Mets Complete Epic Collapse!

I really can't believe what has happened actually did happen!!! A seven game lead in the division with 17 to play, and you not only lose the divisional race by a game, but you fail to even make the playoffs. As I said back On September 8th, they would either live or die with their pitching... Losing Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez proved to be too much to overcome despite Pedro Martinez providing the staff a much needed shot in the arm with five effective starts in September. Somehow, the Mets found a way to lose it. Appropriately, their lack of pitching is again what did them in - Tom Glavine was torched today, recording only a single out while giving up seven earned runs against the Florida Marlins. The bullpen pitched great today, only allowing a run over the final 8 2/3 innings of the game. Unfortunately, the shell-shocked Mets could only manage a run the entire day in falling out of the playoff race with an 8-1 loss.

Who should the Mets blame other than their horrible pitching of late? Maybe the Washington Nationals. Well, not really, but if they could have even managed to play .500 ball down the stretch against the Nats, they would have won their division... Jamie Moyer mastered the Nats for 5 1/3 innings today as the Philadelphia Phillies won 6-1 to take the N.L. Eastern Division crown. The Phillies took two of three this weekend from the Nats, while the Mets were losing two of three to the Marlins. The Nats defeated the Mets five times in six games over the season's final two weeks and they can be very proud of how they played down the stretch. After starting the year 9-25, the Nats were a .500 team the rest of the way with a 64-64 record. Not bad for a team that was supposed to lose 100 or more games this year.

As for the Mets, they wound up losing 12 of their final 17 games. In those games, they allowed 115 runs!!! Pedro pitched great, giving up only seven runs (six earned)in his three starts, covering 18 innings for a 3.00 ERA. The Mets offense didn't show up in two of those games though as they only won one of them. The rest of the starters??? Oliver Perez gave up 12 runs (nine earned) for a 4.96 ERA in his final three starts. John Maine was brilliant yesterday, striking out 14 Marlins in 7 2/3 innings, but his prior two starts were anything but good though as he allowed 11 earned runs in them. Even with yesterday's gem, his ERA the final four starts covering 17 innings was a hefty 5.82. Mike Pelfrey was hit hard in both of his stretch run starts (both coming against the Nats), pitching well enough to win one of them, but allowing nine earned runs in his 10 2/3 innings for a 7.59 ERA. Brian Lawrence was ineffective in his September 17th start against the Nats, giving up four earned runs in 3 1/3 innings (10.80 ERA). Similarly, prospect Philip Humber was ineffective in his start against the Nats last week, giving up five earned runs in four innings (11.25 ERA). Glavine had four starts including today's over that stretch: 19 earned runs in 18 innings for a 9.50 ERA!!!

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