If it isn’t Billy Wagner who blows games for the Mets, it is Billy Joel.  Yep you read that right.  If you caught Johan Santana’s four innings of work you know he was awful.  He allowed five runs on six hits, two of those hits were homeruns, he walked three and struck out two.  But, no worries, because it wasn’t his fault!  Nope, the culprit is Billy Joel.  Because Joel was performing the last concerts ever at Shea Stadium, Santana could not get in to do his side work.  So, I guess that means he should be right on track before his next start. 

The Mets scored four runs in the top of the ninth to win 10-8.  This win extends their streak to 10.  The last time the Mets won 10 in a row was 1991, they are now just one shy of the Mets all time team record.  They also accomplished something they had yet to do this season.  They came back from three runs down to win the game.  They are the last team in the bigs to accomplish that this season.  

The pitching was terrible last night.  Not only did Santana stink, but Aaron Heilman was worse.  Heilman entered the game in the bottom of the seventh inning and in just 2/3 of an inning of work, he gave up three runs.  After retiring the first two hitters he faced, he allowed a double to Edwin Encarnacion, he then intentionally walked Joey Votto, and (unintentionally) walked David Ross.  At that juncture, Heilman would leave the game, and Scott Schoeneweis (who also stunk) would enter and gave up a double to Javier Valentin, giving the Reds an 8-6 lead.   

The offense was terrific last night.  It took them a few innings to get going.  The Mets scored first on a Carlos Delgado monster shot to right field that went out of the park, and looks like it was just shy of landing in the river.  In the fifth inning the Mets added two on an RBI single from David Wright.  In the sixth inning, Fernando Tatis hit a two run homer to give the Mets the lead.  The bats were quiet until the ninth inning; Argenis Reyes singled with one out, Wright hit his 18^th homer of the season, a two run blast that just cleared the glove of Ken Griffey Jr., tying the game at 8.  But, the Mets were not done.  Carlos Beltran singled and took third on a single by Damion Easley,  Easley would advance to third and Beltran would score on a single by Carlos Delgado, and Fernando Tatis, came up big again, he hit a RBI double to left that scored Easley.   

David Wright had a big game last night, and had four RBI.  David’s two out RBI single in the top of the 5^th cut the lead 5-4 after the Mets had gone down 5-2 in the bottom of the 4^th, and then of course his 2 run homer in the top of the 9^th tied the game for the Mets.  It was a great job by Wright who had struggled some in that area.  Not only does Wright deserve credit but so does Fernando Tatis, his two run blast gave the Mets the lead in the top of the 6^th, and his RBI double game the Mets an insurance run in the top of the 9^th.  Carlos Delgado continues to swing a hot bat, as he was 3-4 with three RBI.  Jose Reyes who is usually in the thick of it was 0-5 last night that ended his 9 game hit streak.   

So, for the first time since April 20^th when you opened the paper this morning, the Mets were sitting in first place.  Ok-technically they are tied for first, but their name was listed first!  This is an exciting time, especially given how the Mets played last night.  I really didn’t know what to expect from them after the break.  After they went down like that last night, I wasn’t sure they would bounce back, but more and more this team is rebounding and finding ways to win games.  I just have to say though, that it was a terrible job by Santana.  The Mets won the game, so it is what it is, but for him to come back and pitch like that is just a bad job by him.  I don’t want to hear the excuses; I don’t want anything but for him but to win games.  It is infuriating when your team gives your guy a lead and you turn around and give it (and then some) back.  

Ok, so here is something else that will come as a shock to you.  Pedro Martinez will not make his next start.  He had a cortisone shot over the weekend and will not be available to pitch.  Pelfrey will make the start from him on Sunday.  Also, El Duque, left after one inning of work in a rehab start for the B-Mets due to discomfort in his foot.   

The Mets play the second of four against the Reds tonight.  Game time is 7:10 p.m.  The Mets will have John Maine on the mound and he will be opposed by Bronson Arroyo. 

Mets Blog

The Mets extended their win streak to 9 with a 7-0 win over the Rockies.  The Phillies won yesterday so the Mets knew going in to play last night that they would not be in first place at the all star break, but the Marlins lost and so the Mets take sole possession of second place.   

Mike Pelfrey was amazing last night.  I can’t believe it is the same guy.  For a second consecutive start he did not allow any walks.  He worked eight scoreless innings allowing just six hits and striking out five.  Pelfrey also got some help from his defense last night as the Rockies grounded into three double plays.   

The Mets took an early lead on a Carlos Beltran three run homer in the bottom of the first.  That was Beltran’s second three run homer in six games.  The Mets scored again the second inning on an RBI single by Jose Reyes.  In the fourth inning, Fernando Tatis and Ramon Castro got aboard with singles and would advance into scoring position by a Mike Pelfrey sac bunt, Tatis would score on a sac fly by Nick Evans.  In the bottom of the fifth, Carlos Delgado hit his 17^th homer of the season, a two run blast that almost hit the scoreboard in right center field.  

Carlos Delgado is in a good grove right now.  Given how he stared the season, I would not have thought that the Mets would have been able to get as much out of him as they have thus far.  Delgado now has his average up to .248.  In the month of July in his 49 at bats he is hitting .376 with 3 homers and 7 RBI. 

There has been a lot of talk about the Mets acquiring Raul Ibanez from the Seattle Mariners.  Ibanez is a 35 year old left fielder, whom I believe is in his last year of his contract with Seattle; because of this the Mets think they can get him for little in return.  Ibanez is a career .284 hitter and has spent his time American League having played for both the Mariners and the Royals.  This year in 95 games he is hitting .273 with 11 homeruns, 55 RBI and 1 stolen base.    

The Mets are close to having Angel Pagan back, he is currently completing his rehab stint with the Brooklyn Cyclones.  Ryan Church played catch and did some work in the cages at Shea yesterday, it is thought that he is making progress and if things stay that way he could begin a rehab assignment as early as this week.  Jerry Manual did say in his post game remarks that he would like to get Church some at bats (in a rehab start) before making a decision about his return to the Mets.  Church is eligible to return from the DL on July 21^st. 

One last note on injuries, Jerry Manual insisted that when Luis Castillo returns from the DL next week he will not have the starting second base job waiting for him.  Manual who has a penchant for staying with the hot hand says that he feels they are getting good production out of Argenis Reyes and Damion Easley.  According to the New York Post, when Manual was asked about the status of Castillo when he returns from the DL he replied, “When the time comes, we’ll make a decision on that and see how it fits…We’re really playing well at that position - I mean, very well. It’s going to be a tough one.” 

If anyone caught the futures game yesterday, they would have had a glimpse of what is to come for the Mets.  Fernando Martinez played great and created a lot of buzz.  He was 1-2 with a single in yesterday’s game.  This season Martinez is with Double A Binghamton and is hitting .294 with four homers and 21 RBIs in 52 games.  Martinez, who turns 20 in October, was the fourth youngest player in yesterday’s contest.  The comments about him were that he is a gifted athlete with a beautiful swing.  Martinez says he believe he will play with the Mets sometime this season.  I for one would love to see it!   

The Mets are playing so well that I hate that the all star break is here, you hate to break up a good thing.  The positive to this is that they open up in Cincinnati knowing that they really have a chance to be at the top of the division with the Marlins and Phillies playing each other.  More than ever after seeing what the Mets have done this far, that saying, that is why they play the games, comes to mind.  If you would have asked me two weeks ago, I was fairly certain that the Mets would finish either 3^rd or 4^th in the division with a record somewhere around .500.  But, after seeing what they have done these past few weeks we’ve finally seen the team we’ve been looking for since last year after the all star break.  I don’t know what will happen, but I do know there is a lot to look forward to in the second half!   

LET’S GO METS! 

Mets Blog

Pedro Martinez and the Mets bullpen combined to throw a one hit shut out against the Colorado Rockies on Saturday afternoon and won the game 3-0.  Eight in a row!  Wow, this is exactly what the Mets needed, a good streak heading into the all star break.  What a great win on Saturday.  Their win streak of eight is the Mets longest since June of 2006 and it is currently the longest streak in MLB.  Since June 13^th, the Mets have reduced the Phillies lead of 7 games to just half a game going into play today.   

The Amazin’s seem to be coming together as a team and it looks like they have found what was missing.  Do you realize if the Mets can continue their winning ways, and if they get a little luck and a little help from Arizona, the Mets could conceivably be in first place at the all star break?   

The Mets are finally getting the pitching they expected.  Pedro Martinez started the game Saturday.  He left after just four innings of work because of shoulder stiffness and I have also heard that he is nursing a sore groin.  Pedro has been examined and has been cleared to make his next start after the all star break.  He worked four scoreless innings, allowing just one hit while walking three and striking out three.  

The bullpen continues to perform in dominant fashion.  Carlos Muniz came into the game for Pedro in the top of the fifth, he worked two innings, walking one and striking out two, and got credit for the win.  Aaron Heilman and Scott Schoeneweis pitched an inning each and both struck out one batter, walked none, and allowed no hits.  And Billy Wagner, with out any drama or undue stress earned his 22^nd save of the season by retiring the side in order.    

The Mets had been scoring a lot of runs, but they have only managed to score five runs in the first two games of this series.  Saturday’s win was good old fashioned baseball.  The Mets manufactured runs, they stole bases, they ran hard on the base paths and they got a homerun.  The Mets stole four bases yesterday and now lead the National League with 91 steals, just nine behind the Tampa Bay Rays who lead the majors with 100. 

In the fourth inning, Carlos Beltran doubled to right, stole third and would score on a single by Fernando Tatis to score the first run of the game.  Jose Reyes hit his 10^th homerun of the season in the bottom of the fifth to make the game 2-0.  In the bottom of the sixth, Carlos Delgado singled to start the inning; he advanced to second on a sac bunt by Endy Chaves and would come around to score on a double by Brian Schneider.   

The Mets look good right now.  If you’d asked me just a few weeks ago, I would not have been able to say that.  But, they are finally getting the pitching they thought they would have.  Both Mike Pelfrey and Oliver Perez have really taken their games to a new level.  And while Pedro has been cleared to make his next start after the all star break, you will always worry about his health.  This winning streak is nice, and it has put the Mets in a good position, but they are going to have to continue to work and play the kind of baseball they have been playing since the beginning of July.  No one, including myself imagined that the Mets would have started out as poorly as they did this season, and after everything they have been through and after watching them play just awful baseball, I would have never thought that they would be sitting in this spot at the all star break.  

If the Mets can take advantage of their good play and their ability to beat sub par teams, the schedule plays in their favor when play resumes after the all star break.  The Phillies and Marlins will be playing each other at the same time the Mets play an under achieving Cincinnati Red’s team.  It is all starting to really heat up and get exciting.  

The Mets are on Sunday Night Baseball tonight.  (Oh joy, three hours of Jon Miller and Joe “I just keep on talking even if I say nothing of value” Morgan.  Mike Pelfrey will pitch for the Mets and the Rockies will have Mark Redman on the mound.  Game time is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. 

 Mets Blog

One thing is for certain, the Mets never fail to make things interesting, or maybe I should say make things frustrating.  I guess at least last night’s frustration had a happy ending as the Mets won 4-2 in 12 innings.  

Oliver Perez was great yesterday.  He struggled a little in the first inning, but was great there after. He pitched seven shut out innings, allowing just four hits, while walking two and striking out four.  The Mets took a 1-0 lead off a Carlos Beltran’s homerun in the third, and Perez did something that Johan Santana failed to do in Friday’s game-he held the lead and did not give up a run. 

With the exception of Billy Wagner the Mets bullpen did their job.  When the Mets resumed play after the rain delay, I was less than confident that Pedro Feliciano would actually get Ryan Howard out, but he retired Howard on three pitches. Then of course, Aaron Heilman came in with two on and walked Pat Burrell, and I can’t even tell you what I was screaming at the television-but Heartattack Heilman kept it in check as he got Pedro Feliz to hit a weak grounder back to the pitcher to end the Phillies’ threat in the bottom of the eight.   Joe Smith got the win, he came in with two out in the bottom of the 10th and did not allow a run.  The Mets really got what they needed from that group of guys. 

I don’t know what’s up with Billy Wagner, but is it too much to ask him to close out a game, with out drama, just for once?  Seriously, for a guy who tries to be such a hard ass and tough guy, I have never seen such a wuss.  He can’t enter the game in the middle of an inning because of lack of intensity, he can’t come in for two innings, because he doesn’t get the same adrenaline rush-I guess that is why Mariano Rivera is the real “Sandman”.  When Wagner signed with the Mets, I think we all thought, Yes! We finally don’t have to worry about the ninth inning.  After years of watching John Franco, Armando Benitez, and Braden Looper it looked as if the Mets had the ninth wrapped up.  All we know is, when “Enter Sandman” plays at Shea, the only intensity we feel, isn’t excitement, it is almost dread. 

Mets offense was terrible, with runners in scoring position; they left a total of 14 guys on base.  No one was able to get the big hit to drive in some runs early in the game.  Maybe if the Mets offense had done their job we wouldn’t have to have the Wagner discussion today.  David Wright, had two big strikeouts, and stranded three guys on base, Marlon Anderson didn’t even get a hit.  Jose Reyes was 3-6 but none of those hits came with RISP.  Because of great pitching, (with the exception of Wagner, but I guess that goes without saying) it looked like the Mets would only need two runs to win.  Carlos Beltran gave them the lead with his homerun in the top of the third, and added what was thought to be an insurance run in the top of the ninth. 

Ryan Church did not start on Sunday after leaving the game on Saturday with a migraine, so Endy Chavez was in right field and made a great catch in the top of the second.  Fernando Tatis who entered the game as a pinch hitter for in Marlon Anderson in the top of the 8^th, came through big time for the Mets with his game winning hit in the 12th.  It is a big boost when your bench gets it done; you know they are guys you can count on, and when the bench comes through, they feel like they can contribute and make the most of their opportunity to do so.  I like the way that Manual has juggled things, I also think that the way he has played Brian Schneider and Ramon Castro has worked out for the Met, it is good to get Castro’s bat in the line up and I don’t know if it is the rest or watching his playing time diminish but whatever it is, but Schneider got the big hit in Saturday night’s game, and he had another hit yesterday.  Manuals managerial style seems to illicit the competitive nature in these guys. 

Look, all complaining aside, this was a good win for the Mets, they fought hard.  They are in position to take the series from the Phillies and leave town one game over .500, and only 2.5 out, but the Mets have to win tonight to make that happen.  A split here, the Mets are basically just spinning their wheels, they’ll go home having not gained any ground, and again under .500.  Going in, the Mets had to make some headway on this road trip and really had to take control over getting themselves out of this rut to have a chance of finishing over .500 at the all star break and maybe even being in the mix for a pennant race

Pedro Martinez will be on the mound for the Mets and the Phillies with counter with Adam Eaton.  The Mets have a chance to take a step in the right direction tonight, but Pedro had been dreadful and Eaton is 5-0 lifetime against the Mets.  However, if there is one thing we know about this team, it is that anything can happen.  Game time is 7:05 p.m.

Mets Blog

The Mets are the only team in Major League Baseball, when trailing by two runs that has not come back to win the game.  So, when they went down 4-0 in the first inning, it seemed like it was going to be another long night for Mets’ fans. 

Pedro Martinez was awful.  In five innings, he allowed 5 earned runs off 7 hits, two of those hits were homeruns, but he walked only one (so at least the Cardinals had to earn their way on base).  Pedro gave up four runs in the first inning.  Aaron Miles and Skip Schumaker both singled to set the table for the Cardinals, Schumaker would score on Rick Ankiel’s single to center.  Troy Glaus hit his 12^th homerun of the season to make it 4-0.  The 47 minute rain delay that Pedro called a “blessing” might have been just that as when play resumed, Pedro pitched more aggressively and allowed just one more run, a homerun to Rick Ankiel. 

It wasn’t just Martinez that labored on the mound last night.  After a great job by Mets hitters to take the lead 7-5 in the top of the seventh, Aaron Heilman entered the game in the bottom of the eighth and hit a batter, he would leave the game at the point and be replaced by Pedro Feliciano who threw one pitch to Chris Duncan that he sent over the fence in right field to tie the game at 7.  In the bottom of the ninth Carlos Muniz gave up a walk off homer to Troy Glaus, and the Cardinals won 8-7.   

The offense had a much better game on Wednesday.  When they fell behind 4-0 in the first; I figured we’d see them play like they usually do when they fall that far behind that early.  However, the Mets really battled to get some things going offensively.  As a team, the Mets still left 10 guys on base, but they did get 15 hits and everyone in the line up except Endy Chavez and the pitcher had at least one hit.  Jose Reyes was 3-5 David Wright was 3-4 with a walk, and an RIB.  Damion Easley had a great night; he went 3-4 with 3 RBI.  Ryan Church had two more hits last night, but did have some trouble with runners on base as he stranded three.  Carlos Beltran also got a hit last night, but he left four runners on base.

This is what happens; the Mets can’t get everyone on the same page at the same time.  The offense did their part last night, the pitching did not.  And while the effort was there from the offensive and position play standpoint-what happened to the bullpen?  It is just a pathetic display.  You can’t even say it was a better loss for this team-because it wasn’t they were winning at one point. 

On thing is for sure, as much as I hate the Cardinals-and I HATE the Cardinals, they play some good ball.  They run hard, take the extra base, stay in games.  This is something we have not seen from the Mets.  They don’t play hard, they don’t keep their heads in games, and Mets are far from mentally tough.  So, the best the Mets can hope for here is a split.  Which means they would leave St. Luis two games under .500 and in relatively the same place they are now 4.5 games (or so) back. 

The earliest Moise Alou would be back is Monday in Philly but his return is more likely to happen Tuesday when the Mets return to Shea to take on the Giants.  Because of rain in Florida, Alou has not had the opportunity to get in his rehab starts.  The Mets have moved him to Binghamton hoping he will get some play up there before bringing him back to the team. 

First pitch is scheduled for 8:15 p.m.  Mike Plefrey will pitch for the Mets and the Cardinals will counter with Mitchell Boggs. 

Mets Blog

The Mets topped the Cards on Tuesday night 7-4.  A combination of some lineup changes and a spot start by Tony Armas Jr. did the trick for the Mets as they bounced back from the disappointing opening game of this series. 

Armas made his first start in the bigs since September 10^th of last year when he was with the Pirates.  In his six innings of work he allowed four runs on eight hits, while walking just one and striking out three.  He was no where near dominant but did pitch well enough to keep the Mets in the game.  He struggled a bit in the first, giving up a double to Aaron Miles and then a long homerun to Rick Ankiel.  In the second inning, Yadier Molina lead off the inning with a single to center, he would advance to second on a sac bunt by the pitcher, and score on a double by Skip Schumaker.  Armas also struggled some in the sixth inning; Troy Glaus doubled to lead off the inning, and would take third a single to right by Chris Duncan.  Glaus would score on a sac fly by Molina that was caught by Ryan Church in foul territory. 

The Mets finally found some offense last night; Jerry Manual made some changes to the line up, putting Ryan Church in the fifth spot, and dropping Delgado to the sixth hole.  Brian Schneider got a night off as Ramon Castro did the catching.  Damion Easley took Luis Castillo’s spot at second, hitting behind Delgado.  The changes seemed to benefit everyone as Church and Delgado were a combined 5-8.  Church also had an RBI and scored two runs.  David Wright had a great night at the plate too; he was 3-4 with an RBI, a homer and a walk.  Carlos Beltran continues to struggle; he is now in a 3 for 29 slump dating back to the Seattle series. 

Who can figure these guys out?  One thing is for sure though, when you sit down and turn the game on, you never know what you are going to get.  The Mets fell behind early, which usually means they are mentally out of the game and just go through the motions until their nine innings of torture are over.  Last night, that wasn’t the case.  They fought back, and actually chased Todd Wellemeyer out of the game after five, taking advantage of the fact that he wasn’t pitching well.  The Mets still left seven guys on base last night, but they did get two two out RBI hits by both Castro and Wright, and that is something that the Mets have not done with any consistency.  Not that they have done anything with any consistency. 

It is great to have Ryan Church back in the line up.  I think it is a boost that the Mets really need.  He has picked up right where he left off, in the three games since his return, he is 5 for 12.  The Mets have really missed his bat.  I am getting giddy thinking about the return of Moises Alou though.  If the Mets heat up and play well the rest of this series and play well in Philly, they could come home in first place.  Gee-I sound almost optimistic.  I know, I’ll probably have to eat my words tomorrow. 

Pedro Martinez is scheduled to pitch for the Mets.  We are hopping to see a better Pedro tonight as he has determined that the problem in his last two starts (or there about) is that he has been tipping his pitches.  The Cardinals will have Joel Pineiro on the hill; Pineiro is 2-4 with a 4.33 era.  First pitch is scheduled for 8:05 p.m.

Mets Blog

The Mets completed their three game series with the Yankees on Sunday afternoon with a 3-1 win behind Oliver Perez.  The Mets finished 4-2 against the Yankees this season and are the winners of the Subway Series. 

This win was all possible thanks to Oliver Perez.  Yep, you read that right, I said Oliver Perez.  Perez was amazing, I don’t think I have ever seen him pitch that well; he has been working with new pitching coach Dan Warthen and yesterday’s performance showed how much his work has paid off.  Perez has a new delivery and has changed his position from the third base side of the rubber to the middle; as a result Perez’s new delivery allows him to use his legs more and give him more force as he propels his body to the plate.  That force was apparent yesterday as Perez had good speed on his fastball yesterday being clocked in the 94mph range with consistency.  In his 7 innings of work, Perez allowed just three hits, while recording 8 strikeouts.  The one earned run came off a homer to Wilson Betemit in the seventh inning.  Here is the big stat, Perez did NOT walk anyone, he threw 106 pitches yesterday 72 of those were strikes.  In four starts against the Yankees Perez is now 4-0 with 1.54 era.  After the game, Perez said that that performance was the “Real Ollie” let’s hope so!

I must admit that when Billy Wagner gave up the single to Derek Jeter, I thought the Mets were in trouble.  I was having flashbacks to the three consecutive blown saves in early June, especially when it looked like ARod was going to tie the game with one swing of his bat, however, Endy Chavez made the catch on the warning track and Wagner went on to ritire the next two batters he faced and notched his 18th save of the season.

The offense did just enough to get by yesterday.  The Mets scored first in the bottom of the second on a bases loaded infield hit by Luis Castillo, and then added another run in the third when Carlos Delgado hit a bomb to straight away center, his third homerun of the series and his 14^th of the season.  The third run came off a sac fly by David Wright in the bottom of the seventh.  However, again the Mets had a chance to really stick it to Darrell Rasner early on; in both the first and second innings the Mets loaded the bases and scored just one run.  In total they left 11 guys on base and didn’t really get a big hit when they needed one.  David Wright, Carlos Beltran, Fernando Tatis all had 0-fors yesterday.  However, the guys did make some hard outs and while they didn’t score as many runs as you’d like but they did win.

So glad to see Ryan Church back out there yesterday.  In his return Church was 2-4.  Having his bat back in the line up can only be a good thing for the Mets!  I am keeping my fingers crossed that there is truth to the rumor that Moises Alou could rejoin the team in Philly!   

Also, what is up with Jose Reyes?  For those of you who missed it yesterday, Reyes made a play on a grounder by Melky Cabrera, Reyes’ throw sailed over Delgado’s glove and Cabrera ended up on second.  Yeah, we’d all like Delgado to field a little better but if Reyes was throwing his glove in disgust at Delgado, I would not have wanted to be in the clubhouse after that little temper tantrum.  I can understand Reyes’ frustration, and I would like to give him the benefit of the doubt and I sincerely hope that his reaction was because of his own bad throw, however Reyes should realize while Delgado should have made the play, he didn’t make an especially good throw either.  The Mets have to pull together as a team; this is not a time to fall apart.  I know a lot is being made of remarks by Johan Santana after his start against the Yankees.  He said something to the affect that he is doing his job, and that basically the other guys need to do their jobs too.  I know that you aren’t supposed to “call out” your teammates like that, but I get where Santana is coming from.  He should be mad; he isn’t getting the run support he needs, and has been the victim of some shoddy defense as well.  I have said that Santana hasn’t been as good as I thought he would be, and I realize that my expectations are unreasonable.  Santana has pitched very well, especially for a team that has given him little or no run support. The Mets offense didn’t even show up for Saturday’s game, and that has been the case when Santana has pitched.  If the Mets offense was doing its job he could easily be 11-3 on the season.

The Mets have eight games left going into the all star break.  In these next few games we are going to learn a lot about the Mets.  They play four with the Cardinals who are 47-36 and sit 2.5 games behind the Cubs.  The Mets then head to Philly for four, the Phillies have seen their 7 game lead in the division dwindle to one as they haven’t exactly been playing the best baseball themselves.  The Mets must have a great road trip.  I can’t even predict what will happen.  I’d love for them to go 6-2 but I have a feeling that 4-4 is more realistic.  Then again, with this team, anything is possible (and I mean that both in a good and bad way).

John Maine will pitch for the Mets tonight and the Cardinal have Kyle Lohse on the mound.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. 

Mets Blog

I hate LOSING to the Yankees!  I just hate it.  I am going to have to listen to their fans call Mike and the Mad Dog all week.  I hate that the Mets are playing crappy baseball.  I hate the fact that the Mets don’t have good at bats.  I hate the fact that when they are not leading in a game, it almost always seems like you know they won’t come from behind to win.  I hate the fact that they have very little fire, I loved what we saw out of Manual/Beltran earlier in the week, but that didn’t carry over.  There is no one on this team to carry them.  Delgado had nine RBI in the afternoon game Friday, but hasn’t done squat in the other two games of the series.  It just gets old, day after day watching the Mets play like this.  There is no more saying it is still early, they’ve fired their manager, they should fire their hitting coach-especially if jobs are based on performance or how those you are coaching are performing. 

The Mets scored their two runs on homers by Ramon Castro and David Wright.  They left five guys on base and both Carlos Delgado and Carlos Beltran were 0-4 on the day.  Beltran stuck out four times today, it was only the second time in his carreer that he struck out four times in one game.  The last time that happened to him was when he was with the Royals and it was in a game against the Yankees.   

The Mets have got to play better!  Wright was very nonchalant as he fielded a ball that Alex Rodriquez hit in the top of the eighth; Wright’s throw pulled Delgado off the bag, as a result he was charged with an error.  However, looking at the replay it looked like ARod was actually out.  It wasn’t just that, Jose Reyes got picked off by Andy Pettitte just before the rain delay.  I know that Jerry Manual wants the guys to play more aggressive, but Reyes should have done a better job there. 

Johan Santana pitched well, if it wasn’t for the rain delay, maybe he would have gone deeper in the game, in his six innings of work he gave up three runs on four hits, allowing four walks, one intentional, while recording 8 strikeouts.  Two of those walks came in the top of the fourth, and both of those runners would score.  I do think it is worth mentioning that Santana was squeezed by the home plate umpire in that inning, both Jerry Manual and Santana expressed displeasure with the umps strike zone that at times was minuscule. 

The Mets should have Ryan Church back tomorrow.  The Mets have been without him for a month and his bat has been sorely missed.  Church was arguably the MVP of the team when he went down in that game against Atlanta, he has missed an entire month of baseball and it is all because the Mets didn’t handle his situation well.  When Church got hurt, he was hitting .300 with 10 homeruns and 35 RBI.  The Mets have really missed his bat.  Speaking of guys on the DL, Manual said today in his pregame radio interview that Moises Alou just might be back for the Philadelphia series.  Of course, they are going to take it slow with Alou, they don’t want to push it. 

Sunday’s game is scheduled for a 1:10 start.  Mets fans might be in for a long day.  Oliver Perez is on the mound, he didn’t fare too well in his last outing against the Mariners when he gave up 5 earned runs in his 5 innings of work.  I have to say, I feel bad always picking on Oliver because he really doesn’t seem like a bad guy.  He is always really great in his postgame interviews.  He really has not handled the pressure of pitching for a contract.  Anyway, Perez seems to find a way to pitch well for the Mets when they face stellar opposition in big games so I guess we’ll see what happens. 

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The New York Mets beat the Arizona Diamondback’s 5-3 in 13 innings on Wednesday night stopping a five game losing streak.  Because the Braves lost to the Cubs and the Marlins beat the Phillies, the Mets gained a game in the standings and now sit just 6.5 games out of first.   

The Mets scored three early off Diamondbacks’ starter Brandon Webb.  In the fourth innings, Jose Reyes lead off bunting for a base hit, Luis Castillo singled on a base hit to the pitcher and Reyes advanced to third on the throwing error by Webb.  David Wright was retired on a ground out to third but Carlos Beltran hit a single to center field that scored both Reyes and Castillo.  Beltran advanced to third on a ball hit by Carlos Delgado that was deflected off Brandon Webb.  The ball seemed to hit him in the hip, there was an injury delay but Webb stayed in the game until he was removed for a pinch hitter in the top of the sixth.

Mike Pelfrey had the best outing of his career and left the game after pitching to one hitter in the bottom of the ninth inning.  In 8+ innings of work, Pelfrey had thrown 110 pitches, gave up just 5 hits, with 8 strikeouts, two walks, and one earned run.  That run scored when Billy Wagner gave up a three run homer in the bottom of the ninth.  I felt so bad for Mike Pelfrey when Wagner blew the game.  Pelfrey had caught a lot of heat for some of his pitching performances and rightfully so, but as of late he has had three strong outings, in his last three starts he is pitching to a 1.71 ERA

Billy Wagner had his third blown save of the year, his second in the midst of this losing streak.  With two on and two out, Mark Reynolds hit a three run blast on a fast ball that he took over the center field wall.  That marked that second consecutive blown save by Wagner where he did so by giving up a three run homer.  For the Mets bullpen it was the 13^th homerun that they had given up in 11.2 innings.  However, the rest of the bullpen did their job putting up zeros in extra innings, Pedro Feliciano pitched the 10^th, Aaron Heilman pitched the 11^th and 12^t allowing just one hit and had three strikeouts, and Claudio Vargas pitched the 13^th. 

In the bottom of the 13^th Luis Castillo reached on a fielding error by Mark Reynolds, after fouling off two pitches, Carlos Beltran hit a two run walk off homer to right center.  That hit not only won the game for the Mets but it extended their record to 5-0 in extra innings at Shea Stadium this season. 

Happy Birthday to Jose Reyes, he celebrated his 25^th birthday on Wednesday night.  That was just one night after his 5^th anniversary of his Major League debut.  Also, it looks like I might have overestimated just how long Moises Alou would stay off the DL.  He has apparently reinjured the calf strain, the one that landed him on the DL his last go around.  Anyway, he is scheduled for an MRI today. 

 Johan Santana will be on the mound for the Mets in the rubber game of the series, the Diamondbacks counter with Dan Harren.  First pitch is scheduled for 1:10 p.m.  On Friday the Texas Rangers make there way to Shea for a three game interleague series. 

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The New York Mets coming off a terrible weekend opened a three game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Tuesday.  The Mets had John Maine on the mound and Moises Alou back in the lineup.  Early in the day, the Mets held a players only meeting behind closed doors where they discussed their goals for the rest of the season.  They all carried a sheet of paper that is their “blue print” for success.  Written on the paper were some motivational messages like, “team before self”, “We B4 I”, “We have time”.  The Mets plan was to go 62-38, finish with 92 wins and make the playoffs.  However, things didn’t exactly work out for the Mets and their little plan as they dropped the series opener 9-5 and put themselves in the midst of their second five game losing streak of the season.

The Diamondbacks scored first but the Mets came back in the bottom of the inning and scored three runs to take a 3-1 lead.  In the bottom of the second with a runner on base, David Wright hit his 12^th homerun of the season, giving the Mets a 5-1 lead.  That lead would not stay for long as Orland Hundson hit a two run homer in the top of the fifth to cut the Mets lead 5-3. 

John Maine left the game after five innings, giving up five hits, three earned runs, three walks and seven strikeouts; he left the game after five innings because he had thrown 101 pitches.  It has been the same old story for Maine, he leads the majors in the amount of pitches thrown, and he is 30^th in the league in the amount of innings pitched.  John ends up throwing too many pitches early and as a result does not go deep into games.  He doesn’t always make adjustments, or isn’t able to close out innings.  And Tuesday night was no different.

Claudio Vargas was on the mound in relief with a 5-3 lead in the top of the sixth, he walked the lead off man then retired Chris Snyder on a liner to left.  With one and and one on, Justin Upton was hit by a pitch, and a grounder by Jeff Salazar allowed the runners to advance a base; both would score on Augie Ojeda singler that just made it past the glove of a diving Carlos Delgado and rolled into right field.  Ojeda would take second on Endy Chavez’s throw to home, but was stranded there when Vargas retired Chris Young to end the inning.

There was some excitement when in the top of the seventh inning, the weather worsened and the Umps suspended play, Billy Wagner and Scott Schoeneweis came out of the bullpen to help the grounds crew secure the tarp on the field.  All I could think, as nice as it was that they helped out, I figured one of them would end up breaking a finger or spraining their ankle.  Luckily though, the tarp went down without injury and the Mets were on a rain delay for about an hour.  After the rain delay, Joe Smith gave up a homerun to Chris Snyder in the top of the eighth to give the Diamondbacks a 6-5 lead.  The Diamondbacks would hit two homers off Duaner Sanchez in the top of the ninth to make it 9-5.  It should be noted that when Rick Pederson visited the mound in the ninth and when Willie Randolph came to the mound to remove Sanchez from the game, they were both booed. 

As I mentioned before, Alou finally returned to the Mets line up after missing 18 games with a strained right calf.  The Mets are playing their 63^rd game of the season and Moises Alou has played in 15 of them. Judging by this, he should be hurt again by Saturday.  Seriously though, Alou hit the first pitch he saw and drove in two runs.  For the night Alou was 1-2 with 2 RBI.  After the rain delay, he was replaced by Damion Easley because of stiffness in his calf.  Marlon Anderson also came off the DL and pinch hit in the bottom of the seventh.      

 The Mets placed Ryan Church on the DL retroactive to last Friday.  It is thought that he should be able to join the team when they return to Colorado at the end of June.  This whole thing has been a mess and handled so poorly.  Church will not be allowed to resume any baseball activity until he is 100% symptom free, and according to Mets brass, they will make their decision solely on medical advice of Church’s neurologist.  Great, only took them three weeks to figure out what to do.  Consider this, Moises Alou had talked his way off the DL and into the starting line up last weekend during the Padres series, but the Mets waited until Tuesday to allow him to play because they wanted to be “cautious.”   I don’t know if that is an example that the Mets realize that Alou is made of glass or if they really just didn’t pay attention to what was happening with Church but you really have to do a better job than that.  If they had paid closer attention to Church’s condition, maybe he would not be going through this right now.       

Also, I know that it is still technically early, and that headed into play Tuesday night there were 100 games left in the season, but dating back to exactly on year ago the Mets are now 82-82.  There is no reason to believe that the Mets are going to pick it up any time soon and turn this around.  I love the fact that the manager Willie Randolph says that there are still 100 games left to play.  I am sick of hearing that there is a lot of baseball left to play.  What will the excuse be when there are only 81 games left in the season?  Is that still a lot of baseball left to play?  Or, how about last year with 17 games to play, was that a lot less baseball left to play?  Yes, so your point is that the Mets can turn this around.  Funny though, we were saying to ourselves in September there are only 17 games to go, the Mets can’t possibly blow this.  The Mets are not playing well now, they haven’t played well in a whole year, and the fact that it just keeps getting worse, isn’t lost on anyone.  People can clamor all they want about it isn’t Willies fault, or that there is still 100 games to go, but time is running out and the longer the Mets let this go, the harder it will be to over come.  If I was Willie I would be really annoyed by the fact that once the Mets had the lead then went on cruise control.  I don’t know if they have this false sense of security or maybe it is a sense of entitlement, whatever it is, they need to stay in the game, and play the whole game.   

The Mets continue the series with the Diamondbacks on Wednesday night, Mike Pelfrey will pitch for the Mets and the Diamondbacks will have Brandon Webb on the mound.  First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

Mets Blog