The Mets: A Dickens of a team It was the worst of nights and it was the best of nights.

Last Sunday, Billy Wagner came into the game against Cincinnati in the ninth inning and the Mets winning by two runs. He felt some soreness in his shoulder which produced some concern on the part of Jerry Manuel and the Mets staff. Despite that soreness, Wagner struck out the side in a 1-2-3 inning and the Mets won the game.

Sunday night/Monday he was examined by the physicians and no damage to the shoulder cold be found. The soreness was diagnosed as stiffness or as Wagner put it, “I’m old. I’m supposed to hurt.”

Still, the doctors and trainers felt an extra day of rest was in order and it was decreed that Wagner would sit out Tuesday night’s game versus Philadelphia regardless of the situation. Wagner agreed and prophetically stated it “won’t make a difference if we’re winning by more than three runs.”

Tuesday night, Johan Santana pitched 8 great innings and the Mets led the Phils 5-2 going into the ninth. Santana, who had thrown 105 pitches was told to step aside and hand the ball over to the bullpen.

Remember the score? It was 5-2. The Mets were winning by exactly 3 runs.

The bullpen could not hold the lead. Six runs were to cross the plate for the Phils in the top of the ninth. After the first three batters hit singles, Duaner Sanchez, reliever, #1 was told to go take a shower. Joe Smith, reliever #2 gave up nothing more than a little dribbler to short, but that could not be converted into an out allowing the first of the Phils’ runs in the ninth to score. Smith was replaced by Pedro Feliciano (reliever #3). The next two Phils hit doubles and the go ahead runs were on the board (Smith would take the loss while Feliciano would get a blown save.) Feliciano would give up one more run—the final one—before giving way to Aaron Heilman who recorded the final out of the inning.

The Mets were now behind 8-5. They would get one run back in the bottom of the ninth but the damage had been too severe. They lost the game 8-6 and fell out of first place and one game back of the Phils.

All because Billy Wagner couldn’t pitch and Sanchez and Feliciano couldn't close the deal.

Tonight the Mets looked to even the series behind John Maine. Maine gave up six hits and three runs in seven innings before handing the ball over to the bullpen. On offense, the Mets Jose Reyes hit a three-run homerun in the bottom of the sixth to give the Mets a 6-3 lead.
Three run lead.

Scot Schoeneweiss got two outs in the eighth while giving up a walk. Joe Smith came in and got the third out of the eighth. Then, with the score still 6-3, it was time for Billy Wagner in the top of the ninth. Wagner pitched another 1-2-3 inning to seal the victory and record his 25th save of the season. John Maine is now 9-7 and the Mets and Phils are once more tied at 54-47 with the Florida Marlins one game back at 53-48.

Here’s hoping that Billy Wagner stays healthy for the remainder of the season.