Series Recap: Braves Take 3 of 4 From Mets

A new feature I'm adding to the blog are Series Recaps, where I talk about what happened in the previous series and how it may affect the Mets going into their next set of games. It's a simple way to keep myself writing every couple of days, which is my goal during the second half of this season. Over the winter, I have to think about how I want to structure this blog - suggestions from my few loyal readers will be appreciated.

Any sense of encouragement Mets fans may have had going into the All-Star Break had to have been tempered by the last four games in Turner Field. The Mets could manage only one win, on the strength of a gem from Johan Santana on Saturday. Santana has been a second-half superstar in recent years; I expect he is going to look a lot like Steve Carlton on the 1972 Phillies over the next two-plus months. Carlton went 27-10 on a team that won just 59 games that year.

The rest of the starting rotation is a disaster. Mike Pelfrey has regressed terribly and was tattooed again on Friday night. He'll finish the season in the rotation, but I can't help but notice that another can't-miss starting pitcher prospect in New York has suddenly found success in the bullpen. Oliver Perez and Livan Hernandez are living down to expectations, and Tim Redding's imminent release may have been put off by Fernando Nieve's hamstring injury on Sunday. Next in line: Jonathon Niese.

The Mets scored just nine runs in four games, a number that's no longer as surprising as it is depressing. Three games against the former Montreal Expos in the nation's capital this week should yield two wins, but that's nothing to get excited about.