After getting a tough-luck no decision Friday night in a 4-3 loss by the New York Mets at home to the Florida Marlins, former Demon pitcher Brian Lawrence earned respect from the Mets media for another solid outing.
He could easily have been 2-0 after allowing only two runs in six innings, but Mets' ace closer Billy Wagner blew the save when Florida scored twice in the top of the ninth.
"My goal is definitely to get through six innings and possibly seven," Lawrence said. "You can't feel good about losing, but you feel good about going out there and giving the team a chance to win."
Lawrence allowed six hits in the first two innings, then not another for three more. Florida got two hits in the sixth, but he got a popup to end a first-and-third, two-out threat, and left the game for a pinch-hitter with a 3-2 lead.
He said he didn't think he was in trouble after two innings. Watching the Mets telecast, I'd have to agree -- he struck out four in the first three innings, and only one of the Marlins' hits was a rope. The rest were flares and broken bat base hits, all of them singles.
“I felt like I was making good pitches,” Lawrence said. “I didn’t feel like I had to go out there and change anything.”
He'll get another start next week. The New York Times suggested that he might be demoted when, or if, Pedro Martinez returns to the Mets from his rehab assignment. Martinez had a rocky outing earlier last week but is expected back in September.
One of the Mets' TV analysts made an excellent point, however. Lawrence could easily be 2-0 now, and even if he doesn't make it to postseason, if the Mets have success, he will have played a role and perhaps a big role if he comes up with 3-4 wins and other good outings plugging a gap in the rotation.
Doug Ireland, SID
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