Shawn Green went three for four, including an 8th inning RBI single that put the Mets ahead for good 4-3 Wednesday night at Shea.
And we were there in Loge13. Good crowd all around. It was announced as over 51,000 but maybe 40K actually showed up.
It was a solid night for Shawn, one day after telling the media that in all likelihood, he won't be back with the Mets in 2008. And if he can't get a starting job somewhere, he may not be anywhere.
Green said Tuesday that although he enjoys the camaradarie of being on a team, baseball is not life and death for him. But there he was, on the first night of Rosh Hashanah, starting in right field. I didn't expect to see his name in the lineup but then remembered: he owns John Schmoltz. That seems like a good a reason as any to break with religious tradition.
With his three singles, Green is now 10 away from 2,000 career hits. He'll need a few more starts to have a chance but the way he's hitting, he's earned them. He is hitting .302 over the past month with 10 RBI’s. Of the 16 hits he’s had, however, only 5 were for extra bases (all doubles).
The rest of the starters were mostly ineffective offensively and left it up to the irregulars to get the job done. Marlon Anderson hit a 5th inning home run during his rare start at 1st base. Lasting Milledge laced a triple and later scored in the 7th. Otherwise, Met bats were dormant.
Other notes:
* Maine looked good the first three innings, then had a mental charlie horse in the 4th,walking 3 and pushing a run in in the process. He is still his own worst enemy in the middle innings. The bullpen beckons come October.
* Reyes got two hits and looked better at the plate. But he’s still playing sloppy. In the 4th, he ran out into short center field for a pop up. The ball landed between Beltran and him. That seemed to start Maine’s slide.
* LoDuca continues his miserable hitting, going 1–4 with a strikeout.
* Jorge Sosa was lights out in the 7th, a very good sign.
