Hammer to the groin: Mets 9, Phillies 8

THEY HAD THIS ONE. THEY HAD IT. THEY WERE SO CLOSE.

I don’t know if I’m actually angry about this or not. At this point, who really cares. They’re not going to lose 100 games, and more losing will only help their 2017 draft position. But at the same time I HATE LOSING. I HATE LOSING AND I HATE LOSING TO THE METS.

It was a normal/pretty cool game until the ninth inning, with the Phillies and Mets see-sawing back and forth. Back-to-back homers from Ryan Howard and Cameron Rupp put them ahead in the fifth, and after the Mets tied it in the bottom of that inning, Maikel Franco hit a three-run homer in the eighth to give them a late 6-4 lead.

And then came Jeanmar Gomez.

It didn’t always feel this way. Not long ago, if the Phillies happened to get a late lead, it could be given to Jeanmar with no problem. But he came out of nowhere, and no one really wanted to admit that he could disappear just as quickly. Or his talent could, at least. Jeanmar’s luck, or his arm, or something has run out.

Gomez allowed a lead-off single to Brandon Nimmo. Okay, not great, but not the end of the world. Terry Collins appeared to be trying to lose when he pinch hit Jay Bruce, who sucks. Jay Bruce, who the Mets voluntarily traded for, and who is terrible, struck out. I thought “Yeah, Jeanmar! You can do it! Do it again!”

And then Jose Reyes hit a two-run homer. The game was tied.

Gone are the days when I would scream at the screen. I emitted a sad groan as the ball left Citi Field, putting a pillow over my face and wishing I was still young enough to have a beer that late at night.

I should have had the beer. It would have made the 11th inning so much easier to take. Mets pitchers Jeurys Familia, Jerry Blevins, and Jim Henderson all sort of sucked. Familia allowed the Phillies to take a one-run lead on a double, an intentional walk, and a single. Blevins hit one batter and was promptly pulled by Terry Collins. Then Henderson walked a guy with the bases loaded, and it felt like the Phillies had an easily protectable two-run lead.

Edubray Ramos took the mound with that lead, because why not? And the game’s end came pretty quickly from there. A lead-off ground-out led to a walk to Michael Conforto. Then Jose Reyes singled. “There just couldn’t be a home run here,” I said stupidly. So, so stupidly. Because then Asdrubal Cabrera hit a three-run home run. God, I hate losing.

My boyfriend tweeted something particularly apt after Cabrera homered.

INDEED.