The Mets lost their first game against the Atlanta Braves of the 2008 season, going down 11-5 in Atlanta.

It was over when: Kelly Johnson hit a grand slam off of Jorge Sosa in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Braves a 9-3 lead. The Mets put two on the board afterwards but in the end it really didn't matter.

The good: The Mets didn't lay down and die when they fell behind. John Maine gave up a run in the first but the Mets came right back and scored in the top of the second. New York was down 4-1 but scored two in the top of the fifth. They even came back and scored two runs after Kelly Johnson hit his game deciding pinch-hit grand slam in the bottom of the seventh. Tenacity is something this team lacked during the stretch run of '07. It's good to see the Mets actually have some toughness.

The bad: Maine was not the same pitcher he was during Spring Training this afternoon. He managed to strike out five but was still very inconsistent, walking three batters and giving up four earned runs in only four innings of work. Jorge Sosa joins Maine as co-goat of the day. It was Sosa that gave up the grand slam to Kelly Johnson (Kelly Johnson? Are you kidding me?) on a batting practice pitch in the bottom of the seventh. Say what you want about the Mets not cashing in with men on base but when you give up 11 runs, the game probably isn't going your way.

The ugly: What the hell was that in the fifth inning? I was on the phone and missed most of it but I'm glad that the umps got together to make the right call. Just another reason why Major League Baseball needs instant replay.

Overall: The Mets were outplayed by a division foe and rival. That's never going to sit well with fans, be it April or September. The Mets may have a potent offense but expecting them to score five runs or more a game is ridiculous, even for Mets fans. The Braves played better and deserved to win.

Grade: C-