Latest Defeat Gives Santana A Different Outlook

“I felt good…I was able to throw my fastball,” Mets pitcher Johan Santana said. “I am just trying to stay focused.”

Johan Santana gave Mets fans all the assurance they needed after the game on Sunday adding that he felt much better and that everything was there, his slider and his changeup. Unfortunately, the only thing that was missing was another “W” for their ace.

For those same Mets fans who may have felt queasy after listening to previous comments made by Santana on Friday night to SNY’s Kevin Burkhardt, sitting through his post-game wrap up on Father’s Day was indeed much more enlightening. To briefly summarize what was previously discussed, Santana stated that he still considers himself a work in progress since his off-season elbow surgery and that at times he is unable to finish some of his pitches.

With this latest defeat, Santana has lost two out of his last three starts. In his defense though, he did beat the Cleveland Indians on June 15th to pick up his fifth win of the season. However, in those three games, he struck out just five batters in all and surrendered four runs in each of the three outings raising his earned run average to 3.31.

It is no secret that Santana’s velocity has looked less than intimidating and his command has left his coaches wondering if the veteran left-hander is tipping his pitches. If there is a positive in all of this, it is that the Mets ace has averaged at least six-and-a-half innings of work throughout his fifteen starts so far this season.

In conclusion, let’s hope that Santana finds a way to work out all of his kinks and is able to dominate heading into the remainder of the season.

Similar to the Mets, SNY Is Still Working Out the Kinks

Between the self-absorbed color commentary of their analyst, Keith Hernandez, and the occasional signal disruption, SNY gave Mets fans another reason to scour at their television screens last night. In case you were wondering, it wasn’t just the three-run homer by Ryan Spilborghs that put the Rockies up 4-3 in the bottom of the third inning.

During an in-game interview with Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey, in the top half of the inning, SNY beat reporter Kevin Burkhardt was so engulfed in conversation that he failed to acknowledge a two-run blast off the bat of David Wright that gave the Mets a 3-1 lead.

Random blackouts, scrambled reception, and blurry ball players have become the norm for the Mets flagship station. So much so that I have yet to see a game broadcasted without them. If the Mets are to continue their 2010 campaign, whether it is positive or negative, you would hope that fans would at least be able to witness it without technical interruption.

Fortunately for Mets fans, this Sunday night’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals will be shown on ESPN, another network. Perhaps the day off will allow for SNY to iron out some of the wrinkles they’ve had so far.