Mets 11
Astros 3
WP: M. Pelfrey (2-7)
LP: W. Rodriguez (8-13)
“We should be playing, if for nothing else, to have some pride in what we're doing," Cooper said. "This is not going to continue. It won't continue. We need to find a way to stop it and keep competing. I won't let it happen."Pithy observations in the GZSub at astros.com while Footer is on the TVThe Astros are being touted as “spoilers” to keep us interested. But after the series in Chicago and Milwaukee they are just starting to smell.
This first game in New York registered a 7.9 on the Weird Shit-o-Meter.
It started in the top of the 1st, Biggio checks his swing and is rung up. Fine, Craig has struck out before. But homeplate ump Doug Eddings goes into a bare ass dance around his stripper pole to call the K. Biggio let that slide, but then the lap dance into the stands and the nickels stuffed into his pouch just set Craig off. Biggio, in a stage whisper all the way into the dugout, details Eddings’ lineage and Cooper has to come out to convince Misty Eddings to not throw Biggio out of a game in the final leg of his goodbye tour.
It got odder. First pitch after that contretemps Berkman knocked a long fly to the 410 feet sign in center, Beltran leaps, his glove extended above the wall, comes down like he has it. Berkman stops at 2nd and starts to turn around when Beltran opens his glove, empty. Very funny, asshole.
Now top the 2nd, bases loaded, 2 outs, Wandy bounces a ball up the middle. Shortstop Reyes coming over whiffs completely on the catch, the ball hits him in the chest and bounces right to the 2b standing on the base and they complete the dp. Could have bounced anywhere, bounces right to the second baseman.
In the top the 3rd the Astros put 4 men on but only scored one run and there was the distinct feeling that they were allowing their chance to slip away.
In the bottom of the 3rd Wandy’s lack of control catches up to him. He walks the first 2 batters and the Mets start to knock the ball around. Botched cutoff play lets a run skip home. 3-2 at the end of the inning and things just got worse.
With the score at a manageable 5-2, the Astros loaded the bases with one out in the top the 6th. But Biggio lined to right and Milledge scooped the ball off the grass, and Berkman Kd on a check swing to end the threat.
Mets scored so many runs off Borkowski in the bottom of the 6th that the participants got dizzy, no one knew how many outs there were and couldn’t figure out what to do when Gutierrez struck out Jorge Sosa looking to mysteriously end the inning. Do we leave the field or do we keep circling the bases? They were confused.
Top the 8th, wholesale substitutions and JD pronounced the game “Officially has become a spring training game”. To put an exclamation point on that observation, Chris Burke was playing short. Great, I can pay half assed attention now.
Some really weird shit in the 8th, Carlos Gomez, a replacement outfielder for the Mets, engaged Juan Gutierrez in a long at bat. Gomez kept fouling off pitches, and after every foul ball,
he’d sniff his bat That. Is.
Fucked up.
