Disconcerting

It's the bottom of the 8th inning at Miller Park. There's one out and 2 runners on with the Mets up by a run over the Brewers, and Bill Hall is at the bat facing Guillermo Mota. Hall rips a first-pitch changeup into the left field corner and over the fence for a game-tying, ground-rule double. The crowd at Miller Park is making some serious noise and the Brewers go on to win in 13 on a walk-off homer.

Who else just got a haunting premonition of the 2007 Division Series, Game 3?

It's been clear for quite awhile that the Mets simply are not the same squad as they were last year. 2-1 after Glavine leaves in the 7th gives you feelings of leeriness, as opposed to confidence.

Glavine gave himself a chance to win no. 300 last night, but the bullpen couldn't hold on

But what can you even do? The Mets desperately needed bullpen help at the trading deadline. Desperately. It's been clear for quite awhile that one key reason the Mets are not the same squad as last year is a shakier bullpen. I chronicled the foibles of the Met bullpen in another post last month, and after I named Joe Smith, Pedro Feliciano, and Billy Wagner as the only truly reliable arms in the Mets' pen, since then Smith has been demoted to triple-A New Orleans, Feliciano has been between shaky and unreliable, and Wagner has remained just about the only constant.

So Omar Minaya, after acquiring Luis Castillo on Monday from the Twins, was busting it trying to get a good relief pitcher before 4 pm yesterday. Chad Cordero (2.60 ERA, 22 saves) and Eric Gagne (2.16 ERA, 29 strikeouts in 33 innings) were both on the table, among others. Neither is currently wearing a Mets uniform.

You could crucify Minaya for not doing anything, but then again, how can you? The Rangers and Nats each wanted 2 of Mike Pelfrey, Philip Humber, Lastings Milledge, Carlos Gomez, and Fernando Martinez - all for a relief pitcher, and in Gagne's case all for a relief pitcher who would have walked at the end of the year because he wants to close.

Gagne hasn't forgotten his streak of 84 consecutive saves

As far as other relievers go, trading is about upgrading. How many other available lefty set-up men out there were better than Pedro Feliciano? How many righties were better than Aaron Heilman, or even Mota or Smith? Anything the Mets could have had for less than one of more of their five best prospects wouldn't even have been a significant addition.

It just sucks, and it just puts more pressure on the Mets existing 25 to realize more than 75 percent of their potential. 85 and we might be running away with the division again. But we're at about 75; less on some days. This point has been hammered home all season by Mets fans everywhere, and if anything the relative non-action of the trade deadline for the Mets just hammers it home again.

A rejuvenated Joe Smith, after he returns from New Orleans, along with a debugged Feliciano, a more consistent Heilman, and Billy Wagner should be a fine bullpen. The batting order's fine. The rotation is good, even without Pedro. The bench is solid. The 2007 Braves, plus Mark Teixiera and Octavio Dotel, are still not as good on paper as the 2007 Mets. Neither are the Phillies; picking up Kyle Lohse (6-12, 4.58 ERA) was an upgrade for their starting rotation.

As far as the Dodgers, Padres, D'Backs, Cubs, and Brewers go, should any of these teams be better than the Mets? Ask yourself.

Yes, that's right. But to strike out Bill Hall in the 8th and go on to win Game 3 of the Division Series at Miller Park, something still needs to change.

From within.

(Images courtesy chrisoleary.com, hometown.aol.de)