Mets' Santana Lands on Disabled List

The Mets ineptitude took a new turn for the worst as word got around Saturday morning that Mets starter Johan Santana will land on the DL with a sprained right ankle.

Santana got lit up against the Dodgers on Friday night, giving up six runs in three innings, and has not looked good at all since his no-hitter against the Cardinals on June 1.

Santana, who battled a shoulder injury that cost him all of the 2011 season, has not been the same guy the Mets thought they signed back in 2008.

He has been spotty at best this season, struggling to get through innings, and he is not blowing people away with his fastball anymore. Even in his no-hitter, Santana was not dominant since he walked five batters.

According to the Mets, Santana injured his ankle on July 6 against the Chicago Cubs, and, as a result, has given up 19 runs in his last three starts. He has also compiled a 6.54 ERA since the no-no.

The Mets are watching their season come apart. Since New York's dramatic 6-5 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on July 5, the Mets are 2-8, and 1-6 since the All-Star Break.  They have fallen back to a game over .500 coming into Saturday's game and are in danger falling to .500 if they should fall to the Dodgers, again.

If the Mets should lose Santana for an extended period of time, their season could be over faster than one can blink. After this Dodgers series, the Mets play the Nationals at home before hitting the road for visits to Arizona, San Diego and San Francisco.

The Mets are running out of pitchers. Dillon Gee will miss the rest of the season with a blood clot in his shoulder; R.A. Dickey is not the same pitcher he once was in June, and Miguel Batista is terrible. Only Jon Niese has been the Mets most reliable starter of late.

Too bad; it was such a promising start, but the Mets remind us why they are the Mets.

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