Game 1: Mets 5, Braves 2
(Source: fangraphs.com - what's this?)
Considering the horror that Turner Field has been to the Mets over the years it was nice to get a win under their belt right off the bat. Pedro Martinez was terrific, his one bad pitch to Chipper Jones notwithstanding. Jose Reyes went 2-for-4 with a triple and a walk. David Wright went 2-for-3 with a walk, a sacrifice fly and two solo homeruns. Mets pitchers combined to strike out eight Braves while walking only one, and Billy Wagner finished this one off by striking out the side in the ninth. Duaner Sanchez pitched another perfect inning and has yet to allow a run in 16.0 innings this season.
Game 2: Mets 1, Braves 0
(Source: fangraphs.com - what's this?)
Tom Glavine pitched a gem in this one, allowing just four hits and two walks over seven innings. He left with a 1-0 lead and Aaron Heilman and Wagner closed things out. Paul Lo Duca accounted for the only run with a solo shot in the 6th. It was just Lo Duca's sixth extra-base hit of the season and his first of the longball variety. Reyes went 0-for-3 but did draw a walk, and Cliff Floyd went 0-for-4 to remain on the Interstate.
Game 3: Braves 5, Mets 3
(Source: fangraphs.com - what's this?)
The Mets had plenty of opportunities to score in this one but they wound up leaving eleven men on base, seven of which were in scoring position. A win would have given the Mets a sweep of the Braves, but Steve Trachsel must have left his "A" game in San Francisco, because he had bupkis on the mound yesterday. Home plate umpire Alfonzo Marquez had a tight zone, but Trax walked five and gave up eight hits in just 3.2 innings, digging a huge hole for the Mets' offense. Some thoughts:
- Jose Reyes drew three walks, giving him twelve on the season, and his 12:15 K:BB ratio is very reasonable. Reyes didn't draw his twelfth walk of last season until July 8th!
- Even though Jorge Julio gave up a two-run bomb to Jeff Francoeur that basically put the game out of reach, I agree with Keith Hernandez' assertion that Julio looked very good yesterday. Homeruns will happen, but Julio struck out five batters in two innings and his slider was just ridiculous. I really hope he has turned a corner because adding his arm to the formidable troika of Wagner, Sanchez and Heilman would really just be unfair.
- The Mets walked seven times in this game, but the had a handful of really terrible at-bats. The first two came in the top of the fourth with one out, after Trachsel and Reyes walked in consecutive at-bats. Kaz Matsui struck out swinging, flailing uselessly at any number of Kyle Davies' offerings, and Carlos Beltran struck out looking after swinging at ball four on a 3-1 count. The other awful at-bat was in the top of the ninth, where Carlos Delgado was swinging 2-0 right after Beltran walked on four consecutive pitches out of the strike zone. The Mets are still down by three at this point and they need all the baserunners they can get. Let Reitsma throw you a strike before you take your bat off your shoulders in a situation like that.