Yeah, we did [consider leaving Bobby Parnell in for the eighth inning after he threw only five pitches to strike out the one batter he faced in the seventh]. But this is what we’ve been doing. We’ve been using Jon, he’s been pitching very, very well in the eighth inning, and that’s what we’ve done thus far this season, so we wanted to go and do it again tonight.

– Terry Collins, after the Mets’ 6-3 loss to the Reds last night.

Good thing the Mets’ relievers have such defined roles. Could you imagine how bad their bullpen would be if they didn’t?

Hindsight is 20/20, naturally. But leaving Parnell in for another inning after he faced only one batter, when he’s been the Mets’ best reliever this season and the team had nearly been burned by the exact same thing two days earlier, seemed like the right move there. Of course, I’m no manager, and neither are any of the guys on my TV who doubted the choice at the time. But it seems like Terry Collins is doing his bullpen no favors, and vice versa.