The StatMan  

After all of the NHL Draft talk and preview of the start of Hockey Christmas (a.k.a., the start of the free agency signing period) on July 1st, we ran out of time on our show (#13) before we could talk about the end of the Subway Series between the Mets and Yankees this past weekend.  Here are my views on what transpired and why the Mets cannot concern themselves with looking back on this past weekend.

***

The Yankees took five of six from the Mets in the 2009 edition of the Subway Series and, the way both teams have played this year, it looks like there is no chance of an October rendezvous.  It could not have been worse for the Mets:

* The biggest gaffe in Subway Series regular-season history (Castillo's dropped pop-up in Game 1)
(Note: the biggest gaffe in Subway Series history is a tie between Timo Perez's bad baserunning in Game 1 of the 2000 World Series and Mike Piazza not doing anything about having a splintered bat thrown at him by Roger Clemens in the 2000 World Series after getting beaned earlier in the year by Clemens)

* The most lopsided game in the series (15-0 against Johan Santana (!) in Game 3)

* A second inning to forget with three errors by the Met infield (David Wright, Alex Cora, Nick Evans) to lead to four runs (9-1 Yankee win in Game 4)

* The best combined pitching performance in the series (one-hitter by A.J. Burnett, Brian Bruney, and David Robertson in Game 5)

* Having the Yankees celebrate Mariano Rivera's 500th save on the Citi Field turf (4-out save in Game 6)

The only win for the Mets came from the improbable pitching of Fernando Nieve, certainly a game most Met fans expected to lose.

Much more has gone wrong for the Mets besides the Subway Series.  First, the injuries have mounted and taken their toll.  It has been well documented and not providing this as the Mets excuse for how they have played in the first 70+ games this year, but the results speak for themselves.

Oliver Perez is rehabilitating in the minor leagues and John Maine was before he felt some shoulder discomfort.  Maine and Jose Reyes should return about the All-Star Break.  Carlos Delgado and J.J. Putz should be back in August.  Alex Cora and Brian Schneider were Opening Day players that have missed time and have come back. 

Carlos Beltran may end up being more costly than Reyes because Beltran may be out for longer.  The glue of the outfield and, along with David Wright, the glue in the middle of the batting order, is consulting a second opinion on his badly bruised knee with the inventor of microfracture surgery.  If surgery is recommended and undertaken, Beltran would be out for three months.  With three months left in the season, do the math, his season would be over.

Now, we are leaping to conclusions here, playing out the worst-case scenario.  But, it could be the ultimate damning headline in a back page of horrors to start the Mets 2009 season.

The least of the Mets worries was the sweep over the weekend at the hands of the Yankees.  As the Mets turn their attention back to the senior circuit, the sheen of their new ballpark, their charismatic manager, and the Subway Series have all gone.  The injuries are becoming insurmountable.  The summer may be longer than we think.

If the Phillies had their act together, the Mets would probably be sellers at the Trading Deadline this year.  Luckily, for the Mets, they are in the National League East and the Phillies are barely treading water.  But, the Phillies will not be this bad forever.  Brad Lidge, Jimmy Rollins, and Cole Hamels will most likely eventually find themselves.  The Florida Marlins are knocking on the door of the NL East penthouse.

Good time for the Mets to go on a road trip.  Counting the loss on Monday night to the Brewers, the Mets are 7-13 since June 9th, which was when I was hoping for Reyes to come back to the lineup to give the Mets some semblance of health.  Reyes is no closer to coming back.  He still has not started a rehab assignment.  Beltran is now out. 

The Mets have six games left on a road trip, with two games left against Milwaukee, a one-game makeup in Pittsburgh, and a weekend series at Philadelphia, the only real question seems to be: "How far will the Mets fall before they return home?"