🚀 go-pugleaf

Another bullpen collapse --
Giants can't protect lead
as Mesa blows save to let
Mets walk away with win
-------------------------
By Joe Roderick
TIMES STAFF WRITER
Contra Costa Times
Friday August 7, 1998

NEW YORK -- Baseball games come and go and are forgotten quickly. It's
just the nature of the business.

But there are some that stick in the system for days -- like a bad
meal -- and can create unhealthy vibes, a losing streak. Such was the
case Thursday at Shea Stadium.

The Giants overcame a four-run deficit in the eighth inning by
erupting for six runs, but they coughed up the lead -- and the game --
when Jose Mesa walked Luis Lopez with the bases loaded and none out in
the ninth.

The 9-8 setback to New York was the type that is felt on the
cross-country flight home and may carry over to today. It was the kind
that causes the general manager (Brian Sabean) to have a lengthy
closed-door meeting with the manager (Dusty Baker) after the game.

The problem is pitching, specifically the relievers. Al Morman gave up
two homers in the seventh inning. John Johnstone, trying to protect an
8-6 lead, allowed the first two batters to reach base in the eighth.

Robb Nen got out of a dangerous situation late in the inning but
allowed the first four batters in the ninth to reach base. He blew his
third save of the season and his second of the road trip.

Baker had wanted to give Mesa the day off; when he couldn't get him
into the game in time in the eighth, he summoned Nen.

"You can't have everybody ready at the same time," Baker said. In a
reversal, Baker replaced Nen with Mesa with the bases loaded and no
outs.

"I guess he wanted Mesa," a perturbed Nen said. "Fine. It's his
decision."

The Giants completed their road trip a still-respectable 6-4, but the
clubhouse mood indicated that was not nearly good enough. Not after
blowing a chance to move to within one game of the Cubs in the
wild-card race and put distance between the Mets and Dodgers.

"Just a tough day all the way around," said Charlie Hayes, whose
three-run homer off Greg McMichael put the Giants ahead by two in the
eighth.

"Bad," Jeff Kent said.

		      -------------------------------

                             METS 9, GIANTS 8

                      TODAY: Braves (Tom Glavine 14-4)
                   at Giants (Kirk Rueter 12-6), 7:35 p.m.

                          TV: FSBA; RADIO: 680-AM

		      =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
This article has been posted, independent of the Contra Costa Times, a
Knight-Ridder Newspaper, � Copyright 1998. All rights reserved.

c(_)~~  Get the CCTimes online:  http://www.hotcoco.com

--
To Email me (poster), please replace 'nospam.com' with 'ix.netcom.com'
in my address.