Parnell struggles as Marlins rout Mets
Photo credit: Freelance/Photo by Kathy Kmonicek | FLUSHING, NY - SEPTEMBER 10, 2009: Mets David Wright and teammates leave the dugout after the Mets 13-4 loss. New York Mets vs. the Florida Marlins at Citifield. Photo by Kathy KmonicekFLUSHING, NY - SEPTEMBER 10, 2009: New York Mets vs. the Florida Marlins at Citifield. Photo by Kathy Kmonicek
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Jerry Manuel brought his ragtag band of Mets together for half an hour before last night's game - yet another meaningless one for his team - to remind his players that they need to keep focused on what's ahead, regardless of playing out the string on 2009.
So, naturally, Manuel's players went out and looked even worse than usual.
It was a 13-4 win by the Marlins in a sparsely populated Citi Field, the 78th Mets loss of the season. It began with Anderson Hernandez booting a sure double-play grounder to load the bases in the first; Bobby Parnell then walked in two runs, and Angel Pagan made yet another mental error on the basepaths, this time forgetting the number of outs to get doubled off second in the seventh.
"Every time we have one of these meetings, we seem to play that way," Manuel joked afterward. "I don't think we'll be having any more meetings for a while."
With only 22 games left and the Mets 16 games under .500, the message of a manager-called meeting would seem to be futile. But the relentlessly upbeat Manuel tried to, in the words of Jeff Francoeur, "put a comma on the end of the season, make it continue into the offseason" and into 2010.
If these are auditions for spots on next year's team, these Mets are a long way from opening night. Parnell (3-8), now 1-5 as a starter, followed up his seven shutout innings on Friday with three first-inning runs, six runs (five earned) in five innings and five walks. "It's aggravating to go out and do that," Parnell said. "I feel like I've got good stuff, I can compete. The walks, just beating myself in the first inning . . . I didn't give my team a chance to do anything."
The game was a 9-4 rout in the seventh when Pagan led off with a single, his third hit of the game. Luis Castillo walked to put two on and after David Wright struck out, Francoeur lined to right. Pagan took off to third and was easily doubled off; he stood on third, hands on knees, for a few seconds before trotting off the field.
"Because of what you see, you have to be somewhat concerned," Manuel said. "The guy does a lot, a lot of positive things, but they're hard to accept. Very difficult to swallow."
Pagan did not shy away from reporters, or from discussing his latest mental error, this one especially poorly timed after Manuel's speech. "He should be disappointed in me right now," Pagan said. "These mental mistakes hurt the team, they hurt a lot. I can't let this beat me."
The Mets head off for four games in three days in Philadelphia, games that just about everyone thought would matter before this season began. They'll matter to the first-place Phillies, who are five games up on Florida.
They matter to Manuel, who needs a healthy squad more than anything to keep his job secure. But the sloppy play his 2009 team has specialized in also can't carry over to next season.
"When we make the mistakes we've been making, as a manager, it'd drive me crazy, too," Francoeur said. "We just can't go out there and waste time."
