MET NOTES
WASHINGTON – The Mets bullpen gave up one hit yesterday and did not allow a run in four innings.
That was its worst performance of the four-game series against the Nationals.
The relief work has been spectacular this week: Mets relievers fired 12 scoreless innings, with the only hit coming yesterday. The bullpen also worked a scoreless inning against Florida on Sunday, so the last run a Mets reliever gave up came when Royce Ring was charged with two on Saturday.
Yesterday’s superb effort occurred in a tie game that became a 3-2 Mets win, which meant there was no room for error. It came from Roberto Hernandez (one inning), Heath Bell (two) and Braden Looper (one).
“Our bullpen feels right now that basically as soon as we get the ball out of the starter’s hands, if the game’s tied or if we have the lead, we’re going to hold it,” said Bell, who got his first major-league win. “We’re going to get the ball over to Roberto or Looper to finish out the game.
“Me, Royce and Aaron [Heilman] pretty much we feel like we’re untouchable. We’re going to keep the lead and keep the score the same. We’re going to get a chance to win.”
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The Mets won yesterday on Mike Piazza‘s 11th-inning RBI single. But after Carlos Beltran scored on the hit, the Mets ended up getting tagged out on the bases twice to end the play and the inning.
When Beltran scored, Piazza tried to take second and got thrown out. When the throw went to second, Cliff Floyd tried to score from third and he got thrown out at home.
According to Willie Randolph, the problem was that Piazza didn’t fully commit to going to second.
“You’ve got to keep going on that play,” Randolph said. “If you’re going to go, you’ve got to keep going. When he stopped [at first base], that made the play because then he got a late start and gave the guy [Nationals catcher Brian Schneider] a chance to rebound and throw the ball.”
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Mike Cameron got to meet Freddy Adu yesterday when the soccer star stopped by the Mets’ locker room before the game. Said Cameron, “He’s a phenom.”