The Game

“Do you know what ‘nemesis’ means? A righteous infliction of retribution manifested by an appropriate agent” — Brick Top, Snatch

The Mets edged the Braves 3-2 last night, making them 9-1 in the ten games since the scrappy Phillies knocked them out of the league. Turns out it’s Atlanta that’s been kicked to the pennant race curb. The Braves played without their All-Star Joneses; they were officially sidelined by physical injuries, but what really did them in was despair. The wires reported them as “Late scratch — broken heart.”

They missed a great game. Pitchers’ duel? After five, the starters had a combined line of 10 IP, 6 K, 1 BB, 1 ER, 5 H, all singles. Sign that two-headed ambidextrous monster up! The lone run came in the first. Jose Reyes led off with an infield single, took second when Luis Castillo bounced a single through the hole, and came around to score on a pair of groundball outs.

Oh, the groundball outs. Did Tim Hudson have his sinking fastball working? Let’s turn to the early inning play-by-play, which was almost as monotonous as the manuscript Jack Nicholson was working on in The Shining.

Milledge grounded out to second.
Perez grounded out to second.
Reyes grounded out to second.
Castillo grounded out to second.
Wright grounded out to second.
Beltran grounded out to second.
Alou grounded out to second.

The Shining? Watching it made you feel like the sap from Memento. When Shawn Green finally tapped one to the first baseman it felt like a three-run rally. It also made you wonder when Atlanta was going to go with the seven-man infield.

Hudson was filthy — but Oliver Perez hadn’t showered in a month. He breezed through the first five innings without allowing a batter to reach second base. He walked only two and struck out a batter an inning — literally, one in each frame. Amazing to see what a biting slider and a high hard one can do when they’re not asked to get five outs every third inning.

Just when it seemed like we were stuck in the dead-ball era, the Braves put together a threat. Hudson singled to center leading off the sixth; Yunel Escobar followed with a five-pitch walk. Edgar Renteria lined a would-be two-run double right into the loving mitt of David Wright. Next, a miracle — Perez caught Hudson napping at second, and his pickoff throw didn’t sail into center field. Two out, runner at first; the remaining air left the balloon as Perez whizzed a slider on the outside corner to strike out Matt Diaz.

Smiles all around, but New York was still clinging to a one-run lead, and Hudson was still Hudson. But he walked Reyes on five pitches leading off the bottom of the sixth; two pitches later Jose’s standing on second. Two more pitches and Reyes stands on third after a Castillo bunt. Could Wright get the sinker in the air for a sacrifice fly? He let the first two go by low. He fouled the next two off. And then he golfed the low-inside low-90s heater over the wall in left for a two-run homer, a 3-0 Met lead, and another proof-of-purchase to be mailed in for an MVP award. (Shipping and handling extra.)

Shea was so buzzed that the two-run, two-out homer by Brian McCann in Perez’s next inning barely registered. It cut the lead to 3-2, but it didn’t give anyone the shakes; New York’s bullpen has finally gotten its sea legs back. Aaron Heilman is throwing gas and a filthy change-up — he’s bringing back the hot- and cold-running showers of the Grand Guignol. And Billy Wagner is looking more like Billy Wagner, zipping through a 1-2-3 ninth. The last out came when Jeff Francoeur lined one into the gap in left-center. Supersub Endy Chavez couldn’t reach it, but Carlos Beltran activated his Heisenberg compensator and beamed into the frame at the last second to snare it with a dive. Firing on all cylinders, they are.

The Haiku

Perez shows no fear
Larry’s Next Kid: Named DL?
Wright’s quite valuable

The Boxscore

The Credits

Recap by David Simons
Haiku by Howard Megdal