No Relief In Sight

The Mets and Yankees both got to celebrate wins last night and, no doubt, either Joe Girardi or Jerry Manuel may have taken the opportunity to enjoy a cigar, but not because either of them had a closer. Actually, Girardi had a great one who failed for once and Manuel had a setup guy, a lefty specialist who succeeded for once.

The results were the same, of course. Pedro Feliciano made sure the Mets one run lead held up in the 9th, while Arod and the X-Man powered home runs in the 12th to save the Yanks and Mariano, who experienced the ignominy of giving up a 3-run homer to Delmon Young in the 9th to blow the save.

For the Mets and Manuel, it was another nail-biter for sure. After each of the first two outs was recorded in that ninth inning and while their stud rookie Kunz was warming up in the bullpen, Manuel agonized as to whether to leave Feliciano in there.

What a choice, a talented rookie or a hard - luck lately veteran, one who had given up more than his share of home runs in his crazy season. The victory moved them to within 1 game of the Phillies, who lost a tough one to the Dodgers.

For the Yankees, it was a nice breather that provided them an opportunity to showcase their sluggers in extra innings and keep pace with the Rays and Red Sox, even though the trusty Mariano finally did have a bad day. That Arod and Nady both came through for them in that 12th inning should jump-start their Minnesota trip and provide the impetus they need to survive this road trip.

Even though the Mets are much closer to the Phillies than are the Yankees to the Rays, somehow you still have to like the Yankees chances just as much. After all, the Yanks have a closer, arguably the best one in the league, Papelbon and F-Rod notwithstanding. The Mets closer, Billy Wagner, is still on the DL, and it's kind of iffy what kind of performances he'll be able to deliver upon his return.

<>While the Yankees can breathe a sigh of relief and look forward to a game like last night’s not happening again for a long time, the Mets can only look forward to more of the same. Of course, the Yankees have a quite different problem, a lack of starting pitching, something the Mets have in abundance.

So pick your poison, either enjoying a lead for six or seven innings only to lose versus trying to catch up to your opponent for the entire game. While simple arithmetic would seem to favor the starting pitching, after all, seven good innings should be better than just two or three good innings, it doesn’t seem to be working out that way.

<>Of course, the Yankees do have a better lineup, what with Arod and Abreu and Nady and Damon and um, anyone….anyone… While in most years you’d have to add Jeter to the list and Matsui and Posada too, this is not one of those years.

Of course, the Giambino still powers them over the wall too, but, all in all, you don’t get that feeling that the Yanks are capable of piling it on as they had in the past, maybe because they’re behind a lot of the time. Of course, last night they had Mussina going, good old Moosie, their only really effective pitcher this year. Wang’s gone, Joba’s hurt, Pettite hasn’t been Pettite-like and um, Giese? Don’t make me say “Pavano”. Or Kennedy for that matter.

<>All that being said, however, their losses haven’t been as excruciating as have those of the Mets. That Pirates loss of Monday afternoon was so painful to me, I can scarcely talk about it. Neither could Manuel. That relief staff has been more than just bad.

And, by all appearances, there is no relief in sight. Billy will probably be back, and hopefully, he’ll return pretty close to form. I personally think Duaner Sanchez can come back stronger than he has shown, especially in big spots, much as he did on Monday before he was relieved after a couple of nice innings.

<>And, even as pedestrian as the others have been, if they can just move from bad, bad, bad to only middling, that would be a boon to the Mets chances. Let’s face it, there isn’t much talent available out there in the market, and, if there were, you get the feeling the Mets wouldn’t pursue it.

One gets the distinct feeling that it will be the next GM who pursues anyone new. Much as the Knicks and James Dolan made Isiah live or die with the talent that he put together, so it seems the Mets have put the gauntlet to Omar Minaya. I wish I could say that it’s unfair. But there have been too many acquisitions that have just not produced at all.

<>Of course, if the Mets can somehow pull through, a distinct possibility still, I’m sure Minaya will be retained. If Pedro can stay healthy for the rest of the year, the Mets starting pitching is just a shade short of awesome. Their plug-ins in the lineup have been creditable and there is Wright and there are Beltran and Delgado and Reyes.

I would say to Manuel, though, that it is getting late. If Pedro has gone six and says he can go more, stay with Pedro; the same for Santana and the other fine starters, Perez and Pelfrey and Maine.

<>If Sanchez gives you two good innings, stay with Sanchez, at least until he shows signs of weakening. With a relief corps as questionable as this one, can you really afford to NOT play the hot hand and stay with that hot hand until it turns cold.

It’s time to do a little thinking outside the box. All those rested arms will avail us nothing if we never get to the promised land.