Mets Bullpen Blows 27th Save of the Season, Braves win 7-4

 

The Mets bullpen just imploded blowing their 27th save of the season-that’s right their 27th save of the season.  Luis Ayala blew his second save in nine tries.  He gave up three runs with out even ever retiring a batter.  Not to be out done, Pedro Feliciano allowed two more runs for good measure.  The Braves scored a total of five runs in the top of the ninth and won the game 7-4. 
 
I really can’t even think of what else to say about this “pigpen” (The bullpens nickname here in the NY papers).  I can write about the pigpen until my finger tips are bloody and in fact last week when I gave them a thumbs up, I said we knew we were a meltdown waiting to happen.  I guess it just took getting the Braves to town to bring that meltdown about. 
 
What are you going to do when not one guy in your bullpen can step it up and do their job?  Night after night we watch starters go deep into games because the thought of turning the game over to the bullpen strikes fear in the heart of anyone involved with the Mets.  It is outrageous that the Mets bullpen has been as putrid as they have been this year.  There isn’t anyone in the bullpen you can trust.  The Mets have blown 27 saves this season and you can “shouldda, couldda, wouldda” all you want, but if the Mets win even half those game-we wouldn’t even be worried about what the Phillies are doing.
 
David Wright hit two homers in the game and had four hits total.  His 31 homeruns is the most that he has ever hit in a season.  However, the Mets offense isn’t blameless in this loss, they still aren’t tacking on runs, they didn’t always get the big hit.  Again today they failed to get runners home, and were hitless in 11 at bats with runners in scoring position.  They left a ton of guys on base.   And although they are scoring early in the game their bats are dead in the later innings.  They have to figure out how to add on runs.  They kill everybody early in the game and score all their runs the, but can’t seem to get anything going with the bats in later innings.  If the Mets are going to overcome the pigpen troubles, then maybe one way to do that is to get some big hits in the later innings.   
 
The Mets had a two run lead and needed only to get three outs and their bullpen couldn’t even get that done.  The fact is this is the team we have.  The roster has been expanded.  We now know the truth about what has been going on with Billy Wagner and know we can’t count on him to come back.  You would think that someone would be able to step it up.  They are professionals after all.  I am really unhappy about the Mets bullpen, but you just have to shake your head.  
 
I must say that one bullpen guy did do his job today.  Joe Smith pitched a big inning for the Mets.  There again he was in to clean up someone else’s mess.  But that is what you do when you are a member of a team-you pick the other guy up. 
 
Also, wow-what a great job by the Brewers to play their best ball against the Phillies.  The Mets hold a slim lead in the NL East and the Phillies are tied for the wild card.  Which means that as the Phillies and the Mets continue to duke it out, instead of the wildcard coming out of the central, maybe it comes out of the NL East. 
 
The Mets travel to Washington and will have Pedro Martinez on the mound.  Game time is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. 
 
Post info: By Bernalda on September 15th, 2008
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Game 2: Mets 5 Braves 0

 

Jon Niese was awesome in his second start.  He pitched eight shut out innings, allowing only six hits.  Niese walked two and struck out seven.  It was a great outing for him, especially considering that his last outing didn’t go so well.  It was a shot in the arm for the Mets and (hopefully) a look at the future. 
 
The Mets offense was much better in the second game.  Carlos Beltran, David Wright and Jose Reyes all hit homeruns.  (Reyes was 3-5 in the second game)  Carlos Beltran has been red hot, he has an eleven game hitting streak, and is 18 for his last 42, meaning that during this hot streak he is hitting .429.  This is perfect time for him to get hot!  Luis Ayala closed out the game, he allowed two hits but no runs and stuck out one.  
 
The second game was what the Mets needed.  Because of how the schedule has worked out and because the Mets lost game one of the double header to the Braves, the Phillies picked up a half game in the standings.  Geez-could the Brewers show up at all?  The Brewers have lost the first two games of the series and now the two teams will play a double header this afternoon.  The Phillies are all po’d though because they asked the Brewers to stay in town and play Monday instead of playing the double header today and the Brewers declined, and it is basically so that they can save Sabathia for when the Brewers meet the Cubs on Tuesday.  Basically the Brewers have decided that their fight is more important than the Phillies.  I don’t blame them.  The Brewers are still fighting to get themselves into the playoffs.  Although, how great would it be to watching Sabathia just mow down that Phillies offense?
 
Headed into play today, the Mets have 15 games left.  On Monday they begin a four game series with the Nationals, then they travel to Atlanta for three.  They come home on Sept. 22 to play four with the Cubs and then finish the season with three against the Marlins.  In that time frame, the Phillies will have an off day on Monday, then will travel to Atlanta for a three game series  and then they’ll play three in Florida.  They return home to play three with Atlanta, and then after an off day on September 25th, they Phillies will complete their season with a three game set against the Nationals.  Every game has meaning-I love this time of year!  
 
The Mets will wrap up their last series ever at Shea Stadium with the Atlanta Braves this afternoon.  Chipper Jones has not played in this series because of a sore back but he did bring his four year old son, Shea to New York this trip.  Of course Shea Jones thinks that Shea Stadium was named after him!  Jorge Campillo will take the mound for the Braves and the Mets will throw Oliver Perez.  Game time is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. 
 
 
Post info: By Bernalda on September 14th, 2008
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Game 1: Braves 3 Mets 2

 

Game 1: Braves 3 Mets 2
What a disappointing loss for the Mets in game one of the double header on Saturday.  Johan Santana had pitched very well to shut the Braves out and you  know that Santana started the eighth inning because Jerry Manual has no confidence in his bullpen and rightfully so, because again the bullpen blew a game for Johan Santana. 
 
Now, maybe Santana should not have started the eighth inning yesterday, but you know he started the eighth because the bullpen is a wreck.  While Santana pitched very well yesterday, in his seven innings, not once did he retire the side in order; but he was able to shut the Braves out for seven innings.  The Braves, against Santana, were 1 for 17 with runners in scoring position.  Clearly Johan did his job. 
 
The bullpen situation is really tiring.  This pathetic performance was the seventh time the Mets bullpen has blown a game for Santana (meaning, Santana could be a 20 game winner, and the Mets could have a 10 game lead in the division)  Can someone just get an out?  Are the starters supposed to pitch eight innings eight innings every outing?  I know that when you are in a pennant race, the idea is to win, but, can the Mets starters go out there every start and pitch deep into games and continue to be effected not only down the stretch?  It makes you wonder, if they do make it to the playoffs, is the starting rotation going to be able to continue to pitch like this?
 
Now, the blame can’t fall squarely on the shoulders of bullpen because the offense didn’t exactly to their jobs either.  The Mets had the bases loaded two times and came away with nothing.  Brian Schneider hit into a double play with the bases loaded, one run scored but obviously he wasn’t getting credit for an RBI there.  Damion Easley did a terrible job, him hitting into a double play at that point of the game-especially because he “hit” ball four really changed the game there.  Also worth nothing is that Jose Reyes was 0-5 with two strikeouts, in the month of September Reyes is hitting just .161.  Needless to say, the Mets need Reyes to step it up if they are going to stay in this thing.  It isn’t just Reyes though, in all, the Mets left a total of eight guys on base, if someone gets a big base hit, then we aren’t having this conversation about the Mets bullpen.  It does go hand in hand, but it would be nice if the bullpen held up their end of the bargain sometime. 
Post info: By Bernalda on September 14th, 2008
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Mets 13-Nationals 10

The Mets had a huge inning against Odalis Perez scoring six runs in the bottom of the third.  It looked as if they would cruise to the finish, but the Nationals would not go down with out a fight.  New York blew a six run lead but, they seem to have found some offense at the right time and are playing like winners.  After the game was tied at seven, the Mets scored six more runs to win 13-10.  This is a hard time right now, the Mets have a three and half game (four in the loss column) lead with just 17 games left to play.  This is right where the Mets were last year when they blew the seven game lead.  But, this year is different, these Mets are different.  

Mike Pelfrey pitched just five innings, allowed five runs on eight hits walked two did not record a strike out.  Pelfrey had some trouble early on, his pitches were up in the zone and they were hitting him hard.  It again raises the question if Pelfrey is going to (or has he already) hit a wall given that he has never pitched this many innings in one season before.  But as Jerry Manual said, and I agree-the Mets are I in a pennant race and they need everyone to get them there. 
 
The bullpen was not great last night, but I guess when you see that the other team has scored 10 runs it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to realize that the pitching stunk.  Ah–where is Matt Wise when you need him?  Aaron Heilman is a nightmare.  I really don’t want to see this guy again unless the Mets are winning by 14 or losing by the same number.  The Mets need to chuck him and just be done with that head case.  Also, if you aren’t on the DL I really don’t care where you have tendonitis.  If you are playing, then you are not injured.  I hate when someone stinks and they all the sudden it is like, Oh…we’ll he has been hurt-who cares?  Is he playing?  If the answer is yes, then shut up.  Anyway, the Mets had a two run lead and Heilman gave up a two run homer to Christian Guzman.  Brian Stokes, who had been really good as of late wasn’t so great last night.  He gave up a three run homer to who–uh, Christian Guzman.  But, Joe Smith had another great outing and Luis Ayala closed out the game for his seventh save of the season for the Mets. 
 
The offense, after not getting it done in the first two games against the Philles over the weekend has done an all out turn around.  The Mets scored 29 runs in their past three games.  Interestingly, it wasn’t Carlos Delgado who carried the team last night, although he did have an RBI in the game.  Carlos Beltran had three big hit; he scored two and drove in two.  The Mets also got RBI from Fernando Tatis (2) and Brian Schneider (2) and Damion Easley (1).  David Wright had a great night; he was 4-4, scored four runs and drove in three.  Wright said after the game that this is the best he has felt at the plate in a long time, and boy is that good to hear because the Mets need all their big hitters to get them through these next few weeks. 
 
Wow-two ESPN “Top Ten” plays for the Mets last night.  Fernando Tatis took the wrong route to a ball in left field and made an outstanding leaping catch to record the out it was great.  Then David Wright, who at times has not been good with the glove, made a beautiful barehanded play on a slow hopper to third to throw the runner out at first.  It was great!  The Mets have played great fundamental baseball after having kind of a tough weekend in the field.  Right now, this team is in a groove and they are playing some good baseball. 
 
Elijah Dukes is a head case, this is a guy who needs a round the clock “minder” (is that another word for babysitter?) because he can’t keep himself out of trouble.  Is it really worth it to have that guy on your team?  I mean, his reaction to the “inside pitch” was a little extreme.  Yes, Dukes hit a homer off Pelfrey in his first at bat-but the pitch wasn’t even close.  They guy reacted as if Pelfrey threw at his head.  Meanwhile, like two innings later Pelfrey trying to go inside hit Dukes and this time he just took his base.  Whatever.   
 
Jose Reyes stole his 282nd and 283rd bases in the bottom of the third inning and now is the Mets all time leader in stolen bases.  It took Jose just six season to break the record that it took Mookie Wilson ten seasons to set.  Just glad that Reyes is getting on base and that his slump against the Phillies didn’t carry over. 
 
The Mets have an off day and then the Braves will be in town over the weekend.  The Phillies will start a four game set with the Brewers tonight.  Go Brew Crew!  The Mets need to take care of business against the Braves.  I must say though, it is kind of sad that in Shea Stadium’s last season the Braves come to town and not be anywhere near the race.  I think they should as Chipper Jones to take down #10. 
 
Friday’s starters: Johan Santana v. Mike Hampton, game time is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. 
 
Post info: By Bernalda on September 11th, 2008
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10-8 Seems to be Lucky As Mets Win and Phillies Lose By Same Score

The Mets were able to get by the Nats 10-8 last night, and strangely the Phillies lost to the Marlins by the same score.  So the Mets stretched their lead over the Phillies by two and a half-three in the loss column.  The Phillies were down early and came back to make it interesting, but in the end just couldn’t get it done.  Unlike the Mets who seemed to be determined last night. 
 
I don’t know if the Mets were scoreboard watching or what happened but they played like crazy last night.  The Carloses hit back to back homeruns to give the Mets the lead in the inning.  For Carlos Delgado that was his second homer of the night.  He is in a zone that I pray lasts until the end of September.  He hit two shots that were just unbelievable.  It isn’t just Delgado who has been in a zone, Carol Beltran is hitting .348 with six homers and 17 RBIs in his last 14 games, he also joined Wright and Delgado in 100 RBI club.  I thought it was a good sign last night that both David Wright and Jose Reyes did a much better job with the bat.  Wright actually had a two out RBI.  In addition, Ryan Church hit in the two spot last night, he had two RBI, one of the solo homerun. 
 
Oliver Perez stunk up the joint, for the most part the pitching for both teams was terrible.  Lucky for the Mets the Nationals pitched worse.  Perez, who has really been good for the Mets just didn’t have it last night.  He only worked three and a third innings; allowing seven runs on eight hits while walking three and striking out two.  It was uncharacteristic of the Perez we have seen recently.  Nelson Figueroa and Brandon Knight were awful, but kudos to Joe Smith, Brian Stokes, Scott Schoeneweis and Luis Ayala who combined to pitch four shut out innings.   
 
For as much as I have ragged on Billy Wagner in the blog this season, I actually felt bad for him last night when they showed clips of his press conference from earlier in the day.  He really broke down when asked what his son thought of what was happening.  I guess you can understand how it feels.  It isn’t a life threatening illness, but it is your livelihood, and while I’m sure he has plenty of money, but it is always better to leave your terms.  Who knows if he’ll ever pitch again. 
 
The Mets and the Nationals will meet again tonight at 7:10 p.m.  Mike Pelfrey will be on the hill for the Mets and the Nats will counter with Odalis Perez. 
Post info: By Bernalda on September 10th, 2008
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Mets Avoid Sweep, Win Nightcap 6-3, Remain in 1st With a Two Game Lead

The Mets escaped a sweep by the Phillies winning the second game of the day night double header 6-3 on Sunday night.  After getting blanked by Meyers in the first game of the series, Mets fans were hoping to see some fight out of the Amazin’s but Pedro Martinez got off to a bad start and the Mets offense was unable to get anything going against Jamie Moyer in the first game of Sunday’s doubleheader.  The Mets would lose the first game 6-2, and given how nonexistant their offense was in the first two games of the series, looked in danger of being swept by the Phillies. 
Prior to the final game of the series, the Mets saw their division lead dwindle to just one game, and were in danger of being swept.  The Mets bats had been silenced for something like 16 innings before they were able to score two runs in the bottom of the eighthin the first game on Sunday. 
 
I think there is some legitimate concern regarding the Mets offense as they play out the last three weeks of the season.  Like, will David Wright ever get a big hit?  In the nightcap, he struck out in the bottom of the second with the bases loaded-I know he is second in the NL in RBI, but has been atrocious when the bases are loaded.  Jose Reyes too is mired in a slump and I don’t think he even had a hit in the series, Reyes has said that his goal is to finish the season hitting over .300 and to not let his offense go missing at the end of the season like it did last year.  Well he was MIA in this series, and it nearly cost the Mets.  Hopefully this won’t be a prolonged slump and after a day off he can get back to business and get back to helping the Mets win some games. 
 
If Pedro wasn’t bad enough, the Mets also had some defensive miscues that certainly didn’t help the situation much.  We knew that having guys play out of position was something that might eventually come back to bit us in the rear-and that was the case yesterday when Fernando Tatis misplayed two balls and then again when there was some confusion between Nick Evans and Jose Reyes when a ball dropped between them for a base hit.  Of course though, there is no rule that says that Pedro Martinez can’t get anyone out either (although he can’t really and that is a problem).  
 
Martinez yesterday through just 74 pitches but he allowed six runs on seven hits, he walked one and struck out win.  He gave up two runs in the second and then just fell apart in the fourth.  Yeah, Pedro finally had more velocity on his pitches yesterday, but something that Tom Seaver says all the time, it isn’t about velocity it is about location-and that was the truth yesterday.  You could see that just by watching Moyer-the hardest he throws is like 79 but yet the Mets couldn’t touch him.  It is always sad to see legends fall like this. 
 
So, Johan Santana started the nightcap for the Mets, and if ever they needed a pitcher to step up and throw like an ace, it was last night.  Santana was spectacular.  He had a shaky first inning, but was able to pitch out of trouble allowing just one run.  Santana started the eighth inning facing two batters but only retiring one of them.  In his 7.1 innings of work, Santana allowed just two runs on five hits; he walked three and struck out six.  He really stepped up and pitched the game the Mets needed him to pitch.  Jerry Manual said it best when asked about Santana pitching this game, he said-that is why you have an ace. 
 
Carlos Delgado is a man reborn.  He hit two more homeruns last night, one of which I don’t think has landed yet.  They were monster shots and really gave the Mets what they needed.  Delgado had four RBI on the night, and has had 65 RBI in his last 65 games.  Last night’s RBI put him over 100 for the season.  It was his RBI single in the bottom of the first that put the Mets on top for good.  It isn’t just that Delgado has had a resurgence with his bat, but he has warmed up to the crowd, accepting the curtain call after the second homerun; he also has taken on a leadership role that we have not seen out of him before.  Last night, ESPN cameras caught a very animated conversation between Delgado and Reyes and it looked as if Delgado was really telling him something important (I hope Jose listened).  I was one of many who thought Delgado was finished-Wow am I glad that he proved me wrong! 
 
Any hopes of seeing Billy Wagner are now over, yesterday after throwing just 10 pitches in simulated game, Wagner had to stop because he was still experiencing tightness in his arm.  I don’t know what this means.  The Mets have been able to win with out Wager but can it go on.  Ayala has “filled” the closer role, but had a shaky outing last night-although the run that scored was actually unearned.  The problem is you just don’t know what you’ll get from the bullpen.  There is a lot of ball left to play, and along the way the Mets have gotten help from the most unlikely of candidates, so I guess all we can hope is that someone in the bullpen steps up. 
 
The Mets have an off day today before starting a three game series with the Washington Nationals at Shea Stadium.  Oliver Perez will be on the mound for the Mets and the Nats will counter with John Lannan.  Game time is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.  If you are like me you will all be scoreboard watching, the Phillies start a three game series with the Marlins before playing four with the Brewers.  Go Marlins! 

Post info: By Bernalda on September 8th, 2008
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Mets Phillies Canceled Saturday

Saturday’s game was canceled ldue to inclimate weather as rains from tropical storm Hanna and her expect arrival to the north east. The game was cancled long before the rain came to New York, and rightly so, it is was much better than making people travel out to Shea only to find out that the game would not be played.
 
The Mets and Phillies will play a day night doubleheader on Sunday.  The rotation will remain the same with Pedro and Jamie Moyer pitching game one which is scheudled for 2:15 p.m.  The Mets will play on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball with Johan Santana pitching against Cole Hammels, game time is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. 
Post info: By Bernalda on September 6th, 2008
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Mets Shut Out by Phillies in Opener 3-0

It’s hard not to feel disappointed with the way the game went last night, but it is amazing that I am not feeling panic mode, because the Mets have shown us that they can bounce back.  The Mets really only need to win one of the three games to maintain a two game lead.  They are 10-6 against the Phillies this season and while I think they have last year hanging over their head the realize last year they beat themselves by not playing well.  However, given that this is the last time the Mets will see the Phillies this season; this series is a good way to show the Phillies that they don’t sweat them.
 
Brett Meyers was fantastic.  Since his screaming matching with Phillies manager Charlie Manual, he has been virtually unhittable.  However, the Mets out hit the Phillies 5-4 and squandered their opportunities.  They left runners in scoring position in the first, second and sixth innings.  The Mets had two on and one out in the bottom of the ninth and couldn’t get a runner home.  It was really frustrating to watch David Wright pop up in the sixth inning, Carlos Beltran didn’t have a good at bat against Brad Lidge in the bottom of the ninth.  Look, there will be games like this, what is important is what the offense does next.  They are scheduled to see Jamie Moyer today and Cole Hammels in the final game of the series.  The Phillies know how important these games are as they adjusted their rotations so that Hammels would pitch against Santana on Sunday.
 
The Mets were able to bounce back against the Phillies in games after a loss.  When they were in Philly just over a week ago, after they blew their 7 run lead, they were able to come back the next night and beat the Phillies.  So, here we are-sitting in New York and it is supposed to rain all day Saturday, meaning that the Mets and the Phillies will probably have to play a double header on Sunday-which could actually play into the Mets favor, given that it is very difficult to sweep both games of a double header. 
 
Mike Pelfrey was great last night.  He made one mistake on an inside fast ball to Greg Dobbs who took it over teh fence in right field to put the Phillies on top 3-0.  Replays show that Ryan Church nearly caught that ball, he went up over the fence but the ball hit just of the tip of his glove.  In his seven inning of work Pelfrey allowed three runs, only two earned, on four hits.  He struck out four and walked two.  The bullpen pitched two innings without any drama. 
 
Good job by Mike Schmidt looking to fire up his old team.  Too bad the old codger has to live vicariously through his old team.  I’m glad that he has a such insight into the minds of the Mets to just put it out there that the Mets know that the Phillies are better than them.  Although, given that the Mets have beat the Phillies 10-6 so far this season, that bit of news might have been lost on the Mets.  And, I guess since the Mets were able to catch the Phillies who looked like they could run away with the division when the Mets were stinking up the joint in the earlier part of the season-they probably didn’t realize then that the Phillies were better than they are.  So, while I do think the collapse of 2007 weighs on the Mets-the focus on the Phillies is that they are their only competition in the division. 
 
Mets and Phillies are scheduled to meet at 3:55 this after noon with Jamie Moyer on the hill for the Phillies and the Mets will counter with Pedro Martinez. 
 
Post info: By Bernalda on September 6th, 2008
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Mets Sweep Brewers With 9-2 Win, Return Home to Face 2nd Place Phillies

The Mets scored six times in the first inning to complete the sweep of the Brewers on Wednesday afternoon.  The big hit of the inning was a grand slam off the bat of Ryan Church who was back in the line up today after sitting out last nights game.  Church seems to still be trying to get himself back in game shape and it is good to have him back.  I was so happy for him when the ball left the yard, you know he has been itching to get back into the thick of things.  After Church hit the grand slam, Brian Schneider followed with a solo homer two batters latter.  The Mets did not score again until Nick Evans hit a two RBI pinch hit single in the eighth inning.  

The offense handed Oliver Perez a six run lead, but he really didn’t pitch all that well.  He allowed two runs on five hits, he stuck out five, but he also walked five.  Seriously Oliver-we don’t need a heart attack right now, with John Maine out and Pedro Martinez questionable (although the Mets aren’t saying that just yet) the Mets need the starters they have to go out there and give them some wins.  The bullpen again did their job today.  As of late, the bullpen has pitched well-but you know they are a meltdown waiting to happen. 
 
Jose Reyes is on fire.  He leads the National League in hits with 180, he is currently the only every day player in the Mets lineup hitting over .300 ( at end of play today his average is .306)  He tied the franchise record for stolen bases  when he swiped his 281st bag in the fourth inning.  Reyes also now has a new career high in triples, hitting his league leading 18th triple of the season in the second inning of the game.  Of course, they Mets stranded him at third, but that is a story for another day…  Reyes has said that he is determined to not fall off late in the season like he did last year in September.  Many Mets fans blame the abysmal output of Reyes as one of the key factors in the Mets collapse at the end of 2007. 
 
The Mets are on a role.  They return to Shea Stadium atop the NL East with a 2.5 game lead on the Phillies (as of the writing of the blog the Nationals and Phillies had yet to start their game-GO NATS!”  Right now,  I am a Mets fan, and a fan of any team playing the Phillies!  Anyway, to get back to what I was saying, the Mets have won 20 of their last 27 games are are a season high 18 games over .500.  The Mets right now have 79 wins with 22 games left to play.  If I had told you in May that the Mets could conceivably win 90 games this season-you would have told me I was crazy-now it is a distinct possibility that the Mets will win 90 games.
 
Ok, so the Phillies now come to town for three games.  This is the last the Mets will see of the Phillies n the regular season.  Wow-who was in charge of planning that?  Shouldn’t the Mets and the Phillies be playing each other at the end of September.  I hate it when the schedule plays out like that-MLB better think about that next year when they plan the season. 
Post info: By Bernalda on September 4th, 2008
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Mets Best Brewers, Win 6-5 in 10

The Mets were able to overcome a shaky first outing by rookie Jonathan Niese to beat the Brewers 6-5 in 10 innings.  Endy Chavez hit a sac fly in the top of the 10th to score the go ahead run and to put the Mets in position to sweep the series against the Brew Crew.  

The Mets got a great performance out of their bullpen as Niese failed to even get out of the fifth inning.  Knowing how well the Mets bullpen has pitched this season, I was figuring that we’d be in a for a long night.   But, for a second straight night, the bullpen did not allow a run and kept the Mets in the game.  Obviously, the Mets have the added benefit of the expanded roster which allows Jerry Manual to basically work match ups, but also I think it adds a little competitive nature to the bullpen-competition is a good thing especially for a bullpen that has been awful! 
 
Carlos Beltran who suffered a bruised knee when he slid into the home plate umpire on Monday night did play last night, he hit a three run homer and as of late is swinging a hot bat.  I know that there was some discussion as to whether he would even be in the line up yesterday and it seems that Manual basically said to him that unless he had a broken leg he would be in the line up.  And, when you are in a pennant race, that is how it has to be.  Nobody is healthy, but  you’ve got to play through it.  Not only did Beltran have a great night with the bat, he also had a great defensive play, throwing a runner out at home to keep the game tied at five. 
 
While Niese’s outing last night didn’t go as well as Mets fans might have hopped, the rookies are making a statement on this team.  Daniel Murphy and Nick Evans continue to play well.  And while I sometimes cringe when I see those guys go back on a ball, they have really played well for guys who are natural infielders.  Murphy has been great with the bat, he knows how to prolong at bats by working the count.  Not only that, Murphy also seems to run the bases well, and in fact the reason the Mets won the game was because of smart base running by Murphy.  I know Minaya said that the organization expects that Evans will actually hit for power as he matures, Evan’s hasn’t quite shown that just yet, but he did hit his first homerun in the bigs over the weekend. 
 
So the Mets will wrap up their though road trip with a 2:05 start in Milwaukee this afternoon.  Thus far, with only one left to play the Mets are 5-2 on the road trip.  This was a big test for the Mets as they played games not only against their division rivals, the Phillies, but against the Marlins-who aren’t totally out of it, and the Brewers who are trying to hold on the the wild card.  The Mets will return home and after an off day will play three with the Phillies-this marks the last series of the regular season between the Mets and the Phills. 
 
Also, Pedro Martinez has returned to New York to work out with a personal trainer.  The Mets have been careful not to say too much, but it seems that Pedro is having trouble getting lose both prior and during his starts.  The issue of him loosening his shoulder is something that Gary, Keith and Ron have talked about especially in response to the trouble Martinez seems to have in the first inning.  Clearly with the off days in the next two weeks, the Mets can get by with a four man rotation, but a three man rotation isn’t going to work.  I would be surprised if Niese get another start, and given how  Nelson Figueroa and Brian Stokes have kind of etched out places for them in the bullpen, does it makes sense to have one of them start? 
Post info: By Bernalda on September 3rd, 2008
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