The Mets have an albatross to bear, and its name is Guillermo Mota.
The slumping reliever poured gas on the fire with a sorry two-inning, three-run outing that proved decisive in last night’s 7-5 loss to San Diego. He’s struggling so badly, nobody should be wondering if he’s back on the juice.
With the Mets down 4-2 after five innings, Mota came on and retired five straight before coughing up a two-run single to Khalil Greene and an RBI double to Kevin Kouzmanoff that pushed the lead to five and blew the game open.
“He just needs to find a way to get it done, bottom line as that,” Willie Randolph said. “His stuff is there, he can make pitches when he gets through the ball. It would’ve been nice to stop the bleeding there.
“I’ll give him the ball until he starts to get it right. He’s going to have to find a way to get the job done, bottom line. I believe in my guys.”
His three runs proved pivotal after the Mets rallied for three in the ninth. It was Mota’s fifth straight horrid performance, with a 16.88 ERA over that span.
The Mets had just halved a 4-0 Padres lead to seize momentum, but Mota – whose ERA has swollen to 6.28 – gave it right back.
After retiring five in a row and getting ahead of Adrian Gonzalez 0-2, he couldn’t buy that last strike. He allowed a single to left, walked Mike Cameron, uncorked a wild pitch to advance both runners, and saw Greene stroke his 87 mph changeup to left.
That scored two runs and brought a chorus of boos from the 50,060. Mota kicked the dirt and chomped on his gum in anger; moments later Kouzmanoff laced an RBI double off David Wright’s glove to make it 7-2.
“I know I need to help the team win,” Mota said. “All my pitches are there, I’m throwing hard. I just need to finish that third out. That’s very important. If you don’t, you’re in trouble.
“When they get me in there I have to do my job. That’s what I’m here for, to do my job. I have to get in there and perform. I have to get it going.”
The fans spewed more venom as he trudged off the field – small wonder because he’s made Kyle Farnsworth look like Cy Young. And all this after he got suspended 50 games for violating baseball drug policy, but still got handed a back-loaded two-year, $5 million deal.
“I’m not thinking about it. If I don’t do my job the crowd is going to boo, so I have to go out there and perform. [If I don’t], they’re supposed to boo,” Mota said. “I’m supposed to get people out.”