PHILADELPHIA – Oliver Perez walked a pitcher old enough to practically need a walker, marching the Mets up against a wall.
Marlon Anderson went into Tad Iguchi with his forearms up in the ninth and the Mets, self-described victims of a robbery, thought they left Citizens Bank Park with their arms up. But CB Bucknor made an interference call for a game-ending double play, which, under rule 6.05 (m), was his right, whether Anderson made contact with the base or not.
“A batter is out . . . when a preceding runner shall, in the umpire’s judgment, intentionally interfere with a fielder attempting . . . to throw a ball in an attempt to complete any play.
The objective of this rule is to penalize the offensive team for deliberate, unwarranted, unsportsmanlike action by the runner in leaving the baseline for the obvious purpose of crashing the pivot man on a double play, rather than trying to reach the base. Obviously this is an umpire’s judgment play.”
More obviously, the Mets made more mistakes in a 3-2 loss, their fourth straight, than they could accuse of Bucknor. As a result, if they don’t win today, the seven-game lead they held Saturday will be down to two almost as fast as Jose Reyes usually is capable of getting to second base, which actually is the genesis of their problems.
After bunting safely in the first inning to snap a series 0-for-9, Reyes finally was on his way to second; the only problem being he left before Jamie Moyer released the ball to the plate, a mistake compounded when David Wright later homered.
In the seventh, Reyes walked, only to get picked off again, this time by J.C. Romero, after Perez had given back Wright’s homer, plus one, to Jimmy Rollins and Pat Burrell. In the fifth, Perez walked the 44-year-old Moyer, hitting .148, who turned into the winning run on Burrell’s sacrifice fly.
Basically, the Mets’ leadoff batter got ahead of himself last night, and their starting pitcher, despite 10 strikeouts earned with serious gas in serious spots, didn’t get ahead of enough hitters. In these days of offensive need, it’s a good thing that today they pitch the ultimate big-game pitcher, Orlando Hernandez, whose last nine starts have resulted in nine Mets victories, and whose 12-3, 2.55 postseason chart is one of the best in history.
In this bandbox, against this Phillies lineup, the Mets need a good, old-fashioned shutdown, or this becomes a serious race.
Since 1900, only six teams who led a league or a division by seven games or more on Aug. 25 have failed to win it, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. That’s only six epic collapses out of a total of 288 races, why the 1995 Angels, 1978 Red Sox, 1964 Phillies, 1951 Dodgers, 1938 Pirates and 1934 Giants earned eternal ignominy.
“This late in the year it’s hard to make a substantial run to get back into it, then continue to play at a high percentage,” said Tom Glavine. “If you never have to get on a run, you’ve put yourself in better position, as long as you maintain your lead and knock days off the calendar.
“Obviously, that makes these games important. That’s our opportunity here.”
Win or lose today, the Mets team still will show up in Atlanta one game closer to their next surge while the Phillies report to Florida one game closer to inevitably cooling off.
Granted, cooling the Phillies off before they go to Florida would be better.
“Good game, bad game; this team has always done a great job of turning the page,” said Willie Randolph.
“It’s an everyday game. You have to be strong mentally to deal with ups and downs. We have a good grasp of that.”
El Duque holding the ball today helps the Mets get a grip. It’s suddenly hairy, ones standing up on the back of their necks and otherwise.