Maine's In Massachusetts: Red Sox Sign John Maine

On May 20, 2010, John Maine took the mound against the Washington Nationals trying to rebound from his first poor start in a month.  Maine had given up six runs in five innings against the Florida Marlins in his previous start, after a four-start stretch in which his ERA was 2.49.

However, something didn't look right to manager Jerry Manuel after Maine walked leadoff batter Nyjer Morgan on five pitches.  Despite Maine's claims that he felt fine, Manuel took him out of the game.  John Maine never pitched again for the Mets, spending the rest of the season on the disabled list with shoulder fatigue.  When the Mets chose not to re-sign Maine during the offseason, he became a free agent and agreed to a minor league deal with the Colorado Rockies, going 1-3 with a 7.43 ERA in 11 starts for their Triple-A affiliate, the Colorado Springs Sky Sox, in 2011.

Now comes word that John Maine will be changing his Sox, as the former Met hurler has agreed to a minor league contract with the Boston Red Sox and has been invited to their spring training camp to compete for a spot on their roster.  Should Maine break camp with the Red Sox, he will be used as a relief pitcher, a role in which he has been rarely used.

Maine pitched for the Mets from 2006 to 2010, going 39-32 with a 4.17 ERA.  He ranks 23rd all-time in wins as a Met.  He also ranks in the top 20 in winning percentage (.549, 14th), fewest hits per nine innings (7.85, 8th) and most strikeouts per nine innings (7.76, 6th).  In addition, Maine was 1-0 with a 2.63 ERA in three postseason starts for the Mets.  And of course, Maine almost pitched the team's first no-hitter in the penultimate game of the 2007 season, helping the Mets temporarily stave off elimination with his 14-strikeout performance against the Florida Marlins.

If John Maine makes the Red Sox out of spring training, he will play for another former Met, as Bobby Valentine is the new skipper in Beantown.  As Mets' manager from 1996 to 2002, Valentine was known for going to his bullpen early and often.  None of Valentine's pitching staffs in his six-plus years as Mets' skipper recorded 10 complete games (the 1998 and 2002 squads had nine complete games apiece).  Prior to Valentine's arrival in New York, the Mets had never had a full, non-strike shortened season in which the starting staff didn't reach double digits in complete games.

Given that Maine's role on the Red Sox would be out of the bullpen, he'd probably get his fair share of opportunities to pitch for Bobby Valentine.  Of course, he has to make the team first.  Considering his lack of success (and health) since 2010, that might be easier said than done.

As a Mets fan who was also a John Maine fan, I'd like to wish him all the luck in the world as he tries to return to the major leagues as a member of the Boston Red Sox.  More than likely, he's going to need it.

It's Deja Brew All Over Again

Last night, after struggling to find their offensive groove at Miller Park in Milwaukee, the Mets scored five runs in the eighth inning against Brewers' reliever Kameron Loe to turn a 2-1 deficit into a seemingly comfortable 6-2 lead. The key words are "seemingly" and "comfortable". Because if you've been following the Mets recently, the late innings have been anything but comfortable.

Let's look at the the Mets' last six losses. Methinks you'll be able to notice a pattern in these half-dozen defeats:

• May 27: Mets lead 3-2 in the eighth inning; lose to Phillies, 6-4.
• May 28: Mets lead 2-1 in the eighth inning; lose to Phillies, 5-2.
• May 31: Mets lead 1-0 in the eighth inning; lose to Pirates, 5-1.
• June 1: Mets lead 2-0 in the seventh inning; lose to Pirates, 9-3.
• June 3: Mets lead 3-1 in the eighth inning; lose to Braves, 6-3.
• June 8: Mets lead 6-2 in the eighth inning; lose to Brewers, 7-6.

The Mets haven't exactly been writing the book on how to hold late-inning leads, have they? In fact, the Mets haven't been able to hold on to leads, regardless of the inning, all season. In 18 of their 32 losses, the Mets were in front at some point. However, it's those late-inning losses that everyone seems to remember. Ready for more?

• April 10: Mets lead 3-1 in the eighth inning; lose to Nationals in 11 innings, 7-3.
• April 30: Mets lead 1-0 in the seventh inning; lose to Phillies, 2-1.
• May 16: Mets lead 1-0 in the seventh inning; lose to Marlins in 11 innings, 2-1.
• May 22: Mets lead 3-1 in the seventh inning; lose to Yankees, 9-3.

That's ten losses this season in which the Mets held the lead going into the seventh inning or later, or nearly one-third of their 32 losses. Had they held on to those ten late-inning leads, the Mets would be proud owners of a 39-22 record, which would give them the best record in all of baseball. Even if they had split those ten games, which would still allow for five blown late-inning leads, the Mets would have a 34-27 record and would find themselves in the thick of the National League playoff race. (The Milwaukee Brewers are currently leading the Wild Card race with a 35-27 record.)

But no, the Mets have not won any of those ten games and are now in a position that has become all too familiar to them, fourth place in the NL East with a 29-32 record.

Last night, two swings of the bat from Milwaukee's most famous duo since Laverne & Shirley (Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder) turned a four-run eighth-inning lead into their latest "what if?" loss. It's getting to the point where Lenny and Squiggy could probably lead a late-inning charge against the Mets.

Heck, Nyjer Morgan claimed he didn't even know that his ninth-inning double off Goose Gossage's less successful clone, Dale Thayer, was a walk-off hit. I guess Morgan has been spending too much time as his alter ego on Twitter, Tony Plush. Otherwise, he would have known that blowing late-inning leads has become commonplace for the Mets.

A certain pennant-winning manager for the Mets once said that it's never over 'til it's over. Perhaps the current Mets should heed the philosophical words of that wise man. If they don't do something soon, the 2011 season might be over before it's over.