The Mets had me on the edge of my seat this afternoon.  I was at my desk and listened to it on the radio (more on that later).  My coworkers think I’m crazy, because I mutter things at the commentary from the radio.   

What a great performance by the pitchers today.  Jamie Moyer was his usual self against the Mets, he lasted seven innings, struck out six and allowed one run on two hits.  Oliver Perez hung right with him and did an amazing job.  In seven and two-thirds innings, Perez gave up just one run on six hits, striking out twelve; his only walk of the game was an intentional pass to Pat Burrell in the top of the eighth.  Perez was great, he threw just one bad pitch to Jayson Werth who hit a homer to tie the game in the top of the seventh,   Perez OWNS Ryan Howard.  Perez stuck out Howard three times on Thursday, and now has now stuck out something like 13 times in 18 at bats against Perez. 

The Mets got just enough offense today, they scored their first run of the game when Jose Reyes got aboard with a walk, with two out in the bottom of the third, he stole a base and scored on a single by David Wright.  The Mets added two runs on a double by Carlos Delgado in the bottom of the eighth inning, winning the game 3-1.   

Aaron Heilman got an important out for the Mets, after Perez hit Ryan Howard to load the bases in the top of the eighth, Heilman came into the game and got Jayson Werth to flyout to end the inning.  Billy Wagner entered the game in the top of the ninth; he allowed on hit, but no runs and earned his 26th save of the season.

I forgot to mention in yesterday’s recap, that Delgado has been moved into the four slot with Carlos Beltran hitting behind him.  Manual said he felt that he just wanted to protect Delgado a little more just because he had been swinging a good bat. 

I don’t know if anyone caught it, but Jerry Manual does a weekly radio spot on the local radio station, WFAN 660 NY, and it comes on as I am driving home from work.  I happened to catch most of it yesterday, and all I can say is he seems so laid back.  I always thought that Willie came across uptight, and he really did not take criticism well, and if you know Mike and the Mad Dog, they piss all over everybody and Willie couldn’t really take it.  Anyway, Manual is a good interview.  He was funny, and laughed and just seemed totally laid back, and I also thought honest.  He talked about Chavez being out at the plate twice and how he felt about Aguayo’s decision there-but not harsh.  He clearly has a very different style than Randolph had.  I’m not totally on the Manual Express just yet, but he is growing on me.   

It was great for the Mets to take two of three here.  They are now 9-4 against the Phillies this season, and they are sitting all alone in first place for the first time since April 19^th.  I’m sure that lead is going to change hands a few times over the next few weeks, but for today, I am going to enjoy seeing the Mets in first place.  I really didn’t know if they would be able to bounce back after the way the lost the game on Tuesday, but they did, and to their credit they hung in there. 

I don’t know who made the decision to hire Wayne Hagen, but he is just awful.  I could listen to Howie Rose all day, and why they would pair Howie up with such a drip, I don’t know.  He’s is so bad, I thought that my ears were going to bleed.  Maybe I am spolied because the Gary, Keith and Ron are so good on TV, but I have to say, I hate the fact that can hardly stomach listening to the Mets on the radio.  I cringe when I know that they are playing a day game, this guys is awful. 

The Mets now take on the Cardinals, they will be in town for the weekend.  Mike Pelfrey will pitch the opening game on Friday and the Cardinals will have Mitchell Boggs on the mound.  Game time is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.   

Just wanted to pass along my condolences to Pedro Martinez and his family on the passing of his father. 

Mets Blog 

Before game time, I heard that the Mets claimed they would have a packed house for the first of three games with the Phillies.  While I’m not sure if it was a “sell out” crowd, it was a play off atmosphere.  The Mets, the fans, the commentators, everyone knew that this was a big game.  The question is, would the Mets play like it was a big game?  The answer is, they played like it was a big game for about eight innings.  The Phillies scored six runs in the top of the ninth to win the game 8-6.  This game marks the fourth time this season that the Mets have blown a four run lead.   

Johan Santana was fantastic.  He pitched eight innings, allowing two runs on eight hits, no walks and four strikeouts.  He struggled in the first inning; allowing three straight two out hits to give the Phillies and early 1-0 lead.  But there after, Santana did what he had to do.  He is the guy I felt bad for last night.  It was the third time the Mets have blown a save for Santana.  It was awful.  Santana put up exactly the performance that the Mets (and us fans) needed from him, he was great.  But, he didn’t pitch the ninth inning.  However, after retiring the heart of the order in the top of the eighth, you had to figure that the Mets bullpen could at least get the last three outs. 

Since the all star break the Mets bullpen has been terrible in 14.1 innings of work they have an 8.18 era and opponenets are hitting .271 against them.  I was going to say that last nights game was probably the worst display of relief pitching I’ve every seen, but then that would be a lie, because this whole season we’ve seen one bad pitching performance after another.  Billy Wagner was unavailable last night due to spasms or whatever; he probably would have stunk too.  Duane Sanchez allowed three straight hits; Joe Smith came into the game, faced one batter, but because Jose Reyes was greedy, he tried to turn two instead of getting the sure out at first, and no one was out.  Pedro Felicano came in and was just putrid, he allowed two straight doubles, one to a guy who was 0-16 as a pinch hitter and was 0-5 (or some number like that) against him; the other to Jimmy Rollins, Feliciano had the opportunity to get a double play when Ryan Howard hit one back to him, but he dropped the ball and could only make the play at first.  Aaron Heilman came in and since he isn’t really the guy you think of when you are looking to stop the bleeding, I figured the Phillies would tack on a few more.  Heilman walked the first guy he faced, but finally got Gregg Dobbs to pop up to end the inning.  It didn’t matter, the Phillies scored six, they batter around, and both Jayson Werth and Gregg Dobbs came to the plate twice in the inning.   

The Mets got two big homeruns last night, one from Carlos Delgado and one from Ramon Castro.  Reyes didn’t do anything at the plate he was 0-4 with a walk.  Beltran had an RBI, but no hits.  Endy Chavez was 3-4 but he was thrown out at the plate twice.  But, their offense wasn’t the problem, if they got the three outs they needed we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.   

It isn’t as simple as saying if the Mets had just capitalized on opportunities, maybe they would have gotten the “W”.  Endy Chavez was thrown out at the plate TWICE, although the Mets scored 6 runs they still left eight guys on base.  But the fact is, they had a three run lead and couldn’t get three outs.  That is all they needed to win, as much as I try to find a way that the Mets could have won the game, the truth is, they did have the game in their hands and they blew it.   

Again what you notice is that this Phillies team is never dead, they don’t stop, they don’t give up, they play to the last out.  That is something you can not say about the Mets.  We’ve finally seen a little fight out of them with their resurgence, but if they get a big lead, they kind of just nonchalant it, if they get down by too many they decided to save it for another day.    

Who knows what tonight will hold for the Mets.  Can they shake this loss off and come out and play well tonight?  Remember the Mets lost the first game of the Fourth of July series against the Phillies and then won the next three.  They can’t let last night linger too long or else they will be in trouble.   

John Maine will start tonight and he will be opposed by Brett Meyers, Meyers who apparently hates the Mets-(and might we say the feeling is mutual) is coming of a stint in the minors where he was finding his fastball.  Maine has struggled and would really like for him to find himself tonight.  Game time is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.   

Mets Blog 

The Mets were lucky to get out of Cincinnati with a split after winning Sunday 7-5 in 10 innings.  The Mets relinquished the lead on two occasions, but nonetheless, they pulled out the victory and found themselves again with a share of first place.   

Starter Mike Pelfrey, who has been very good as of late, winning his last six starts, did not figure in the decision, pitching seven giving up five runs on six hits while walking just one and striking out three.  Pelfrey, who has only allowed four homeruns in 108 2/3rds innings, allowed three homers in this game.  However, because he did pitch seven innings, the Mets were able to preserve their bullpen.  Duaner Sanchez pitched two scoreless innings in relief, walking one and striking out two.  Billy Wagner recorded his 24^th save of the season, and struck out each of the three batters he faced to close out the game.   

The Mets found some of the hits that had eluded their bats in Saturday’s loss.  The were facing Edinson Volquez, who has not allowed more than three runs, in all but one of his previous 19 starts.  He allowed four hits on 8 hits, while walking three and striking out 3.  Carlos Beltran gave the Mets a 1-0 lead in the first with an RBI single, and the Mets tacked on two more in the second on Ramon Castro’s two run homer. 

Both Carlos Delgado and Jose Reyes had monster days at the plate.  Jose Reyes was 4-6 yesterday with three runs scored and one stolen base.  He hit his 11th triple of the season and 63 career triples, passing Mookie Wilson’s for the Mets all time record.  

Delagado didn’t just have a good game yesterday, he had a great series.  He has had eight hits, scored three runs and recorded five RBI in the series.  In Sunday’s game he was 3-4 with 2 RBI.  Delgado’s hit in the 7^th tied the game at 5 and his sacrifice fly in the top of the 10^th gave the Mets a 7-5 lead.   

The Mets had two errors in Sunday’s game.  They really need to play better if they are going to make in headway against the Phillies this week. The Mets and Phillies open a three game series at Shea on Tuesday night.  The Phillies lost 2-3 of three to the Marlins.  You have to think that the wild card team is coming out of the central as the Cubs, Cardinals, and Brewers are all within games of each other and are playing pretty good baseball as of late; although the Cubs have struggled some after getting off to such a hot start.   

Johan Santana will start the game on Tuesday for the Mets.  Santana was putrid in his last outing and then blamed it on Billy Joel.  He has an opportunity here to win some Mets fans over with a good start against the Phillies.  Santana has one win and a no decision in his starts against the Phillies this year, in those starts, he has allowed five runs, walking none, and striking out 16 in 15 innings.   

Not to be overly dramatic, but this is a big series for the Mets.  They are at home, for the most part have (or at least had) been playing pretty good ball, and they are 7-3 against the Phillies so far this season.  They have to play well, they really need to win the series and show the Philllies that they aren’t going away. 

The Philllies will have the newly acquired Joe Blanton on the mound.  In two starts against the Mets, Blanton has thrown 15 shutout innings.  Game time Tuesday is scheduled for 7:10 p.m. 

Mets Blog

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

 If you watched the All Star game, you realized that Billy Wagner hasn’t just let the Mets down this year, but he has now let the whole National League down, as he blew a save opportunity to close out the game for the National League.  This performance got me to thinking, and with a suggestion from a reader, I have decided to write my own midseason report card for the Mets.   

Position Players: 

First Base: Carlos Delgado-Delgado’s performance is really the tale of two halves in its own right, the early part of the season (April-Mid June) and the late part of the first half (late June-break).  Early on, I’d have given Delgado an F, not just because he wasn’t hitting, but because he didn’t hustle on the field, he wasn’t helping the Mets out with his fielding.  But, since late June and right on through the All Star break Delgado has almost looked like a different player.  He has raised his average to .248 with 17 homeruns and 52 RBI.  But it isn’t just his hitting that has been better.  He has started to do the little things, like making an effort to field the ball, and taking the extra base when he can.  It is an all around hustle that this team has not had and it is good to see it out of a veteran guy.  So over all I think Delgado deserves a B-/C+.   

Second Base: Luis Castillo-Oh, where do I begin?  I think this guy stinks.  I do not like his body language or his attitude.  I think this signing was a huge waste of money and time.  And, let me tell you this, It does not bother me a bit that he will not have his starting job waiting for him.  He is a terrible fielder, and maybe that has to do with the fact that he can hardly walk, I think he is a nightmare at the plate, that slap crap hitting annoys me.  Also, I just don’t think that he is a good guy.  There was a lot of chatter about his relationship with Jose Reyes last year claming that he really isn’t a great influence on him-especially when you consider the mentoring relationship that Reyes had with Jose Valentin.  I think this guy is a problem in the club house and an all around lazy guy.  Someone also said that part of the reason Castillo is a Met this year is because he and Santana a great friends from their time together in Minnesota, but if that is true, I would say to Santana-you need new friends.  Overall grade-F 

Third Base: David Wright- David is a hard guy to grade.  We all know that this has not been his best season at the plate, yet he leads the team in almost every offensive category hitting .282 with 17 homeruns, 70 RBI and 11 stolen bases.  David has struggled this year, and he has not been himself at the plate.  He has shown glimpses of coming out of it but has been unable to sustain that for any extended period of time.  His fielding has been pretty good, he does have 12 errors, the majority being throwing errors, but they have also been costly errors, especially early on when the Mets were struggling to win games.  David is such a likeable guy, even when he is not performing up to the standards he set for himself by what he has done in past years.  He says the right thing, does the right thing, answers questions the right way, and an all around good guy.  I would take a team full of David Wrights any day.  That being said, he is a huge part of this team, and if the Mets are really going to make a run at this, he is going to have to continue to do his part, and work on getting runners home from third with less than two out and work on his strikeouts.  Overall grade B+ 

Short Stop: Jose Reyes-Reyes went into a slump last September and didn’t come out of it until the end of May.  But, the good news is he did eventually come out of the slump.  He has gotten his average up to .302 with 43 RBI.  He has fourth most hits in major league baseball with 119, having hit 10 homeruns, 10 triples, and 23 doubles.  He is tied for fifth in the majors with 32 stolen bases.  His offensive production is probably one of the factors why the Mets are sitting where they are now.  However, Reyes has  uncharacteristically struggled with his defense at times.  He has already made 12 errors-as a measuring point, he made only 12 errors all last season.  He does also still make some mental mistakes but I do think that it is all a process, and when he came up with the Mets we knew he was going to be good, and every year he continues to get better.  I think Jose will continue to swing a hot bat and will have a better second half defensively.  Over allgrade-B+/A- 

Left Field: Obviously this is one position you can’t give a grade to.  If you were going to say Endy Chavez, then he scores off the charts solely because of his defense, however, as a whole the position gets an INCOMPLETE because they really are in trouble out there, and what’s to come remains to be seen.   

Center Field: Carlos Beltran-Beltran has quietly had a good season.  He is hitting .268 with 15 homeruns and 66 RBI, he has suddenly become more aggressive on the base paths and has 15 stolen bases.  He started the season out slowly, and I think it had a lot to do with some trepidation coming back after having knee surgery in the off season.  His fielding is probably superior to most of the outfielders in the game.  While I do think a lot of balls fall in front of him because he plays too deep, rarely do they go over his head, and more often then not he tracks down balls in the gap that almost nobody gets to.  Early in the season, I really felt that he and the other Carlos were not doing what they should, and I also thought they were causing a division in the clubhouse.  With the departure of Willie Randolph, I think we’ve seen a new Beltran.  I loved the fact that he go thrown out of the game against Seattle, I know that he is not typically a demonstrative guy, but it was great to see him stand up for himself and Jerry Manual.  Overall grade: B+ 

Right Field: Again, if Ryan Church were playing out there, he would get an A+, his defense has been superb and his offensive production is something, until just recently, the Mets lineup was really missing.  I can’t believe how the Mets front offices screwed this situation up, but I do know they remain optimistic that he may be able to rejoin the team after the all star break.  If the Mets can get Church back, and he is able to pick up where he left off, then they might be in good shape out in right field.  Overall grade: INCOMPLETE 

Catchers: Ramon Castro/Brian Schneider the grade here actually goes to Jerry Manual.  I like the way he has played Castro and Schneider.  I don’t know if it is the rest that Schneider is getting or the reps that Castro is getting but this quasi platoon seems to be working in the Mets favor.  Overall grade B+

Starting Pitching:

Johan Santana he is 8-7 with a 2.84 era, with 114 strikeouts, and has allowed fewer hits than innings pitched.  The only concern is that he does give up the long ball, and has given up 14 so far this season.   However, Santana has shown that he has the guts to pitch out of trouble, and to pitch in big spots.  If Santana actually got some run support, or a good job by the bull pen, Santana could easily be 11-4.  However, things haven’t quite worked out that way for Santana.  Some fans get on him, suggesting that he isn’t any good, and as I’ve said before I believe that is because they have unreasonable expectations about his performance.  For me, has he been as good and I “thought” he was going to be, no-but he has been good.  And if you can believe what people say, that he is a second half pitcher, then we have a lot to look forward to.  Overall Grade B+/A-  

Pedro Martinez-Having Pedro back on the bench is a big plus.  I think he brings something to the clubhouse that no other player on the Mets does.  That being said, he has been unimpressive since his return.  Can Pedro be affective?  Can he stay healthy?  In his last start he pitched only four innings because of a sore groin and a stiff shoulder.  Overall Grade D 

Mike Pelfrey- Pelfrey is 8-6 with a 3.64 era.  Again, if you were just grading him on his last three starts then the guys deserves an A, but early on he was less than stellar, and was a big contributing factor to the Mets early season woes.  However, he never shied away or played the blame game, he kept going out there and working, he has had three good starts and has shown that he can in fact pitch with the big boys.  Overall Grade C 

John Maine-after hearing about how Maine was dominating spring training, I thought for sure he was in for a big season.  Maine is 8-6 with a 3.99 era.  He has failed to go deep into the game because he continuously has terribly high pitch counts.  We’ve seen more players foul pitches off with Maine on the mound, then I think I’ve ever seen before.  He seems to be lacking a real put away pitch and has yet to find that.  I think that all of us, Maine included, are disappointed in his season thus far.  Overall Grade C- 

Oliver Perez-With the addition of new pitching coach Dan Warthen, Oliver has had a chance to reinvent himself.  Oliver has an overall record of 6-5 with a 4.44 era, but in the two games he pitched in July he has allowed just one earned run.  He has pitched much better in his last three or four starts and seems to have tinkered with his windup and delivery.  If Perez keeps this up, he might just get the money he was looking for next year.  Perez seems to be either “Good Ollie” and or the “Bad Ollie”, there really isn’t any in between with this guy.  Clearly, he too, is a big reason why the Mets’ found themselves in such a hole early on.  But, as of late he has been in the middle of the Mets’ resurgence.  In the beginning of the season, I would have given him an F, and in his last four starts he deserves an A-.  Overall Grade: C+/B- 

Bull Pen:

The bullpen has had its fair share of issues so far this season.  Since Manual has taken over, I think we’ve seem a mostly better job out of the bullpen.   

Scott Schoeneweis- 2-1 with a 2.65 era.  In the month of June, this guy was terrible he had a 7.20 era in his 14 appearances and it didn’t seem like he could get anyone out.  However, early in the season, he was practically lights out, and he has rebounded stellarly in July, he has allowed no runs in his five appearances. Individual Grade C  

Pedro Feliciano- 2-2 with a 2.86 era.  Pedro too has struggled; he has given up 34 hits in his 34 2/3 innings of work.  Lefties are hitting just 1.72 against Feliciano, but righties are hitting a whopping 3.79 against him.  After getting off to a great start, he has really had a rough go of it.   Individual Grade C

Duaner Sanchez-I think everyone was happy to have Sanchez back, but he has yet to show that he has returned to his pre-injury self.  He is 3-1 with a 3.57 era.  He has really struggled, he was pitching to a 6.00 era in May, but was somewhat better in June appearing 13 games and pitching to a 3.60 era.  However, in July he has pitched in 7 games, and has only allowed only 1 run. Individual Grade  C 

Joe Smith-has a 2.97 era.  He has had 44 relief appearances so far this season, and has allowed 14 runs on 29 hits in 39 innings of work.  He struggled in the early part of the season, and again in June when pretty much the whole bull pen stunk.  Again, pretty much like everyone else, he has been much better as of late.  Individual Grade B-/C+ 

I saved my two favorite bull pen guys for last! 

Aaron Heilman-Heilman is a head case; I think that every time he goes out to pitch, he keeps thinking to himself, “I’m a starter!”  And, maybe he is inside, but not with the Mets.  Anyway, he has appeared in 48 games this season and has allowed 29 runs in 50 innings of work. He has a 4.50 era and a 0-3 record.  Early on he was getting killed with the long ball, and it seemed like he couldn’t get anyone out.  However, when everyone else struggled in June, he was great.  I just looked at his numbers and realized that although I think he has been better recently-like since the winning streak, he is still pitching to a 3.52 era in July.  From what I understand he has added a third pitch, a slider, that seems to help make his fastball and change up more affective, he has been able to keep the ball down in the zone which has kept the ball in the park.  He is a big part of that bullpen whether he realizes it or not.  The Mets need for him to get his head on straight if they are going to over take the Phillies.  Individual Grade C-

 Billy Wagner-has 22 saves in 28 opportunities, his era is 2.31.  He has allowed 15 runs (only 10 earned) in 39 innings.  What I think about Billy is he is the guy who passes all of his quizzes and then bombs the midterm.  What I mean to say is, that Billy got some saves for the Mets when they were easy to get.  But, put Billy in a big spot, and he is going to blow it.  That has become his reputation, and he has done little to dispel that.  I think Mets fans thought he was going to finally get the job done, after  years of watching Franco, Benitez, and Looper blow games, Wagner was the missing key.  Turns out he took over where the other guys left off.  I don’t trust Wagner in a big spot, can’t imagine anyone else does either.  Individual Grade F 

Bullpen Overall Grade: C 

Bench: I am not going to break it down player by player, but I do think the Mets have gotten more out of Endy Chavez, Fernando Tatis, and Damion Easley than anyone thought they might.  It is great that they’ve stepped in to be productive. 

So, overall I think the Mets get a C, there is no question that they have underperformed.  But I do think they have to get some credit for where they are today.  The Mets have lucked out and got hot at the right time to pull within a ½ game of the Phillies.  I hesitate to get too excited, while the Mets have won 9 in a row, I also know they are capable of playing as terrible as they did in the early first half.  I do have more hope for the Mets going into the second half because they have shown that the can and want to win.

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

On the day that David Wright was name as an all star, the Mets took the opening game of the series against the Rockies with a 2-1 win.  New York now has a seven game win streak.  The last time the Mets were able to win seven in a row was August of 2006.   

Oliver Perez wasn’t exactly the “good” Ollie; he was more like walk a lot and then try and pitch out of trouble Ollie.  Perez did start the seventh inning but after the first two hitters got on base he was pulled from the game.  He walked six in six innings and struck out seven.  The only run Perez gave up was a homer to Brad Hawpe.  As a staff the Mets pitchers walked a total of 9 Rockies.  Luckily for the Mets, the Rockies left the bases loaded in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings. 

Pedro Feliciano got the win and Billy Wagner got the save.  But the credit really goes to Aaron Heilman.  Heilman entered the game in the sixth inning with no out, Jeff Baker was on second and Brad Hawpe was on first, Jayson Nix advanced the runner with a sac bunt, and then Heilman walked pinch hitter Seth Smith before getting Willie Taveras and Clint Barmes to strike out and end the Rockies threat.  Heilman has really come around and has been very successful in his recent outings; it seems that he has added a third pitch, a slider, which has made his change up more effective.  He has been able to keep the ball down and by doing that it has kept the ball in play.   

Damion Easley was Friday night’s hero, with two outs and the game tied at one in the bottom of the eighth, Easley hit a homerun to make the score 2-1, and the Mets would win by that score.  It was pretty funny though, if you were watching the Mets telecast here in NY right before Easley hit the homerun Gary Cohen was talking about how Easley has hit some big homeruns in big spots, and right after that Easley homered.  Cohen said, “I called it!”  When Taylor Buchholz entered the game, they also said, “Buchholz has only allowed two homers this season…”  This time it worked in the Mets favor, but I always hate it when the commentators give a stat like that because it seems that on the very next pitch the guy gives up a homer.  

The Mets remain 1.5 games out of first as the Phillies seem to be hot again winning three straight.  The Marlins have also continued their winning ways and are tied for second with the Mets.    

Pedro Martinez will start on Saturday afternoon and  he will be opposed by Rockies’  starter Ubaldo Jimenez.  Jimenez was the same pitcher that out dueled Martinez when the Mets visited Coors field in late June.  Actually, it wasn’t much of a contest that was the game where Pedro was cruising along and then just imploded giving up six runs in a inning.  Anyway, lets hope that isn’t the case on Saturday afternoon.  Game time is scheduled for 3:55 p.m.  Lets Go Mets!   

 Mets Blog

The Mets completed a three game sweep of the San Francisco Giants on Thursday afternoon with a 7-3 win.  New York is now 1.5 games out of first and are in sole possession of second place.  The Mets played well in the three games against the Giants and really could be in a good way headed into the all star break if they play well in this series against the Rockies this weekend. 

John Maine started for the Amazin’s but he had a rough day.  Again his pitch count was crazy and he just didn’t seem to have great command of his pitches.  He only made it through four and two-thirds innings before leaving the game after allowing two runs to score to tie the game at three in the top of the 5^th.  Maine threw 109 pitches and gave up three earned runs on two hits while walking 5 and striking out 8.  I know Maine was disappointed, especially after his last outing, but I do have to say that his trouble today was not all his own doing, the home plate umpire Gerry Davis’ strike zone was the size of a postage stamp ( I will discuss the umps in a later paragraph).

The Met’s bullpen continued to be stellar in this series.  Carlos Muniz came into the game in the top of the 5^th and got Aaron Rowand to pop up to end the inning.  Muniz would work an inning and a third and not give up anything.  Scott Schoeneweis got the win, he entered the game in the 7^th inning and retired the side in order.  In the 8^th, Duaner Sanchez allowed a hit and walked one, but did not allow any runs.  We even saw our buddy Billy Wagner in the bottom of the 9^th.  Obviously it wasn’t a save situation, but apparently he needed the work.  With out any drama he retired the side in order to close out the game for the Mets. 

The offense was a little weak early against Barry Zito.  The Mets didn’t take advatage of all thier scoring opportunities early in the game, in fact although they scored 7 runs the Mets as a team left 12 guys on base.  Early on the bottom of the second Fernando Tatis lead off the inning with a double, but did not advance past second base.  In the bottom of the third the Mets put three on the board, and there looked to be a lot more to come because in the bottom of the fourth, Zito walked three batters to load the bases, but he was off the hook after getting Carlos Beltran to ground out into a force play to end the inning.  After the Giants tied the game in the top of the 5^th, I thought the Mets might just melt down, but not so.  They scored four more runs off the Giants’ bullpen to secure the victory. 

Fernando Tatis had another great day at the plate; he was 3-5 with four RBI, hitting two doubles and the go ahead two homer in the bottom of the seventh.  As I said previously, I think it is great to ride his bat now, I would be worried that the longer he plays the outfield the more likely his defense or lack there of will be exposed, but for right now, I think he has been a big asset to this team; he has been on a hot streak and has gotten some big hits for the Mets.  Tatis has really be a big part of the Mets 6 game winning streak.  David Wright was on base 5 times, going 2-3 and scoring a couple of runs.  Argenis Reyes was in the mix; he started at second base and made some outstanding plays in the field as well as notching another hit.  A. Reyes has appeared in 7 games for the Mets and in his 13 at bats he has four hits-and the hits have all come in clusters. 

Ok, so here is my thing on the umps-they have done a terrible job this year.  I think it shows you that something is terribly wrong when both starting pitchers in a game throw a ton of pitches (both Zito and Maine threw over 100 pitches and neither made it past the 5^th).  Not only did both starters throw a ton of pitches, they also had ball to strike ratios that were nearly 50/50.  And while you can say that neither one of the guys had the great stuff, and certainly both of these guys have had their issues this season, if you watched the game you would have seen that much of what happened to Maine and Zito today had a lot to do with the miniscule strike zone.  It isn’t just that the strike zones are largely inconsistent or sometime just way too small, but it bas been some other things as well.  The call in Tuesday night’s game (and I forget which ump was at second base and which Giants’ runner was on), but, the runner was clearly out of the base path, not just a little out of the base path, he was on the grass and the ump was standing right there and did not bother to call it.  And, don’t even get me started on the Ryan Howard homerun.  That was clearly NOT a homer.  How about the blown call on the Delgado homer in the Yankee game?  Didn’t the umps also blow another homerun call in another Yankee game after the messed up the call in the Met’s series?  What are these guys doing out there?  I have watched a lot of baseball and do catch the Mets nearly every night, and I have to say this is about one of the worst years of all around umpiring that we’ve seen.  I guess the umps really do want instant replay and at this rate, maybe the players association should demand it. 

I am so glad the Mets beat the Giants.  Now Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo can just shut up!  Every day this guys is bagging on NY baseball, but let me tell you he had little to say today.  Oh wait-he did cry a little about Tatis’ “dance” after his homerun. Seriously Chris, I think you are just a sore loser!  It isn’t as if he stood and home plate and watched the ball leave the yard like your boy Bonds use to.

The Mets were outstanding in this series.  It has been so much fun to watch them.  It is great to see the bats alive and to just see them having fun.   The pitching had been good.  I hope the all star break really gets them all refreshed and that they can pick up where they are right now.  Of course, they still have three games to play against an underachieving Colorado Rockies team, but last year they had a lot of trouble against the Rockies so I’m not taking anything for granted.  It would be great though for the Mets to take two of three and put them a few more game over .500. 

Also, just one last note I was at work yesterday and unable to watch the game on TV so I was listening to local radio here in New York, on 660 WFAN-the Mets play by play guys are Howie Rose and Wayne Hagen.  I love Howie, he is great and I love the fact that he has been a Mets fan his whole life, but Wayne Hagen STINKS.  I think I am going to start a website, something to the affect like www.waynehagenmakesmyearsbleed.com  He really ruins the whole game, I don’t even to listen to the post game report becuase this guy is terrible. 

As I said the Rockies come to town for a three game set scheduled to start on Friday evening.  Oliver Perez will be on the mound and we’ll all be waiting to see if Ollie can make it three good starts in a row.  The Rockies will counter with Aaron Cook.  Game time is 7:10 p.m.    

Mets Blog

Wow-the Mets are on a roll!  They have now won five straight, the longest winning streak since May and are 3 games over .500.  The Phillies won last night so the Mets stay at 1.5 out of first, and 3.5 out of the wild card. 

Johan Santana finally got the win last night.  The game was stopped for rain in the middle of the fifth inning and Santana did not come back out to start the top of the sixth.  However, in his five innings he allowed just 3 hits, no earned runs, while walking 3 and striking out 5.  It was a great outing by Santana and I think the Mets offense feels better about getting him some runs.  According to the New York Post, after the game, Santana said, “In the past I was doing my job, I was working and trying to help as much as I can…[T]onight it was about the whole team.”  Clearly Santana has been frustrated by the lack of run support that he has gotten during his losing streak.  I can’t say I blame him, the Mets had averaged just two runs in his last six starts.  Santana has pitched well, his era is under three, his hits/walks to innings pitched is good, and everyone says he is s second half pitcher so I think we have a lot to look forward to. 

The Mets offense was quiet early on.  They took a 3-0 lead on Ramon Castro’s three run homer in the bottom of the fourth.  I like the way that Jerry Manual is playing his catchers.  Not to take anything away from Brian Schneider, because I think he is an good catcher and I think Schneider does a good job with Mike Pelfrey behind the plate, but it is also good to get Castro’s bat in the line up.  I know Willie Randolph last year said something to the affect that Castro could be an every day guy but didn’t really seem willing to do the work necessary for the role.  For the most part, when Castro has been in the game he has made a contribution to the offense, last night he was 2-4 with three RBI.  On the season, his average is .274 in 73 at bats, with three homeruns, 14 RBI. 

Carlos Delgado continues to be hot at the plate, last night he was 3-4 with two doubles and a long single.  His average is up to .249 and he has 50 RBI.  In the month of July (I know 9 games) he is hitting .429 with two homeruns 5 RBI.  The Mets could really use his bat, especially with the absence of Ryan Chruch and the inability to rely on the health of Moises Alou, getting Delgado going could be huge.  In Tuesday’s game Argenis Reyes got the first hit of his MLB career, last night he entered the game as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the seventh and stayed in to play second base,  he was 2-2 on the night with an RBI-this guy has good speed on the base path, I would like to see what he can do at second base. 

The bullpen did a great job last night.  Aaron Heilman entered the game in the 6^th inning and pitched two strong innings of relief.  Duaner Sanchez pitched the eighth inning and Joe Smith closed it out working a scoreless ninth.  I was so glad that the Mets scored two in the bottom of the 8^th, I really wasn’t up for watching another Billy Wagner last night. 

The Mets are playing good right now, they are hitting and getting good pitching.  They are also doing something that they have failed to do up to now, and that is beating the teams they are supposed to beat.  They took three of four from the Phillies, they have taken the first two in the series against the Giants, and if they get a good outing from John Maine today and the bats stay hot, they may just get a the sweep here.  We all saw their terrible play against the Mariners (sub .500 team) when they were here as well as watching them get their butts handed to them by the Padres (another sub .500 team). It would be great for the Amazin’s to close this series out with with a win and then have a good series against the Rockies, sending them into the all star break on a high note. 

Even a few weeks ago if you would have told me the Mets were sitting right where they are I would not have believed you.  Two weeks ago, I watched the Mets at to see what they would do to make me made for another night in a row.  I must admit, the Mets are playing better, looking better as a team.  They are getting some confidence back and it is showing on the field.  I don’t know what it is that has changed, but I like it, and for the first time in a long time, I am excited about the Mets again! 

Thrusday’s game is set for 1:10 start, John Maine will be on the mound for the Mets and the Giants will have an unimpressive Barry Zito going for them.  LETS GO METS!

Mets Blog

Can you actually give Billy Wagner credit for a save last night?  I guess when you see official scoring you realize how absurd some of this stuff really is.  The guy almost blew the game, yet got credit for his 20^th save of the season.  What are the Mets going to do about this guy?  No one fears him, as a fan I don’t trust him in a big spot; actually, I don’t trust him at all.  And, it wasn’t just his pitching that was bad last night, on the error by Carlos Beltran on the throw to David Wright in the bottom of the ninth-where was Billy Wagner?  I can tell you he wasn’t backing up third.  First, yes, Beltran should not have made that throw, and since he did, Wright needed to knock it down, but even still Wagner needed to back up the play.  All weekend long, Keith Hernandez has been been talking about fundamentals (fundies as Keith calls them)-I guess Billy forgot both of fielding and pitching “fundies” last night.

So, with really no thanks to Wagner the Mets did pull out a win and are now over .500 for the first time since June 5, and are just 2.5 games out of first place.  There are two things I must say about the game.  1-that was NOT a homerun by Ryan Howard-and how is it that we are seeing so many of these blown calls on homeruns, we’ve seen two in Mets games this year, are the Umps trying to get instant replay?  And 2-The Mets could learn a few things from the Phillies, the Mets pitching let the Phillies chip away at that lead.  The Phillies did something last night that we have not seen the Mets do, and that is they never considered themselves out of the game.  Pedro Martinez looked much better last night, in 5 1/3 innings of work, he allowed two runs, both of which were homeruns, one by Chase Utley and here’s a surprise, one by Pat Burrell.  Pedro also walked three and struck out six.  Also, that ball park is awful, I can’t believe how balls just fly out of there, you almost shouldn’t even count the homeruns that are hit in that park, especially the bullsh*t ones that are nothing more than fly balls.

The Mets bullpen did not help much last night, Tony Armas Jr.,yeah, I know he is a “starter”, anyway, he gave up three earned runs in and inning and a third, and Aaron Heilman who pitched well the night before, didn’t pitch so well last night, he did have four strikeouts though, the biggest one was the Pat Burrell strikeout in the bottom of the seventh.  However, he is also the guy who gave up the two run homer to a guy who is mired in a 2-40 (well now 3-41) slump.  And, we’ve already been through the Billy Wagner outing, so I’ll leave it at that. 

The Mets were facing Adam Eaton who in his career has never had a loss to the Mets, but the Mets took it to him pretty hard early on scoring 8 runs in the first three innings.  The Mets had 17 hits Brian Schneider is the only one Met without a hit.  Even Pedro Martinez had a hit last night. David Wright was 2-5 with four RBI, hitting a homerun and a double.  Jose Reyes 2-4 with two runs scored and a stole base.  The bench guys continued their hot streak last night, Fernando Tatis was 3-4 and Damion Easley was 3-5.   

When the Mets left on this road trip, I said I would have liked for them to go 6-2, and thought realistically they would end up 4-4, but after Friday night’s debacle, I was worried that they wouldn’t even finish there.  However, the Mets complete the road trip 5-3 taking 3-4 from the Phillies.  This road trip and the fact that the Mets are now just 2.5 our with six to go before the all star break is bring a little life and excitement back to watching the Mets. 

The Phillies and the Marlins are the two teams ahead of the Mets so, as of today, the schedules for the Marlins and Philles before the all star break are as follows: Marlins have two more games with the Padres, and then four against the Dodgers and the Phillies play three with St. Luis and three with Arizona.  I guess that means that at least for this week, I am a Mets fan and a fan of any team playing the Phillies and the Marlins!  (Oh no!  That means I am actually rooting for the Cardinals!)

The Mets open a three game series with the San Francisco Giants-so if you see Chris “Mad Dog” Russo out at Shea-make sure to give him a hard time.  Giants will have Tim Lincecum on the mound and the Mets will throw Mike Pelfrey.  Game time is set for 7:10 p.m.    

Mets Blog