Braves 9, Mets 2: Two Sacrifice Flies Go To Waste

David Wright batting second in the order was a welcome sight. Jerry Manuel's lineups have given Met fans fits the last few seasons, and putting a good hitter in the two spot is a small yet commonsensical (new word) way to improve the team. Then I saw Jeff Francoeur batting cleanup and let out a hearty laugh, the likes of which I haven't bellowed since the last time I read Catch-22. See the attached poll regarding Mets cleanup hitters.

Jon Niese had an ugly night -- 4.2 innings, ten hits, eight runs (three earned). Some will say he was a victim of shoddy defense -- Luis Castillo's fifth inning error led to a Braves seven spot, capped by a David Ross grand slam. But Niese allowed the leadoff hitter to reach base in each of the five innings he started. He wasn't sharp. No big deal, Jon is not the problem with this team.

As the title states, both Mets' runs came via sacrifice fly in the top of the fifth, giving our champions a short-lived 2-1 lead. Things fell apart after that, as no Met reached base from the sixth inning onward.

I'd normally write "full recap to follow", but that's all I have to say about that. Game three is Wednesday at 7:10 PM, with Mike Pelfrey and Tommy Hanson the scheduled starters. Check out the CYBORG HANSON TOMMY Twitter account for some laughs.

Alcohol of the game season: Everclear grain alcohol, 190-proof.

"Everclear is useful as a mixer if used responsibly, but it adds no real flavor dimension to drinks and it could burn your house down if you're not careful." -- epinions.com review