New York Mets

NEW YORK: The Mets have let two straight opportunities get by, losing a series to the Marlins after winning the first game.

Each of the last two days, the Phillies lost and the Mets lost games they could have and should have won easily.

Ironically, the team that tried to help them out are the Houston Astros, whom the Mets begin a series with tonight.

The Astros have had a very bad season, and a dreadful first half. They got off to an 0-8 start and were 17 games under .500 at the All-Star break.

NEW YORK-- Once again the Mets had an opportunity to gain ground in the playoff race, and once again they lost a winnable game at home to the Marlins.

The Mets had one of the best rookie pitchers in baseball on the mound tonight, and the Mets were cruising both offensively and on the mound through the first three innings. 

After the first three innings of the game, the Mets had four runs and seven hits, and the Marlins had no hits.

Deja vu can be defined as the experience of feeling sure that one has witnessed or experienced a new situation previously.

I had an extreme sense of deja vu during tonight's Mets game against the Florida Marlins. Jose Reyes singled to right field in the second inning during the Mets' rally. Soon after, time was called, and I saw trainer Ray Ramirez approach Reyes at first base.

Reyes took an awkward swing on his base hit, and it appeared Ramirez was just checking in on him.

The Mets lost 2-1 Sunday to the Pittsburgh Pirates with Johan pitching another eight strong innings, and having nothing to show for it. 

This season, it seems the Mets have been invisible anytime Santana takes the mound.  So, I crunched the numbers a bit to see how much of a tough-luck loser Santana has been this year.

Here are some facts about Santana and the Mets when he starts:

NEW YORK-- Although many believed the Mets were out of the playoff race, that may not totally be the case. Yes, it's going to be tough to overcome, but coupled with last night's Phillies loss, the Mets are now seven back in the Wild Card race.

At one point, it seemed they were forever sinking into oblivion. What could keep the Mets in a wild race that has seven teams within 7.5 games, is the way they play at home.

Irony: the all-time hits leader in Florida Marlins history burns his old team for the game-winning RBI single in the bottom of the ninth in Flushing.

NEW YORK-- It was a chilly and misty night at Citi Field, almost a tease of October, which the Mets hope to somehow get to. That may be a stretch, but if they will play deeper into the season, tonight certainly helps.

The Mets were 0-7 entering this season against Marlins ace Josh Johnson before beating him on opening day. Johnson hasn't been on top of his game of late, and the Mets hit him hard tonight.

In fact, they had a collection of great at-bats and baserunning plays throughout the entire game.

NEW YORK CITY: After going 4-3 on the just-completed road trip, the Mets will open a six-game home stand tonight against the Marlins and Astros. It'll be a very intriguing matchup between two pitchers having good seasons.

The Marlins, who generally have plenty of Mets killers on their team, will have a very different look. They traded Jorge Cantu at the trading deadline and just lost two more players over the last week.

Here is the New York Mets projected 2013 lineup:

Catcher - Josh Thole
First Base - Ike Davis
Second Base - Reese Havens
Third Base - David Wright
Shortstop - Jose Reyes
Left Field - Jason Bay
Center Field - Angel Pagan
Right Field - Wilmer Flores
No. 1 Starter - Johan Santana
No. 2 Starter - Mike Pelfrey
No. 3 Starter - Jenrry Mejia
No. 4 Starter - Jon Niese
No. 5 Starter     Matt Harvey
Closer - Bobby Parnell

First, with all due respect and with full acknowledgement that a personal attack in order to prove a point is an ad hominem action and pointless, I still contend Omar Minaya, the general manager of the Mets, can be clownish. First let's take al ong look at Willie Larry Randolph http://bit.ly/a0r6Hg Copyright © 2000-2010 Sports Reference LLC. All rights reserved.