Friday the 13th proves unlucky for Nats in loss, OR TriskaMETSaphobia

TriskaMETSaphobia: The fear of losing to the New York Mets on Friday the 13th.

I'm a sufferer, a victim, even. Please donate generously to wipe this scourge from the psyches of Nationals fans everywhere.

I wasn't expecting miracles, I knew this was going to be a tough game. I worried that John Patterson might still be developing slowly on the mound this season and feared that he'd be rocked by the hard-hitting Mets bats.

You know something? I'm proud of the way the Nats played in tonight's 3-2 loss. They had more hits than the Mets, they had no errors, and John Patterson pitched VERY well, looking like the John Patterson of old. I'm not sure why he was pulled so early, after only 5 1/3 innings and 76 pitches. I hope he wasn't feeling poorly. I'm hoping that Manny Acta simply wanted to put in Micah Bowie, a southpaw, for the situation that Bowie was to face. I'll be anxious to read about that.

I had to work very late, but my boss was kind enough to put on his little T.V. to WDCA so we could follow the action, and I had the MLB GameDay function running on my computer so I could stay on top of all of the aspects of the game.

I'm pleased that the Nats played the Mets tough, and gave themselves lots of chances to win. I'm grateful that the Nats didn't beat themselves with errors or sloppy play. The Mets are no pushovers, and there's no shame in a loss like this. It stinks, but at least there's no shame. Goodness knows, I'd rather they lose a close one like this game, which features good play and stays competitive right down to the wire, than watching them get the snot beaten out of them and has them trailing early.

My boss is so hyper-competitive that he gets blinded by such losses as these and can't seem to take any good results out of them - "It's still a big 'L' in the boxscore!" I disagree. If you play your best and still lose, if you don't beat yourself and give yourself chances to win, then that should provide some solace because you can keep working hard to improve and it's easier to believe in yourself after a loss like this. If you are simply manhandled, gobsmacked if you will, by the other team, then it's difficult to think that you are still doing the right things.

Still, I can't stand losing to the Mets, and I'm sick that, once again, Julio Franco manages to hurt the Nats at the worst possible moment. It's annoying as all hell. Why isn't this man lounging about in Del Boca Vista, Florida, waiting for his pension checks to clear? [Homer Simpson voice:] "Lousy Franco..." (shakes fist at T.V....)

I'm excited to see what Shawn Hill is going to do tomorrow afternoon against these Mets, I really am. It's a pity that I'll be at work, but perhaps I can tune in to Charlie and Dave and fire up the 'Net to stay on top of game developments.