Brewers Sweep Mets

The Mets lost to the Brewers 6-2 on Sunday on one big play that featured an error and a questionable decision by Terry Collins.

With the Mets down 2-0, David Wright led off the seventh inning with a single. Lucas Duda followed that with a long home run to right to tie the score at two.  Jason Bay then hit a double off the fence in left, which would have been a home run if not for that asinine 73-foot high wall. Josh Thole followed with a sacrifice bunt attempt that was popped in the air towards the third baseman. Bay had to hold up because there was a chance the ball would be caught.  It wasn’t, but it was too late for Bay to advance.

Why sacrifice there? Yovani Gallardo had just let up a single, home run and double. He was clearly on the ropes. Why kill the momentum and give him an out? And besides, BAY WAS ALREADY IN SCORING POSITION. He likely scores on a single anyway. I cannot overemphasize how idiotic it is to sacrifice with a runner on second (hence the capital letters). I don’t know if Thole did that on his own or Terry Collins ordered it. Either way, it was dumb.

Collins had to pinch hit for an effective R.A. Dickey (above) with two outs and Bay still on second (Willie Harris flied out), so the game was in the hands of the bullpen, which is not exactly like being insured by Allstate (the good hands people). Manny Acosta promptly walked Nyjer Morgan to lead off the eighth. Ryan Braun followed with a single to send Morgan to third. Tim Byrdak came on for Acosta and got Prince Fielder to hit what should have been a double play ball to second. But Justin Turner uncorked a terrible throw to Ruben Tejada at second. The infield was playing back so the run would have scored anyway to give the Brewers a 3-2 lead, but instead of two outs and the bases empty, it was first and second and no outs.  Then it was Jason Isringhausen’s turn, oddly coming in in the eighth. Does that mean he is no longer the closer? In any case, he got the first two outs, but then let up a single to Jerry Hairston, Jr. to make it  a 4-2 game. They would add two more runs in the ninth to make it 6-2.

You have to question Collins’s decision to play the infield back when Fielder was up. Yes, it would have been nice to get a double play and avoid the big inning, but it allowed the game-tying run to score. The Mets are not exactly an offensive powerhouse which could easily make up that run.

So the Brewers sweep the Mets. And it doesn’t get any easier for the Mets — they travel to Philadelphia for a three-game set with the Phillies. I smell a six-game losing streak.