It seems almost cruel to write about the Mets this morning. What they put their already-tortured fans through last night was practically against the laws of nature. Their soul-crushing 9–6 loss to the Cubs last night was the type of game that made any Mets fan who watched it wonder why they even bother. (And we’re not gloating over having predicted the loss.)
For the record — and the record does matter, as the Mets stumble toward the end of the season — let’s review the Mets’ seventh, eighth, and ninth innings last night.
Seventh: The Cubs lead 6–5. In only his second at-bat as a Met, Ramon Martinez doubles to lead off the inning. José Reyes reaches on a bunt single. Then Daniel Murphy lines into a double play, and David Wright flies out to end the inning. To sum up: First and third, nobody out … no runs.
Eighth: Cubs still lead 6–5. Carlos Delgado leads off with a double, and Carlos Beltrán singles him to third. Ryan Church strikes out, but Beltrán steals second. Ramon Castro grounds out. The Cubs then walk two Mets to tie the score. José Reyes grounds out. Score’s tied. At least SOMETHING happened. To sum up: first and third, one out; bases loaded, two outs … one run.
Ninth: Tie game. Hide your children’s eyes here. Murphy leads off the inning with a triple. Just 90 feet away. Wright strikes out, so the Cubs walk the next two batters intentionally. Church grounds out, and then Castro strikes out. To sum up: Runner on third, nobody out; bases loaded, one out … no runs.
The Cubs then scored three in the top of the tenth, and it was all over. This game would have been difficult to lose even if the Mets had been trying to spike it. Presumably, they weren’t. But still, they found a way. Afterward, manager Jerry Manuel, stunned, could just say, “Man, that’s bad. Man. Man. That’s bad.”
It’s not over, of course; the Mets are now tied for the wild-card lead with Milwaukee with four games to go. The Brewers have been impersonating the 2007 Mets all month. Sadly for anyone excited to watch the playoffs, one team has to make it. But no fan should have to go through this.
What more can we say? How can we possibly cheer a Mets fan up? How’s this: It might rain this weekend.
