Park And Defense Don't Hold Up In Loss

Anthony Di Como at Mets.com, writes about the Mets 9-6 loss to the Marlins tonight:

The veteran right-hander allowed seven runs in four innings -- including five in the third -- to sink the Mets, 9-6, in the first game of a three-game set with the Marlins.

After Park loaded the bases with a single by opposing pitcher Scott Olsen and two walks, Marlins third baseman Miguel Cabrera hit a liner to second, where Damion Easley -- filling in for the injured Jose Valentin -- watched it careen off the top of his glove for two runs. Mike Jacobs then dropped a high flare into shallow center, just out of the reach of Jose Reyes, and Josh Willingham followed with a mirror image of that single to right.

When the smoke cleared, the Marlins had scored five runs and batted around, despite hitting just one ball on the nose. Yet Park couldn't overcome the two walks that were the catalyst to the rally.

The Mets offense staged a spirited comeback in the middle innings, sparked by a Carlos Beltran solo homer in the fifth and run-scoring liners by Shawn Green and Jose Reyes in the sixth. Two straight hits to open the seventh -- including one by Beltran, his fourth of the game -- finally knocked out Olsen, but the rally stalled there. Reliever Randy Messenger struck out David Wright on three pitches, and Moises Alou hit into a routine double play to end the threat.

The Mets added two more on RBI hits by Reyes and Paul Lo Duca in the eighth, but still couldn't avoid losing their third in their last five games.

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