Dammit!

A well pitched game by Tom Glavine goes for naught, as John Smoltz was better, and the offense couldn't get a damn thing done. Am I annoyed? Yes. Am I pissed? Yes. Am I thinking the Atlanta Curse is back? Fuck No! They don't give you prizes for winning a season series. They give you prizes for winning the division, pennant and World Series. There have been plenty of times division winners have lost season series to teams in their division, even inferior teams. Shit happens. But so long as you beat up on the rest of the league, things will work out in the end. Yes, a Braves series win could help them win the division, but, the Mets could still win the WC. I'm not going to recap the game, it was painful to watch. I'm not going to blame it on the umps either, though they did suck (that checked swing strike call on DW with the bases loaded was utter bullshit.)

Here's the thing fans, the Mets are still in 1st. This, despite having some pitching issues (El Duque hurt, Pelfrey being not good) and despite an offense that has missed Delgado all year, DW for April, and recent slumps from Reyes and Beltran. Add to the injuries to Valentin and Alou, and the team has battled some adversity all year. But they are still in first at 29-17, 630 ball. And guess what, at this time last year, they were 28-18. Things aren't that bad.

All season long the team has seemingly struggled with RISP. This will not go on forever. Wright will continue to hit (though not John Smoltz apparently). Delgado will turn it around, as will Beltran. Alou returns next week. El Duque comes back tonight. The bullpen is fine, and Aaron Heilman is starting to turn it around (The Show had a good inning last night, against righties no less, but still has a lot to prove in my book.) Mota comes back next week. It will be interesting to see how Willie handles him. Will he be thrown into important spots right away, or will Willie feel him out?

Florida is next. There is no better way to get over a tough series loss (only the 4th of the year by the way, remember that on your way to the bridge) than to smack the taste out of the next teams mouth. No D-Train this time around. The match ups are:

El Duque vs. Mitre
Maine vs. Obermueller
Sosa vs. Olsen

For in-depth pitching match ups analysis, visit Metsgeek.com.

Here's to hoping Dos Carlos' bust out in a big way this weekend. The Mets need them. As does my fantasy team.