Mets 9 Brewers 8

Huge win tonight for the Mets. After allowing a 3-0 lead to shrink to 3-2, then a 6-2 lead shrunk to 6-4, then finally an 8-4 lead led to a tie game, it was a great victory to get.

Paul LoDuca is awesome. His home run was perfectly timed. That's the difference between him and our old catcher. His home runs count. Although our old catcher did hit a 3-run homer in the top of the 9th with his team trailing by two, today.

Prince Fielder's home run was a sham. There was no way that ball hit the foul pole because it dropped pretty much straight down. It was clear that it hit the padding, and judging from the way Gary and Keith described it, the first base umpire ruled fair (meaning off the wall) and for some reason the home plate umpire overruled him, but they didn't want to eat crow and change the call.

Huge hit for Jose Valentin with the bases loaded in the 6th inning. He had done nothing all year but his single made the score 5-2 instead of 3-2 which is a huge advantage and allowed Willie to rightfully stick with Jeremi Gonzalez. In fact I think Willie was too quick with the hook after Gonzalez gave up a double in the top of the 6th.

Heilman was not sharp again. He hasn't been the same all season. Even though is ERA is great.

Duaner Sanchez had a terrible outing. I can't believe the ump ejected him like that though. He'd just given up two homers, but I don't think he's gonna throw at a guy in a tie game in the bottom of the 8th. And if he did the Brewers should have been ecstatic. A warning might have been warranted by an ejection was ludicrous. Then Tschida ejected Randolph also. It was almost like he didn't want the Mets to win this one. Back to Sanchez for a second, I always say that no relief pitcher is perfect. The ERA doesn't matter, it's the timing of those runs. I would have been a lot happier had he not given up the solo shot to Miller that tied the game, but at the time I was actually ok with the 3-run homer by Koskie. Shit happens, especially in middle relief and he'd been so good up until tonight.

As opposed to Jose Valentin who has sucked all season and finally came through tonight. He 2-run homer gave the Mets some much needed insurance. And we may be seeing a lot more of him in the near future. He also made a great defensive play in left.

LoDuca's home run came off previously indestructible reliever Derrick Turnbow. He had been awesome all season but he had to take his first loss on his own bobblehead night. The bobbleheads had "real" hair. They looked pretty cool.

If you were not lucky enough to watch this game, or at least not on SNY, then you missed the four prepubescent boys sitting right near the microphone behind home plate. Before every pitch they'd scream "strike one" or "strike two" in a really high tone. Gary and Keith began joking about them, and the director decided to show the kid's and the game in a split screen. One of them was wearing a Rickie Weeks jersey with the old school Brewers ball and glove logo which I thought was pretty cool.

To make matters even worse for SNY, Chris Cotter appeared as the polish sausage in the post-6th inning sausage race. He finished third (I can't believe they didn't let him win). And even worse than that, a few innings before he was already in costume but they went to him in the left field concourse where he tried to deliver a serious report on the differences between Cecil and Prince Fielder. But who can take a reporter seriously when he's dressed as a giant sausage.

According to Isaacs' theories on Tommy John surgery Bartolome Fortunato is going to be great next season. In the past Isaacs has cited guys like Chris Carpenter and Chris Capuano as guys who were not good, then came back from the surgery to be better than ever. Apparently, at some point during his disaster last week Fortunato hurt his elbow and is going to get Tommy John surgery and be out for the season. I look forward to testing Isaacs's theory next year.