The New York Mets and the Texas Rangers were rained out on Saturday night and played a good old fashioned double header on Sunday.  The Mets had John Maine on the hill for the first game and Pedro Martinez pitched the second.  The Rangers took the first game of the double header 8-7.  The Mets took the nightcap 4-2, taking two out of three from the Rangers.   

John Maine pitched 6 1/3 innings and while he was credited with five earned runs, two of the runs were on base when he left the game in the top of the seventh, both scored when Pedro Felicano allowed an RBI single to Ramon Vasquez.  Maine did not pitch as poorly as his line would suggest, he did give up 7 hits, while striking out five and not allowing any walks.  The Mets’ bullpen did a terrible job once again.  Pedro Felicano was not the only culprit; Joe Smith entered the game with a runner on and gave up a two out two run homer to Ian Kinsler.  Scott Schoeneweis pitched an inning and gave up a homerun to Milton Bradley.   

The Mets did have two late inning rallies, the first in the bottom of the eight, down 8-3.  With one out, Carlos Beltran walked, Carlos Delgado hit a short fly ball single that allowed the run to score.  Trot Nixon hit a double to right field that would drive in Delgado.  Brian Schneider walked, Damion Easley got aboard on an error and that would load the bases.  Jose Reyes had a chance to do some damage with only one out and bases load, but he popped up to right field and for some inexplicable reason, Sandy Alomar elected to send a very slow Brian Schneider home, and he of course was thrown out at the plate by a mile.  However, the Rangers we not finished trying to give the game away.  In the bottom of the ninth, the Mets tacked on two more runs, but fell just short, and lost the first game 8-7.   

The Mets really had an opportunity to take the first game even with the runs the bullpen gave up.  However, they got lousy situational hitting and a really boneheaded move by their third base coach.  This team is not good enough to overcome those types of mistakes.  Guys have got to get their heads in the game.  With Alomar’s brilliance at third yesterday, you can see that it isn’t just the players who have brain lock during a game.   

The Mets did redeem themselves in the night cap of the doubleheader winning 4-2 behind Pedro Martinez.  Martinez struggled early on giving up two runs before the Mets could get on the board, but he hunkered down and pitched pretty well.  In his six innings of work he gave up two runs, just one earned on six hits, allowing one walk and recording four strikeouts.  Much to the ire of the crowd at Shea Stadium, Pedro left the game for a pitch hitter in the bottom of the sixth.  The crowd could be heard in the background chanting, “We want Pedro!”  It worked out in the Mets’ favor however as pinch hitter Robinson Cancel hit a two run single to give the Mets a 4-2 lead.   

The bullpen was much better in the second game.  Pedro Feliciano pitched a scoreless seventh, Duaner Sanchez pitched the eighth giving up nothing, and Billy Wagner came in for the save in the ninth.  Without any excitement, he retired the side in order while recording two strikeouts.  While you could see Wagner was nervous and did not have his great stuff he did what had to be done and finally got a save.  The bullpen finally gave the Mets what they needed.   

The good thing to come out of this series was that David Wright snapped a skid that was something like 6-40 and was a combined 4-7 with an RBI.  He looked much better at the plate; let’s hope he can carry it over to the series with the Anaheim Angels.  The Carloses both had good days at the plate too.  In the two games Beltran was 4-9 with three RBI, three runs scored and a walk.  Delgado was 3-9 with two RBI and two runs scored. 

 Speaking of the Anaheim Angels, them Mets begin a three game interleauge series with them in Anaheim tonight.  Mike Pelfrey, coming off a brilliant performance in his last outing against the Diamondbacks will be on the mound for the Mets, the Angels will counter with Jered Weaver.  First pitch is scheduled for 9:55 p.m. 

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