The Mets began their 2011 campaign tonight hoping for a win against the Marlins and ace pitcher Josh Johnson, but they came up short en route to a 6-2 loss in which they mustered only four hits and two runs. Newly-appointed number one starter Mike Pelfrey had trouble staying ahead of hitters and kept his pitches low all night, struggling through the first four innings and ultimately getting knocked out of the game by John Buck's grand slam. The Marlins' retooled bullpen contributed 2.1 scoreless innings and prevented a Mets comeback when reliever Mike Dunn struck out pinch-hitter Scott Hairston to strand two baserunners and end the 7th inning.
This loss hurts, especially since the Mets have the best winning percentage on Opening Day games in the entire league: 32-17. They had won five season openers in a row heading into the evening, but without Johan Santana getting the start, and especially against Met-killer Josh Johnson (who is now 8-1 lifetime against the Mets), it would not have been unreasonable to expect a 0-1 start to the season. Still, despite Pelfrey's poor outing, there were some bright spots; Brad Emaus played solid defense at second base, Carlos Beltran looked comfortable at the plate and in the field, and the bullpen performed well. The Mets will try to take the second game of the series tomorrow, with Jon Niese opposing Ricky Nolasco. On Sunday, it will be knuckleballer R.A. Dickey against Javier Vazquez. I'll be away this weekend, but I'll return on Monday with plenty to talk about. Until then, Let's Go Mets!
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