Chicago Cubs defeat New York Mets, 9-6

Wednesday night was an opportunity for Oliver Perez to give the Mets a quality outing from a starter not named Santana or Pelfrey.

With just one win in his last seven outings coming into Wednesday night, this was as good a spot as any for Perez to give the Mets the big stage performance they so desperately needed.

And when Perez was handed a four-run lead in the third inning, courtesy of a Carlos Delgado grand slam, the hope among the 54,416 at Shea was that the enigmat...

There were reminders of the 1980s all over Shea Wednesday night, from Darryl Strawberry strolling around the Met clubhouse before the game to '80s tunes blaring from the ballpark's speakers on a night dedicated to that decade.

Unfortunately for the Mets, however, the vibe on the field was all 2007 as another crucial September game became another painful reminder of last year's collapse and left the Mets tied with the Brewers for the NL wild-card lead.

The Mets blew k...

If October never comes for the Mets, you'll always remember the bottom of the ninth Wednesday night. And maybe the bottom of the eighth, as well, innings when the Mets looked like a team that was feeling all the weight of last September, a team that looked powerless to get a sacrifice fly, never mind a clutch hit.

Indeed, no matter how many games the bullpen may have blown in recent weeks, this is where you'll remember the Mets blowing the playoffs.

Jerry Manuel said...