Just when you think the Mets hit their low point last week after losing three of four against the Washington Nationals, you realize that apparently they still had further to fall.  The Mets hit a new low on Thursday night after the Atlanta Braves completed a four game sweep of the Mets.  Chipper Jones is hitting .412 against the Mets this season and at Turner Field, the Mets are 0-6 so far this season and have been outscored 51-14 in those six games. 

 The Mets are now under .500 and seem as if they are on a downward spiral that you can’t imagine where they might end up.  What was very apparent watching the way the Braves play in these four games was that the Braves hustle, they play hard and they finish.  We have not seen that kind of play from the Mets, in fact it seems that they are too often nonchalant.  Uh funny when I hear that word Luis Castillo flashes across my mind, and Jose Reyes is starting to get there too.    

The Mets played the most uninspired baseball.  Is this the same team that took on the Yankees last weekend?  Watching them last night, it is hard to believe that Willie Randolph will be at the helm of this sinking ship for much longer.  I’m not sure how the Mets can keep him especially after his comments last week.  The team has not responded, and they certainly did nothing to show that they had his back these past four games in Atlanta.  For whatever reason, he seems to have lost this team.  The only consistency this team has been able to sustain is playing poorly.  

Johan Santana gave up a career high 12 hits.  He was not sharp, but he also did not get the help he needed from his defense either.  The Mets defense looked like it might be an issue early on with Marlon Anderson in left field for the ailing Moises Alou.  However, Anderson wasn’t the offender of poor play-that was reserved for the starters-David Wright, Brian Schneider, Luis Castillo, Carlos Beltran.  The Mets can’t complain about not getting breaks in the game last night, you make your own luck, only last night it looked like they wanted to help the luck of the Braves.  Was there a lack of concentration there?   

You know how each year there is a guy on your team who drives you crazy?  A guy you don’t like much but you feel like you have to root from him because he is on your team?  Well, that is how I feel about Luis Castillo. When I watch him the word lazy keeps coming to mind.  Maybe that isn’t fair given the situation with his knees, but it is his body language that gets me.  That play he made-or failed to make last night was so frustrating, at first I thought maybe he didn’t have time to go to first, but when I saw the replays he had plenty of time, he never even thought about going to first, he was thinking of making a sports center highlight. That makes two games in a row that you can look at him for one play that really changes the game.  I just don’t like his style of play, and I think from what has been said here in the NY press, that he is rubbing off on Jose Reyes.  The problem is the Mets are not doing what they are supposed to be doing.  They are not playing hard, they are not playing smart.  

The Carloses hit back to back homers in the second, but those were the only runs the Mets would score.  The Mets had some chances later in the game, but Luis Castillo hit into a double play to end the threat in the eight.  And David Wright was doubled off first when Carlos Beltran hit a bullet to second baseman Kelly Johnson and Wright was too far of first to get back in time.

Ryan Church pinch hit in last nights game and is scheduled to play Friday night against the Rockies.  However, the Mets placed Moises Alou on the DL with a calf strain and recalled catcher Raul Casanova to take his place on the active roster.   

So the Mets now head off to Colorado, under .500 for the first time since early April.  Oliver Perez will pitch for the Mets and Greg Reynolds will pitch for the Rockies.  First pitch is schedules for 9:05 p.m.    

 Mets Blog 

The New York Mets concluded a three game series with the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, beating Arizona 5-2.  The Mets took two of three against the National League’s top team, continuing their winning ways in Arizona.  The Mets are now 15-2 in their last 17 games at Chase Field. 

Johan Santana took the mound for the Mets and he was opposed by pitcher Dan Haren.  The Mets really needed a strong outing from their ace, and although it wasn’t his best showing, Santana really gutted it out and kept the Mets in the game.  Santana threw 112 pitches in his six innings of work, giving up six hits but only one run, recording eight strikeouts; he did have four walks, two of them intentional and threw three wild pitches.  He left with at 2-1 lead, but would not figure in the decision as Joe Smith gave up a run in the seventh. 

In the third inning with one on and two out, Jose Reyes hit a line drive RBI single, and the Mets would take a 1-0 lead.  David Wright lead off the fourth inning with a homerun that traveled well over 376 sign for the Mets second run of the game.  With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the eighth, it looked like the Diamondback’s would take the lead when the first hitter of the inning, Chris Burke bunted the ball to pitcher Pedro Feliciano, Feliciano field the ball making an errant throw to first,  allowing Burke to advance.  Instead of just taking second base on the error, Burke tired to advance to third and breaking one of the cardinal rules of baseball, was thrown out at third on an amazing throw from right fielder Ryan Church.  Feliciano then gave up a single to pinch hitter Micha Owings (yes, the pitcher Micha Owings), however replays showed that Owings was actually out at first base.  Willie Randolph came out to argue the call, although it might have been nice if Randolph actually argued with the umpire.  At this point, the Mets would make a pitching change and Jorge Sosa would enter the game retiring both of the hitters he faced to end the inning.       

The Mets bats were silent until the top of the ninth when Carlos Beltran led of the inning with a single to right.  Moises Alou hit what looked to be a sure double play ball, but because of the way the Diamondback’s defense was playing, ended up a single and moved Beltran to second.  The Mets would take the lead 3-2 when Beltran scored on a throwing error by Conner Jackson.  Brian Schneider laid down a perfect sacrifice bunt, and with one out and runners on second and third, the Diamondbacks elected to intentionally walk Luis Castillo and go after pinch hitter Marlon Anderson; Anderson hit a bullet to right and another run scored.  Jose Reyes came to bat with the bases loaded, swung at the first pitch, and hit a sacrifice fly to make the game 5-2.  Billy Wagner would enter the game in the bottom or the ninth and on nine pitches, retired the side in order.    

All in all I thought this was a much better game for the Mets.  The players seemed to really play as a team today.  The guys played hard and fought back to win.  There was a desire and toughness to them that has been missing in many games this season.  It seemed that in their two blow out losses the Mets had just given up, but I thought today with the game tied having given up the lead late, the guys really came together and fought back to win.

Taking two out of three against the Diamondback’s was a must because the Mets now move on to Los Angels to take on a hot Dodger team, who up until they lost to the Colorado Rockies yesterday, were riding an eight game winning streak.  Oliver Perez will pitch for the Mets Monday night and has an opportunity to atone for his awful outing last time out against the Pirates.  The Dodger will throw Chad Billingsley who is 1-4 on the season with a 5.20 era. 

Mets Blog

The New York Mets returned to Shea Stadium to take on the Atlanta Braves for the first of three games.  After a rain shortened series in Atlanta earlier this month where the Mets lost both games by a combined score of 14-6; the Mets needed to take this opportunity and make a statement to the Braves, while putting some distance between the two in the standings.  It was the Braves who made the statement winning 6-3.   

Starter Mike Pelfrey struggled early and often.  In the first inning he walked three Braves and gave up one hit; he got himself out of a bases loaded jam and limited the damage to just one run.  It wasn’t until the fifth that Pelfrey finally retired a hitter who lead of the inning getting Chipper Jones to ground out.  In the sixth, Pelfrey gave up a two run shot to Kelly Johnson, the Braves would stay on top for good.  Jose Reyes recorded an error for a second straight night when his throw on a routine grounder pulled first baseman Marlon Anderson off the bag.  Pelfrey would leave the game at that point going 51/3, giving up 5 runs on 5 hits, he walked four and struck out one; he was was replaced by Scott Schoeneweis who finished the inning with out giving up another run. 

The Mets scored all three of their runs in the third inning when Braves starter Jair Jurrjens gave up three runs on two hits (the only two hits the Mets would record on the night) and four consecutive walks.  In the midst of all this, Braves manager Bobby Cox was thrown out of the game for the 136th time in his career after coming out of the dugout to argue with umpire Tim McClelland.  In the seventh, the Mets looked like they would rally when Will Ohman gave up back to back walks to Jose Reyes and Luis Castillo  who both failed to produce with RISP.  On the night the Mets stranded 5 runners. 

Marlon Anderson played first base giving Carlos Delgado a much needed night off, Delgado struck out when he pinch hit in the ninth.  Brian Schneider is expected to be in the hospital until Sunday.  

The Mets continue to struggle in all facets of the game playing shoddy defense, getting poor pitching, and not swinging the bat well at all.  There is much talk in New York about the return of Moises Alou to the lineup, however if the Mets are going to remain competitive in the division they are going to need Jose Reyes to get on base and the bats of Delgado, Beltran and Wright as well.  The next two games against the Braves are critical, the pitching match ups favor the Braves and it doesn’t help that the Met’s bats are dead.  Mets fans have a lot to be worried about. 

Mets Blog 

The New York Mets closed out their two game series against the Washington Nations with a 10-5 loss on Thursday night, going 3-4 on the road trip.  The Mets looked like they had rebounded from a three game losing streaking after winning the first game of the series, but starter Oliver Perez struggled and did not make it out of the fifth.  Perez pitched 5.2 innings, giving up 5 runs on 6 hits while recording 4 walks and 3 strikeouts. Aaron Heilman came in and gave up a walk, a grand slam, and two singles before striking out Austin Kearns to end the inning.  Jorge Sosa did not fair much better giving up 3 runs; however because of an error by Jose Reyes, his third on the season, only one of those runs was earned. 

Luis Castillo, Carlos Beltran, Ryan Church, Marlon Anderson, Oliver Perez each had one RBI. Anderson’s and Beltran’s RBI coming off homeruns.  The Mets had a total of 11 hits, leaving 9 guys on base.  The heart of the order was a combined 3 for 17, with both Wright and Delgado going 0-4.  Delgado’s batting average has dropped to .198. 

The Mets started to rally in the ninth when Marlon Anderson hit a pinch hit home run and Jose Reyes and Luis Castillo reached on singles but, John Rauch settled in and retired the next three hitters in order to end the game.  

For a second straight night, Carlos Delgado hit sixth in the order behind Ryan Church who occupied the fifth spot.  Church is swinging a hot bat right now hitting .354; this is a good sign as there was some concern about his offensive output coming into the season.   The Mets were without catcher Brian Schneider who is in a New York hospital to treat an infection in his left thumb.  Brady Clark was designated for assignment.  The Mets purchased the contract of catcher Gustavo Molina from Triple-A New Orleans.  

The Mets could be in for a long series against the Braves if they continue to play the way they did on this road trip. 

 Mets Blog