I’ll begin this with a disclaimer. I understand how annoying those Monday morning QB-types are who constantly second-guess moves made by the manager. I understand that Duaner Sanchez was not to be used last night, and manager Jerry Manuel had already spent Joe Smith, Aaron Heilman, and Pedro Feliciano in his bullpen. He didn’t have much left to use.

However, Manuel had two better options to use rather than Carlos Muniz in the 9th. Scott Schoeneweis didn’t pitch on Tuesday, so he was fresh. Billy Wagner pitched on Tuesday but didn’t on Monday, so he was also fresh.

Manuel seems to have chosen Muniz because he’s a righty, and the 9th had two right-handed batters (Albert Pujols and Troy Glaus) sandwiched between a left-handed batter (Rick Ankiel). Ryan Ludwick, another right-handed batter, would come up if any of them got on. One cannot fault Manuel for playing the matchups, as many managers do. But in this case, when it’s the heart of the Cardinals order against the last man in your bullpen, Muniz, who had struggled a bit since his recent call-up, I wouldn’t make that move.

The entire Cardinals lineup is predominantly right-handed, and the Mets have a bullpen with three lefties. Sometimes you just have to ignore match-ups. After all, it was the left-handed Chris Duncan that homered off Feliciano in the 8th.

Perhaps the most frustrating thing about the move is it’s really a move for the 12th when the Mets fictitiously have a lead and Wagner can close the road game. Using Wagner in the 9th to keep the game at a tie is a move to keep the Mets in the ballgame, period. Hold off on Muniz until its the 12th inning, and the game is still at a deadlock. Schoeneweis and Wagner have already been spent, and Muniz, a reliever capable of going a bit long, is the last line of defense before having to use a starter. Don’t use him in the 9th against the heart of the Cardinals’ order.