Braves 5, Mets 3
(Source: fangraphs.com - what's this?)
Tom Glavine's pitching line:
IP H R ER BB SO HR PC-ST GS 5.1 4 5 2 3 2 1 113-56 45You didn't really believe they were going to win them all, now did you? Although it seems like forever since the Mets last lost, they had actually only won four games in a row, a feat they equalled or bested nine times in 2006 alone. Yesterday was also the first time the Mets committed an error this season-- they committed two, and Carlos Delgado could easily have been charged another for his lead glovework -- and three of the five runs that Tom Glavine allowed were of the unearned variety. It doesn't take a math whiz to discern that the Mets might've won this game had they just played adequate defense for nine innings.
After four consecutive marvelous games, a Mets starter finally turned in a mediocre effort. In Glavine's defense, the weather in Atlanta was stifling, and everyone who pitched yesterday had trouble getting a feel for the baseball. Braves' reliever Rafael Soriano was the only pitcher to strike out more batters than he walked (1 to 0). Collectively, the teams walked eleven batters while striking out eight (Mets pitchers walked five and struck out just two).
Shawn Green continued his rebirth as a singles hitter, and even mixed in a two-base hit (!) to change things up a bit. He heinously botched a play in the field that led indirectly to one run scoring, but he ripped a Bob Wickman offering in the ninth inning that would have tied the game, only to be snared by airborn first-baseman Craig Wilson.
The biggest mistake of the game was Willie Randolph's in leaving Glavine out there as long as he did. Glavine blew past 100 pitches as he struggled in the sixth inning, and there were a couple of times that he could have been given the hook early, passing the baton to a well-rested bullpen. That didn't happen, a series of unfortunate events converged, and the Braves ultimately scored three runs and held on for the win. You certainly give Glavine a bit more rope than a younger pitcher, and clearly he was hanging on in a tied game to the glimmering prize that would have been career win number 292. There is a long ways to go this season, and barring injury Glavine should have no problem sweeping in nine more victories.
Mr. Met:
- Hitting: Carlos Delgado, 9.7% WPA
- Pitching: Scott Schoeneweis, 3.0% WPA
- Hitting: Moises Alou, -14.5% WPA
- Pitching: Tom Glavine, -19.0% WPA