Sweep these sorry sacks.

He’s got a nice little track record against the Metsies (3-1, 2.16 ERA since 2005). Let’s hope we can turn that around with a little day baseball!

Yeah, I’m done with work, but school doesn’t start until August 27th, so I’ll finally get a chance to watch a whole game in this series (left to go out on Friday and Saturday nights before the game was over, and finally saw the Dark Night yesterday afternoon).

Pittsburgh’s rotation is really all over the place, isn’t it? Last year, Maholm looked terrible, and I thought that Snell and Gorzelanny had real chances to become stars. This year, Snell and Gorzelanny have been terrible, and Maholm has been the only good one.

This is a weird line-up.

1-0 is OK, even though 2nd and 3rd with nobody out calls for something like 3-0.

Damn the Swag Contest! Give the pen another day off!

OT, but did anyone see what the Rays did last night? Up 7-3 in the bottom of the 9th, the bases were loaded for Josh Hamilton, and they intentionally walked Hamilton to force in a run, and then Marlon Byrd struck out to end the game.

I love how the Rays have gotten so confident that they’re doing ballsy things like that.

And yet he continues to sit in favor of Brian Schneider. Geebus Cripes.

Is there some sort of law that one of the guys in the Mets rotation has to be unable to throw strikes? Perez and Pelfrey started throwing strikes and Maine now can’t?

I mean dang John Maine has trouble putting guys away. It’s like watching late-period Al Leiter. But, at least he got out of it.

Thank you, Jerry, for not going Willie Randolph on us and making the case. I love it when jerry gets tossed in these situations, since Randolph never did.

No HRs in two ABs? Bench this bum for Schneider.

Since Jerry has a stache, what would he wear to successfully sneak into the dugout after being tossed from the game?

This is not a promising development . . . ground ball . . . ground ball . . .

Im not trying to tell the Pirates what to do, but I can’t see the value of giving a struggling pitcher a free out like that. At least give it a few pitches to see if John is finding the damned plate. Now the Mets can maybe get out of it with a DP (which would be awesome.)

you lucky SOB John Maine . . . thank you.

Let’s make hay here, lads. Also, nice to see you, Nick Evans.

The Phillies get Washington now? Well, I guess the Nats losing streak has to end sometime, right?

Beltran. Joe McEwing would have hit a triple there.

He should’ve had the day off too. He’s cooling off a bit, and Maholm is murder against lefties.

Master of the 4-inning save, perhaps?

I don’t know that a 42-year-old with 300 wins already in his pocket has any real reason to try to come back from a torn flexor tendon.

fucking ex-Braves.

I guess you can’t shut em out forever. It’s not like Maine deserved the “W” anyway.

WTF is with the eye black?

Both Tatis and Michael Phelps have big old cup-shaped ears.

I’m liking it. He and Murphy have been taking a nice number of walks lately.

Can you get a message to Damion for me?

Dear Damion,
Shove it.
Sincerely,
Ian B.

Has been around forever. If only he didn’t have a Latino last name, he’d probably get the Eckstein praise from idiot sportswriters everywhere.

Jerry’s busting out the third pitcher. What’s the over/under for total pitchers today? I’ll call it 6. Anyone want to bet?

But I just saw that the flag of the city of Pittsburgh is yellow and black. I guess that’s why the Pirates, Steelers, and Penguins all share the same colors.

I never like to see Show pitch to a righty, but it worked this time.

thank you. Day off do a bit of good, then?

Bunting? What’s that about? Prefer sitting on the bench?

This kid has no quit in him.

Delgado vs. a lefty. Beltran fails in the clutch again.

Get number 458!!!

Gettin’ ugly.

I should have kept listening to the radio but Wayne Hagin makes me want to drive into a telephone pole

I’ve been a bad wittle boy!

get a hit, you big wonderful hippo!

and not batting here?

So we are down to the other Reyes? Fingers crosses.

Well, nuts to that game. Guess I should focus on real work for a while.

I don’t care if it was Washington and Pittsburgh, you gotta be happy with that. Yeah, the bullpen wasn’t good (again), but neither was Maine or the bats. An all-around crappy day.

And since Eric doesn’t have the postgame thread up yet…

Why did Maine come out so early? Was it because of the walks? He had only thrown 96 pitches, wasn’t lifted for a pinch hitter. Surely he could’ve at least started the 6th.

Sanchez HAS to be able to get those guys out in the 8th. It’s hardly like that was Albert Pujols or Pat Burrell up there.

Why on earth is Endy and not Jose Reyes your pinch hitter leading off the 8th? (Unless Jose is injured rather than just getting an off day and I’m not aware of it.)

hey