Francisco Rodriguez and Jason Isringhausen have been about as good a back-end of a bullpen in baseball, but when the Mets are playing the Phillies, nothing is a given.
Isringhausen gave up a one-run lead in the eighth and then Rodriguez surrendered three runs an inning later, as the Mets lost 6-4, when their rally in the ninth fell short last night at Citi Field.
“I’m disappointed I did not get it done,” Rodriguez said. “I’m a human being. It wasn’t my day.”
It wasn’t all the bullpen’s fault, as Daniel Murphy had a chance to turn an inning-ending double play in the ninth on a Domonic Brown grounder to first, but the ball stayed down on him and skipped into right field — a play that was ruled a single.
“I’ve got to make that play,” Murphy said. “I was trying to turn two.”
And after three singles turned into a run in the ninth, Murphy grounded into a double play to end the game.
But the real surprise came from the two bullpen veterans, who have been brilliant. Rodriguez hadn’t been scored upon in 19 2/3 innings and Isringhausen gave up a lead for the first time this season after he hung a pitch to Jimmy Rollins, who delivered an RBI double.
Mets manager Terry Collins said he wasn’t pleased with the reaction of the fans, who booed Rodriguez as he walked off the mound when Collins took him out.
“I was a little disappointed in the reaction to Frankie,” Collins said. “He’s only saved 15 in a row.”
“It doesn’t surprise me,” Rodriguez said of the reaction. “If you put up a zero, they love you. If you don’t get it done, they boo you. If I put a zero on the board, it won’t happen again.”
Rodriguez said he was only upset with his performance, and not being taken out of the game, which prevented him from finishing his 20th game of the season. His $17.5 million option picks up if he finishes 55 games this year.
“I didn’t stop the bleeding,” said Rodriguez (1-1). “That’s what I was upset about, not the games finished.”
It seemed like the Mets, who are now 18-2 when leading after seven innings, might get Rodriguez off the hook in the bottom of the inning. Reyes led off with a single against Ryan Madson and scored after Carlos Beltran singled with one out and center fielder Michael Martinez misplayed the ball. But after a Bay single got Beltran to third, Murphy’s double play ended it.
The bullpen’s failure cost Chris Capuano a win he appeared to be in line to get after Justin Turner put the Mets up 3-2 with an RBI single in the seventh.
Capuano pitched well, but was lifted for pinch-hitter Willie Harris with a runner on second and two out in the sixth after just 78 pitches. Harris ended up grounding to first off Roy Oswalt to end the inning.
“When we get into those [two-out situations] we’ve had trouble scoring,” Collins said. “I thought, ‘If we’re getting to this guy, let’s take advantage of it now.’ ”
Capuano, who struck out the first Phillies he faced, wasn’t upset with decision, saying he “didn’t attach any emotion to it.”
Rodriguez tried not to, either.
“I just have to put it behind me,” Rodriguez said.