to win. Guys care. You have no problem coming to the park every day and battling with guys like that when you know how they feel about it. We understand it doesn’t always work out. But we’re going to give it everything we have.”
You could tell it wasn’t just lip service, which is a promising sign considering how things have gone for the Mets in first two games against the Phillies. Pelfrey pitched well enough to win, allowing two earned runs on four hits while issuing two walks and striking out a season-high six.
He had command of his fastball over the inner half of the plate, opening up the outside for his sinker and splitter. But after Rollins singled to center field, Pelfrey had thrown 116 pitches and Collins signaled for the left-handed O’Connor. He would be followed by Jason Isringhausen, Tim Byrdak and Dale Thayer. The relievers allow three earned runs in 1 1/3 innings.
“Coming out of the game with two outs and somebody on first, 99 out of 100 times they’re going to get the guy out,” Pelfrey said. “It’s just part of baseball. Tonight it just didn’t work out.”
The Mets’ season must include a series of small victories not always evident on the scoreboard. This is a team in transition with plenty of lessons to learn along the way.
Pelfrey’s performance last night was one of those small victories. He completed a strong month of May, with the only major blemish a rough seventh inning at Yankee Stadium last Sunday.
“For the last five or six starts, I think I’ve thrown the ball great,” Pelfrey said. “It’s way better than it was in April. I just want to go out there and be consistent. I want to get to the point where they hand me the ball every fifth day and they know they’re going to get six or seven innings out of it.”
He has gotten to this point by understanding less is more. He said he tried to be “too perfect” in April and was over-throwing.
“I’ve gotten to the point where I’m out there about 90 percent and that allows me to get back on top mechanically,” he said.
The Phillies (33-19) are a World Series contender, and the Mets (23-28) would love to reach .500. It’s why the deeper, more experienced team has won the first two games of this series. But the Mets haven’t given up on each other.
“We’re in this together and we’re going to get it turned around,” Pelfrey said.
You could almost believe him.