Besides squandering another decent starting performance by R.A. Dickey, the big talking point emerging from the Mets’ 3-2 loss to the wildly streaking Phillies last night is Chase Utley’s mugging of NY 2B Ruben Tejada while attempting to break up a double play. What passes for outspoken leadership on the Mets, Jose Reyes and David Wright, each took exception to the play, as quoted by the Star-Ledger’s Andy McCullough who notes there was no retaliation forthcoming from the visitors after this violent act.
œThere™s no need to slide right on top of the base, Jose Reyes said. œYou can blow out some guy™s knee, something like that there.
œIt’s a legal slide, David Wright said. œIt’s within the rules. But somebody is going to get hurt. He added, œWe’ll reevaluate the way we go into second base.
The collision was fierce. That comes partly from Utley, who also slide hard to Reyes earlier in the game And that comes partly from Tejada, who weighs about 160 pounds and is still learning how to play second base.
Much as it pains me to do so, I’m in full agreement (gulp) with Matt P. of The 700 Level, who says of Wright’s veiled threat, “he failed to indicate where that item ranks on the list of things the Mets need to reevaluate.”
Meanwhile, the Mets weren’t opposed to a little gamesmanship of their own, calling an ice-the-kicker timeout in the middle of Brad Lidge’s stretch in the ninth.
Already eliminated from meaningful baseball beyond next week, they have nothing to lose, and they seem plenty pissed off. Maybe they should’ve tried getting fired up a little sooner. In any case, the next two games just got a little more interesting.