Maybe Shawn Estes is at his best dueling future Hall of Famers with trophy cases filled with Cy Youngs. Or maybe he’s finally broken out of his slump. Whatever the case, he had an outstanding start yesterday, giving up just four hits and two runs in seven innings.
The bad news was he was facing Randy Johnson, and against the Big Unit, any runs are too many runs. The Mets were shut out 2-0 and blew a chance to make up a game on L.A., which lost to Philadelphia. But Estes’ hot run bodes well, with the left-hander locating his fastball and popping his looping curve.
Estes had suffered through a seven-game winless streak before beating Houston 10-0 in his last start. He pitched to a bloated 7.06 ERA in a five-game slump, but has given up just five runs in 27 innings over his last four starts for a 1.67 ERA. A lack of run support has him at just 1-2 in those four games, though.
“I don’t really feel hexed. I don’t know what that means. It can go either way. The runs will come. And hopefully by the end of the season we’ll be in the playoffs and then we can forget about everything that happened,” Estes said. “You know the score as the game dictates. But I haven’t been focused on the score lately as much as I am about who is coming up and trying to get him out.”
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Matt Williams hit a solo homer in the sixth, his fourth in 22 career at-bats against Estes.
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Joe McEwing, who has had success against Johnson in the past, started in right and went 0-for-3. That lowered his career average against the Big Unit to .250 in 24 at-bats.
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Edgardo Alfonzo’s strained ribcage is better than expected. Not only won’t he be going on the DL, but Bobby Valentine expects him to be ready to play by tomorrow or the next day. Roberto Alomar could be back today.