The Fall of Bobby Parnell

Bobby Parnell was an untouchable player in trade talks, but now Mets fans are ready to run him out of town.

Parnell has hit his sophmore slump just when the Mets seem to need him most. Over his last 8 starts Parnell has an ERA over 20 and 15 of the 16 batters he's faced have gotten on base.

Sunday afternoon's game was yet another notch in his tragedy belt as he started a Tampa Bay rally that ended with the Rays scoring 4 runs in the inning en route to another Mets defeat.

The question to me is why Manuel brought him in yet again. Parnell, out of all the Mets relievers, could have used the day off. He's gotten pounded every time he's pitched this week and at this point it's as much mental as it is mechanics.

Now Parnell is not the sole reason for the Mets problems of late, but he does seem to be on the mound for the pivotal swing moments like he was on both Saturday and Sunday. Shawn Green is not far behind Parnell in regards to relief issues, but it's Parnell who has fallen the farthest from grace.

I'm not giving up on Parnell just yet, but he does need a few days off and a chance to pitch in situations where the outcome of a game is resting on his arm.

But if Parnell cannot straighten out his problems, the once formidable Mets bullpen will look as pitiful as their offense. With Putz out, a struggling Parnell and an overworked Feliciano, we're going to be seeing more Takahasi than any one wants. That's not a good thing.

(Photo from Flickr user talaba)