The Mets beat Francisco Rodriguez yesterday. They just couldn’t beat the Brewers.
Rodriguez entered the game to start the eighth inning to a smattering of boos that got significantly louder when the former Mets closer’s name was announced. And it seemed that for one day, at least, the Mets and their fans would get the last laugh.
But the three runs Rodriguez surrendered to give the Mets a two-run lead didn’t hold up when Jason Isringhausen was even worse in the ninth when the Brewers scored four runs and held on for an 11-9 win.
“When our team comes back like that and I go out there and do that, it’s just a debacle,” Isringhausen said. “It’s right up there as one of the worst of my career, innings-wise.”
Isringhausen (3-2), who likely won’t be closing as many games down the stretch as the team tries to prepare Bobby Parnell for the role, walked the first two batters he faced then surrendered a single and a bases-loaded walk before he was yanked.
It was just the latest example of how this Mets season has become unhinged. Instead of beating Rodriguez, they were dealt another crushing defeat.
And they even made a winner out of Rodriguez (5-2, but 3-0 with Milwaukee), who claimed not to care about the fans’ reaction.
“I [couldn’t] care less what they say,” said Rodriguez, who drew their ire when he was with the Mets with his problems on and off the field.
He was traded after the All-Star Game as the Mets looked to dump him and his $17.5 million vesting option that would have kicked in next year had he finished 55 games this season — something he was on pace to do.
“I’ve got a job to do,” Rodriguez said. “On the road, they’re gonna boo you, simple as that.”
After retiring the first two batters, Rodriguez walked Ruben Tejada, then surrendered a run-scoring double to pinch-hitter Josh Thole. That brought up Angel Pagan in a tie game.
Pagan turned on a 1-2 changeup and blasted a two-run homer to left, leaving Rodriguez with nothing to do but put his hands over his head.
The Mets’ good feelings — which began with a five-run seventh inning — didn’t last long.
“It’s tough when you’re trailing 7-1 and put up eight runs and can’t get a victory,” said Pagan, who also made a spectacular catch on a Jerry Hairston fly ball to center in the seventh. “It’s been like this all year. A lot of ups and downs.”
Even for the Mets, though, this was an ugly one.
After manager Terry Collins “did the right thing” according to Isringhausen and removed him from the game with the bases loaded and one out, Manny Acosta was forced to come in to face the middle of the Brewers’ lineup.
He managed to get Ryan Braun to fly out to shallow right to preserve the one-run lead, but Prince Fielder followed with a run-scoring single to right.
Acosta said he put his slider where he wanted it, but Fielder got it through the infield.
Casey McGehee followed with another single through the second-base hole and two more runs scored to give Milwaukee the lead.
“We’re definitely going through a little bit of a funk,” said starting pitcher Chris Capuano, who was hammered for three homers and seven runs over 5 2/3 innings. “If something can go wrong, it will go wrong. All we can do is keep plodding through. It can be tough.”