The players knew this was going to be an important game.
Well, you could have fulled me.
The team overall didn't play with a lot of heart tonight. It wasn't just because they lost, it just looked like they were flat. I can't really cite any specific examples, but generally when I watch a game I get excited or feel pumped in some way. This game was just putting me to sleep. It just seemed sluggish, and it didn't help that it looked like Braves were playing a good clip.
Anyway the dagger of the game came in the bottom of the first where Santana allowed 3 runs in the first inning. He locked it down after that striking out a total of 11 in 7 (while allowing 4 ER) but the Mets bats couldn't really help him. There was that RBI by Beltran, but that wasn't enough as the Mets offense struggled for another game since the All-Star Break. The only positive was the end of the line up got some hits tonight, but not many, as the lineup continues to be full of holes.
This loss places the Mets at .500 for the season. Now I'm not saying the season is done. The Mets can still, very easily, make a serious run at a playoff spot. But they find themselves out a point now where they can really dangerously fall off into oblivion and disappear from hunt for a meaningful September.
