Just Mets

The Mets lost to the Padres by the score of 7-3 on Wednesday at Citi Field. Here are my takeaways from the loss…

A throwaway game.

Bartolo Colon did not have it at all, and it was evident right at the start of this game when his two-seamer was just sitting up and over the middle of the plate. It was a stark contrast to his last start against the Dodgers when he mastered the corners and limited Los Angeles to a single run over eight brilliant innings.

Unfortunately, Terry Collins went to the well seeking some innings from his veteran starter, who instead put on a light show at the Mets expense on Wednesday night.

In the heat of a pennant race, which the Mets are in and are unquestionably going for in 2015, Collins must recognize when his starter doesn’t have it, and get him out of there to try and keep the Mets in the game.

Instead, Colon was left in to allow six runs and ten hits in only 2 1/3 innings, and an impossible hill for the Mets to climb.

Silver linings.

There wasn’t much going on for the Mets tonight (baseball wise) except for Lucas Duda’s outstanding performance at the plate once again. He hit three more home runs to give him 18 on the year and five in his last four games. A remarkable performance in a stinker of a night on the field for the club.

Its super-critical Duda gets going, as he’s been mostly silent for the last two months. The last few days have been very promising, and he’s likely to get more protection with Curtis Granderson all but certain to move down in the lineup if the Mets complete their deal for Carlos Gomez. But either way, this club is going nowhere unless Duda picks it up. And again, he has shown very positive signs in the last few games.

Meet the Mets.

When the news started trickling out about the big trade, there was absolutely no reason for Wilmer Flores to be out there. This is a kid who has been a part of the Mets family since he was 16 years old, and he’s still so young, has put up with all sorts of nonsense and awkwardness, been setup to fail, and for whatever reason he was left in this game after the reports started trickling out about the deal. He was crying on the field, which just goes to show he’s a human being and not just a commodity like the he has been considered throughout the night on Wednesday.

Flores is a really good kid, a loyal kid, and given his all to this organization, especially over the last few years as they’ve moved him around the infield. He deserved better than to have to stay in that game and cry on the field. Whether it was on Terry Collins or the front office, or both, it wasn’t right.

The fans showed their support for him in his final at-bat and when he took the field afterwards. It was a nice moment, but to have him out there crying was just terrible.

Other notes from Wednesday:

It was Duda’s tenth career multi-home run game, and his second in four days. He became the second player in club history to slug three home runs in a home game – Kirk Nieuwenhuis did the same thing on July 12 against the Diamondbacks.

Colon lost his sixth straight decision – he has a 6.16 ERA over his last seven starts.

Michael Conforto went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts – he now has five strikeouts in his last three games.

The 15 hits the Mets allowed on Wednesday matched a season-high. They also allowed 15 hits in July 18 (with Colon pitching) and on May 19.

Wednesday marked only the 19th time this season the Mets allowed seven or more runs.