Or maybe it just seems that way. Maine had another solid outing last night. Good for him. The Mets left a shit-ton of runners on base. This has been an on-going theme all season. Stringing together big hit after big hit is something the team did so consistently back in 2006, and definitely struggled with in the end of 2007. In my mind, it all comes back to Carlos Delgado no longer being the force he once was in the middle of the lineup. I hoped the return of Moises Alou would speed things along but right now key guys are battling and the Mets are constantly letting pitchers in tough spots off the hook. I've said it before and I'll say it again, right now the Mets are missing that certain something that championship teams have.
Delgado dropped down a bunt single against the shift (where the opposing team plays 3 infielders to the first base side of the second base bag). It was nice to see. Of course, the reason more pull-heavy power hitters don't bunt for hits against the shift is that they're not getting paid for bunt singles. They're getting paid for extra base hits and RBI, which you won't often get off of a bunt. Unless Delgado can start consistently driving the ball again, it looks like the Mets will be running a lineup out there with a slap-hitting second baseman in Luis Castillo, a light-hitting catcher in Brian Schneider, and an oft-injured left fielder in Moises Alou. That puts a ton of pressure on Jose Reyes to consistently get on base, and David Wright and Carlos Beltran to never miss their RBI opportunities. This, my friends, is not a recipe for success.
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