That hurt

They may get past it, but there's no getting around it: the Mets just got swept by the Braves, falling five games off the division pace and looking bad doing it.

With Beltran injured, the team's best hitter is squandered in the bottom third of the batting order. I can only imagine what voices in Willie Randolph's head are telling him that this is a good idea.

As he's being (mis)used, Wright's smorgasbord of extra base hits and bases on balls are providing "opportunities" for the likes of Doug Mientkiewicz, Mike DeFelice, the Pitcher, and Jose Reyes. What do these players have in common? They are finely tuned out machines, that can reduce even the most promising offensive situation into another tally in the LOB ledger (aka the SOB ledger).

Of course, the problems run deeper than the batting order. Floyd has been in a dismal slump, Piazza hasn't had an extra base hit in a week, and Reyes still has a BA for an OBP. Bad hitting in any order is still bad hitting, but there are little things a manager can do (like putting Wright where he obviously belongs) to maximize what he has.

As for Beltran, there seems to be very little uproar over the pre-existence of his quad injury. Unbeknownst to most, or at least to me, he had complained of soreness in his leg. As any "medhead" can tell you, the legs are used in running, which is one of C-Biscuit's real strong suits. Why, then, was he not given so much as a routine day off until May 18th, two days before he hit the disabled list?

Or at least that's the question I expected to hear at least some variations of as the remainder of the team got its collective keister handed to it by the Braves.