Puerto Rico, Rum Capital of the World

Game 4: Mets 3, Expos 2
Record: 2-2

After limping out of Atlanta like Cliff Floyd after a walk from the on deck circle to the batter’s box, the Mets flew their devastating game to Puerto Rico. Fran Healy opened with a lazily meandering anecdote about an anecdote (my favorite kind; his too) about Hiram Bithorn, the Expos’ stadium’s namesake, who may or may not be the first Puerto Rican major league baseball player. The story was something about him drinking rum in the dugout between innings, and quite naturally turned my otherwise wholesome search for a refreshing beverage during tonight’s game into a frantic, spice rack overturning search for cooking sherry after our stellar relief corps blew Tyler Yates’ impressive first major league start.

Things turned out alright in the end, of course, thanks to a combination of very old and very young talent: Zeile struck a double, and Moreno was our only reliever who didn’t cause my stomach to turn over. Yates himself was impressive as advertised -- his heat was hot, yes, but his slider really broke and was unhittable when thrown inside to left-handed hitters.

Our defense continues to trouble me, particularly at second and third base. I’m a big Ty Wigginton fan, so it’s been tough for me to accept that he has the range of a spitball shot through a cracked straw. His first step is neither quick nor long, and he seems disinclined to dive, favoring an Alex Rodriguez-esque feeble bend from the waist. When he does lay himself out, he may knock down the ball, but he doesn’t seem to able to come up with it, or even to regain his feet by the time the hitter is on first and making fun of Jason Phillips’ goggles. Matsui for that matter doesn’t seem to have incredible range, as I’ve watched several balls hit in the hole that neither of them had much of a chance on. I can’t complain much about Gutierrez, as I know he’s just a stopgap replacement for Reyes, yet the gap he covers is incredibly tiny and the only stopping he does usually happens after he lets a slow roller dribble into the outfield. Jason Phillips has handled the routine grounders cleanly and has handled Wigginton’s errant throws with polish; I’m pleasantly surprised at his development from awkward-but-successful last year to somewhat confident this season.

More thoughts to come this weekend with a week in review, but all I can say now is get Reyes in the lineup and Seo in the rotation as soon as possible.