Game 2: Cardinals 1, Mets 0
(Source: fangraphs.com - what's this?)
Steve Trachsel's line from Game 2:
IP H R ER BB SO HR PC-ST GS 7.0 4 1 1 3 2 0 112-70 64Losing a game as the Mets did last night is infinitely more frustrating than a 10-0 blowout. I suppose it's the opportunity lost that infuriates me the most; that the Mets were on the cusp of winning, only to be undone by their biggest flaw to this point in the season. Namely, their inability to produce in high leverage situations. The data from a hundred years of baseball tells us that these things tend to regress (or progress) towards the mean over the course of 162 games; that good players (and teams) hit well in the clutch and that bad players (and teams) hit poorly in the clutch. This isn't much solace to me right now.
The Mets could have clinched a series win last night, but instead they may have booked a one-way ticket to their third straight series loss with Lima Time! taking the hill this afternoon. Steve Trachsel pitched a whale of a ballgame against a tough offensive club, but came up on the short end of another Mets offensive brownout. You have to give credit to Mark Mulder (for eight innings) and Jason Isringhausen, who pitched the Mets really tough and kept them at bay for most of the night.
It's a quick turnaround, as the teams go back at it at 1pm this afternoon.
Game balls go to:
- Steve Trachsel, 23.7% WPA
- Jose Reyes, 12.5% WPA