Mets 6, Phillies 4

The Phillies get a taste of pressure and choke in a playoff atmosphere, blowing a 4-2 lead in a gut-wrenching 6-4 loss to the N.Y. Clowns.

There’s plenty of blame to go around, as I’m spinning from a loss that feels a hundred times worse than their last loss to the Mets back in June.

The supposed strength, the A-list pen, couldn’t finish the job, including a meltdown from Ugueth Urbina, brought to town specifically to preserve games like this one. Urbina allowed a game-winning three-run shot by Ramon Castro to put the game away.

Urbina was traded for the third-best hitter in baseball, Placido Polanco (.332 combined AL/NL average) to bring his mysterious “guile” to town. Tonight erases two months of solid pitching in my eyes. That kind of scrutiny is the difference between today and two days ago.

The team sat back on a 4-2 lead and used their worst hitter, Endy Chavez, to pinch hit in the eighth. Meanwhile, newly-acquired Michael Tucker waited in the dugout, as did Jason Michaels and Tomas Perez.

This isn’t a time to monkey around with that kind of nonsense. We’re watching you. The baseball world is focused on you. And nobody, including the Mets, is taking your garbage seriously.

When the going gets tough, leave it to the Phils to crawl under the covers and hide like babies. They showed why most sports fans in Philadelphia are more concerned whether the Eagles will sign a wide receiver off the scrap heap to carry Terrell Owens' jock than with the outcome of this game, this series, this season.

I expect a roller-coaster from here until October, but this was different. This was a killer reality check. They have no choice but to win the next two, starting with Pedro Martinez tomorrow night. Good luck.

Comments

[Mike Cunningahm]

Does one loss mean everything? No. Does this one? Yeah. I forget if it was Wheels or LA who mentioned that this game had the feel of the playoffs, and it did. Unfortunately, for the Phils, the pressure got to Madson and Urbina who blew his fifth save and took the loss. During the Mesa era, if you looked at his Blown Save numbers, they were the difference between winning and losing the division. Remember that.

And let's not forget Howard, struck out twice, leaving 3 runners on base. And both Lofton and Rollins left 2 runners in Scoring position.

It was those missed opportunities and some terrible calls by umpires (the play at the plate, Utley getting HBP) that cost them this game.

In case you wanted to know this stuff:
Blown Saves
Wagner 2
Cormier 2
Madson 4
Urbina 5
Worrell 2
Adams 1
Geary 1

Now Blown Saves don't always turn into losses. Sometimes the Phils have come back, but you can see how important a bullpen is. Just one or two missed opportunities. That's it.

[Mike Cunningham]

You know it's late when you can't spell your last name. ;)

[Ken]

Jason,

What you said...see my previous post..they have too many guys who shrink as the situation gets tougher

look for phils to fall about 4-5 back then crawl back to 2 back and say they were "in it"

PHILLIES is an anagram for LOSER
2 words David Bell

[Tom Goodman]

Ah, Placido. He looks better every time David Bell tries to field a pop fly or move a runner along.

As for the Troika, Ryan Madson has had a real up and down season. If the Phils don't sign Wagner or Urbina, I am not all that confident he is the answer.

[Tom G]

Testify Jason!