ESPN.com – MLB – Recap – Mets at Braves – 05/23/2003

The thing about baseball is that the line between winning and losing can be very fine. Like the difference between Javy Lopez dropping a throw at the plate and Vance Wilson not dropping one. Javy’s was the second run of a six-run sixth inning for the Mets; Wilson’s ended the game, as Tsuyoshi Shinjo cut down Chipper Jones representing the tying run coming from second on a single.

Russ Ortiz threw five terrific innings, then couldn’t get out of the sixth, capping his evening with a grand slam homer by Jeromy Burnitz. Last year, Bobby probably would have brought in Remlinger or Hammond to pitch to the lefty after the starter walked the bases loaded. But given Ray King’s tendency to walk the first man he faces, that wasn’t an option.

Game Two has started now, I’m going to go watch.