| H O M E P L A T E July 2006 Game Log | |||
| Beltran Hits Two HRs, Mets Sweep Braves | |||
Beltran hit two homers, including his third grand slam in July, and New York completed its first sweep of at least three games in Atlanta in 21 years by beating its longtime nemesis 10-6 Sunday. With the loss, the Braves fell 15 games behind the first-place Mets in the NL East. The Mets swept a four-game set in Atlanta from July 4-7, 1985. Their last sweep of any series there was a two-game set May 1-2, 1989. The Mets are 8-4 against the Braves this year, including a 5-1 mark at Turner Field. It is a notable turnaround from last year, when the Mets were 1-8 at Atlanta. Entering the season, the Mets' all-time record in Atlanta was 110-151.
Beltran's second inning slam was the Mets' major league record-tying sixth of the month. The Montreal Expos hit six grand slams in April 1996 and Cleveland matched the record in May 1999. He is the ninth player to hit three slams in a month and the first since Milwaukee's Devon White in May 2001.
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| Mets Rout Braves | |||
Carlos Beltran homered twice, Orlando Hernandez allowed only three hits in eight innings and the Mets buried their old nemesis a little deeper in the NL East, routing the Braves 11-3 Saturday. Hernandez didn't give up an earned run -- Atlanta took advantage of two New York errors -- and he also picked up the first two RBIs of his career during a seven-run sixth that broke open a 3-all game. Beltran capped the big inning with a three-run homer off Chad Paronto, who had just replaced starter Tim Hudson. The Mets center fielder also hit a two-run shot in the first and now has 30 homers for the year -- 14 more than he did during a disappointing first season in New York. Endy Chavez chipped in with three RBIs for New York, which outhit the Braves 15-4.
Hernandez (7-8) won his third straight decision and further solidified his spot in the Mets' shaky rotation, their only major area of concern as they go for their first playoff appearance since reaching the Subway World Series in 2000.
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| Pedro Looked Great After Awful First Inning | |||
But once he realized that his hip wasn't going to be a problem, the Atlanta Braves never had a chance. Martinez surrendered four runs in the first inning but didn't give up any more, and the New York Mets stretched their already commanding lead in the NL East with a 6-4 victory Friday night. Martinez (8-4) retired the last 12 hitters he faced before turning it over to the bullpen, which shut down Atlanta without a hit over the final three innings. Billy Wagner worked the ninth for his 21st save.
Jose Reyes and David Wright homered for the Mets, who increased their advantage over the Braves to 13 games on a blistering night that drew a record crowd of 53,943 to Turner Field. That broke the Atlanta regular-season mark of 53,775 on April 8, 1974, when Hank Aaron hit his 715th homer to eclipse Babe Ruth.
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| Valentin's Day | |||
Jose Valentin hit an RBI single with two outs in the 10th inning, and New York edged the Chicago Cubs 1-0 Wednesday to snap a three-game skid. "These are the games that turn good teams into great teams," Mets third baseman David Wright said. "Great teams dig down deep in games like this." Maine tossed seven innings of three-hit ball (all soft singles). He matched zeros with oft-injured All-Star Mark Prior, who threw 5 2-3 hitless innings before departing after 103 pitches. Carlos Beltran singled with two outs in the 10th off ex-Met Glendon Rusch (3-8), and Carlos Delgado followed with a cue-shot double past third. After Wright was intentionally walked to load the bases, Valentin lined a 1-2 pitch to center, giving the Mets 15 wins in their final at-bat this year. The 36-year-old Valentin was signed last offseason to be a role player. But he's been an extremely pleasant surprise since assuming the everyday job at second base. "I've got something to prove here," he said, "not just to the players, but to the coaches and the manager and the front office."
Aaron Heilman (1-3) worked a scoreless inning for the win.
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| Mets Look Sloppy Again | |||
Just imagine if he was swinging from his favorite side of the plate. Zambrano hit his fourth homer of the season and won his eighth straight decision, leading the Chicago Cubs to an 8-6 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday night. "The weird thing is, I'm a much better hitter lefty," Zambrano said, adding that one of his homers this year came from that side. But he shies away from batting left-handed because he doesn't want to expose his pitching arm and possibly let it get hit by a fastball. Aramis Ramirez homered again and drove in three runs as Zambrano and the Cubs beat Tom Glavine for the second time in 11 days. Phil Nevin also connected and Henry Blanco hit a three-run double, sending Chicago to its second consecutive victory over the NL East leaders. The 40-year-old Glavine gave up a season-high eight runs -- five earned -- and seven hits in 6 1-3 innings, dropping to 0-2 in his last six starts. Zambrano (11-3) won the matchup of All-Star starters despite a shaky outing -- and he helped his own cause with another big blow. He sliced a leadoff homer to right off Glavine (11-4) in the seventh, becoming the first major league pitcher to hit at least four home runs in a season since Colorado's Mike Hampton had seven in 2001. The last Cubs pitcher to hit four was Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins, who had six in 1971, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Zambrano's home run pushed Chicago's lead to 7-5. Ramirez added an RBI single later in the inning.
Zambrano allowed five runs and eight hits in seven innings, extending his career-best winning streak. He also struck out six, running his NL-leading total to 147.
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| How Can You Lose To The Cubs? | |||
The Mets scored three runs in the seventh to pull within one. They had runners on first and second when Cubs shortstop Ronny Cedeno knocked down Cliff Floyd's grounder and threw him out to end the inning. The Cubs used three relievers to get through the seventh. Bob Howry retired Floyd after allowing David Wright's broken-bat RBI single. Carlos Delgado drove in two runs for the Mets. Carlos Beltran's sacrifice fly in the seventh gave him 80 RBIs, a club record for center fielders.
The Cubs trailed 4-3 before Ramirez hit a 1-1 pitch from Trachsel (9-5) into the second deck in left for a two-run homer in the fifth. Ramirez's 22nd homer traveled an estimated 425 feet and came after Barrett's leadoff single.
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| Heilman and Mets Can't Complete Sweep | |||
"Sometimes you pitch great and lose," Oswalt noted Sunday. "And sometimes you pitch terrible and win." The Astros beat the New York Mets 8-4 Sunday and Oswalt's bat had as much to do with the win as his arm. He contributed a pair of singles to help build Houston rallies and came away with his first victory in over a month. There had been four losses and three no-decisions since he beat Chicago on June 14 so Sunday's win was a welcome change. "It was a battle," Oswalt said. "I didn't have great stuff. Sometimes you're able to battle and get through it." It was a day that did not begin well for Oswalt (7-7). He gave up a three-run homer to New York's Carlos Delgado in the first inning. It was a similiar start to Saturday when the Mets Orlando Hernandez gave up three runs to Houston in the first inning in a game New York won 4-3. The Mets, who came into the game leading the National League in first-inning runs with 79, struck quickly again.
Lo Duca doubled down the right field line with one out and Carlos Beltran walked. Delgado followed with his 25th home run of the season and third in the last four games. The three-run homer gave Delgado 65 runs batted in for the season and eight in the last four games.
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| El Duque Looks Great | |||
El Duque overcame a shaky start and Xavier Nady hit a three-run homer to lead the New York Mets past the slumping Houston Astros 4-3 Saturday. Carlos Delgado added a sacrifice fly, helping the NL East-leading Mets to their third consecutive victory and 11th in 15 games. They improved to a season-best 21 games over .500, thanks to Hernandez's quick recovery. "He looked like the Duque that I know," New York manager Willie Randolph said.
Houston starter Brandon Backe came off the disabled list and lasted four innings in his first start in more than three months. The Astros dropped their third straight and ninth in 12 games to fall a season-worst six games below .500.
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| Remember The Maine | |||
Plugged in at the last minute, Maine responded with a brilliant four-hitter, shutting out the Astros 7-0. He had plenty of help with Jose Valentin hitting his second grand slam home run in two weeks and Carlos Delgado adding a two-run shot. But this was Maine's show. "How about that, huh?" manager Willie Randolph said. "Johnny Maine threw the ball great. He did an outstanding job. He kept hitting his spots and putting up zeroes. He was strong and stayed in his rythym." Maine was slotted for Saturday's game against the Astros with Orlando Hernandez set to go Friday. But with heavy rains falling before the game, Randolph decided to move Maine up a day to protect El Duque from having his start interrupted by the weather. "They told me about 5 o'clock," Maine said. "They said, `Are you ready to pitch?' and I told them I was ready to go. I didn't have much chance to think about the hitters. I think that was the best thing for my performance. I located my fastball well and got away with some changes. I got some quick outs."
He threw 98 pitches, 67 for strikes and produced his first major league complete game. It was his first win since Sept. 5, 2005 when he was with Baltimore.
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| Mets Get Momentum Back | |||
Cliff Floyd and Carlos Delgado hit solo homers off an otherwise-tough Bronson Arroyo, helping the Mets take two of three in the series. New York has won six of its last eight overall, improving the league's best record to 57-38. Since June 22, the Mets have enjoyed a double-digit lead in the NL East, providing a temptation to relax. There's no indication that they're going to do it. Carlos Beltran completed the rally with a run-scoring double off Kent Mercker. Pedro Feliciano (4-2) pitched the ninth to get the win for New York, which leads the NL with a 30-20 road record. The Reds were facing one of their toughest challenges Thursday: beat Tom Glavine. The left-hander has dominated Cincinnati since the earliest days of his 19-year career. He's 26-12 overall, the most times any current pitcher has beaten the Reds, and has lost only six games in Cincinnati during his career. Arroyo kept up with him, turning it into a starters' draw. Glavine left with the bases loaded and the score tied at 2 in the seventh inning. Reliever Chad Bradford pitched out of the threat, leaving Glavine with his fourth no-decision in his last five starts.
Ryan Freel tied it with a two-run double in the fifth, the only inning that Glavine later lamented. Freel had three of Cincinnati's nine hits off the left-hander, who has been stuck on 11 wins since June 23.
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| Long Rain Delay Hurts Mets Momentum | |||
It ended, all right. And so did the best part of the New York Mets' night. Jason LaRue's two-run double in the eighth inning sparked the Reds to a 7-4 victory Wednesday night that featured a game-changing delay. "I'm impressed to play the game that we did," LaRue said. The Reds rallied from a 4-0 deficit after the delay, tying it on Rich Aurilia's solo homer in the fifth. Scott Hatteberg started the winning rally with his third hit of the game, a leadoff single in the eighth off Duaner Sanchez (5-1). The Mets stockpiled four runs off Aaron Harang before the 2-hour, 23-minute delay in the bottom of the second inning changed everything. New York wasn't the same afterward, managing only two hits off a bullpen solidified by trades in the last two weeks.
"The rain delay killed our whole momentum," Mets manager Willie Randolph said. "It took us out of our rhythm."
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| Beltran Goes Slam Again | |||
Beltran hit the last of New York's three homers Tuesday night, a seventh-inning grand slam off Eric Milton that powered the Mets to an 8-3 victory over the Cincinnati Reds. Beltran's slam off Milton (6-5) was the sixth of his career and his second in two games. He and Cliff Floyd connected Sunday during a club-record 11-run sixth inning that set up a 13-7 win against the Cubs at Wrigley Field. He became the 23rd major leaguer to hit grand slams in consecutive games. David Eckstein was the last to do it, for the Angels in April 2002. Beltran added a run-scoring double in the ninth off left-hander Bill Bray, acquired in an eight-player trade with Washington last week. The loss was Cincinnati's first since the All-Star break, coming off a four-game sweep of Colorado. Xavier Nady and Jose Valentin also hit solo homers that helped right-hander Mike Pelfrey improve to 2-0 after two major league starts. The 22-year-old rookie gave up seven singles and a pair of runs in six innings. A first-round draft pick last year, Pelfrey was called up from Double-A on July 7 to help a short-handed rotation. He's the third Mets player to win the first two starts of his career, joining Dick Selma (1965) and Gary Gentry.
Eric Milton gave up 43 and 40 homers in the last two seasons, a bad mix of flyball pitcher and home run-friendly ballpark. The left-hander is giving them up at the same pace this season.
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| Mets Slaughter Cubbies | |||
First, Cliff Floyd homered with the bases loaded. Then, Carlos Beltran did the same. After David Wright added a two-run shot, New York had 11 runs -- the most in a single inning in club history. "It was just amazing to keep going like that. You never think you're going to score 11 runs in one inning," Floyd said Sunday night after Mets' sixth-inning outburst sent them to a 13-7 victory over the Chicago Cubs. It was one of those hot summer nights at Wrigley Field where the wind is blowing out and the ball is flying over the wall. New York sent 16 batters to the plate in the sixth and benefited from two errors on Cubs second baseman Todd Walker that led to eight of the 11 runs being unearned. The half-inning, on a muggy 95-degree night, took 41 minutes to play and saw the Cubs make 70 pitches. The Mets' outburst marked the first time a team had two grand slams in an inning since April 23, 1999, when St. Louis' Fernando Tatis hit two in the third at Los Angeles.
New York trailed 5-0 after two innings before showing why it is the highest scoring team in the National League and the one with the best record (55-37).
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| Cubs Maul Mets | |||
Zambrano showed there's more to his game than what he often provides the Chicago Cubs during a 9-2 victory Saturday. He beat out an infield single and then stole his first career base, perhaps using up some of the energy that could have helped him later on a 90-degree day. But his hustle seemed to inspire his teammates, who made the most of a wicked sun field Saturday for a five-run, sixth-inning rally. That helped Zambrano win his sixth straight decision and sent Glavine to his first loss since April 24. Glavine (11-3), trying to become the NL's first 12-game winner, took a 2-0 lead into the bottom of the sixth, but couldn't hold it.
When Mets right fielder Endy Chavez lost Ryan Theriot's leadoff fly ball in the sun and it went for a triple, the Cubs had the start to a rally that would send Glavine to his first loss in nearly three months.
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| Steve Trachsel In Slow Motion | |||
But it was Trachsel who lulled the Cubs' bats to sleep, winning his seventh straight start as the New York Mets used a four-run fourth inning defeat the Cubs 6-3 on Friday. "Same Trachsel," said Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee. "He works slow and he throws slow. But that's what he does. You know coming in that's what he does and he's effective with it." Down 2-1 after three innings, the Mets had four hits in the fourth and got help when Ronny Cedeno's throwing error allowed two runs to score, sending Greg Maddux to his fifth straight loss. Trachsel (9-4) gave up two runs on three hits in six innings. The former Cub, who was 60-69 in six-plus seasons as a North Sider, hasn't lost since May 17, a span of 10 starts. He retired 13 of 15 batters after a two-run first inning, giving up a single and a walk.
Trachsel's winning streak is the best for a Met since Bobby Jones won eight in a row in 1997.
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| Wright On The Way | |||
But in a big eighth-inning spot against the Florida Marlins, Wright showed why he will be the National League's starting third baseman in Tuesday night's All-Star game. With New York scuffling and in danger of losing three of four games to Florida, Wright hit a three-run homer that was the difference in the Mets' 7-6 victory. Wright has 20 homers and 74 RBIs at the All-Star break and the Mets (53-38) lead the NL East by 12 games.
New York's Tom Glavine, trying to become the major league's first 12-game winner, had a 3-0 lead after five innings but the Marlins came back. Glavine allowed nine hits and three earned runs in 6 1-3 innings. He struck out four and walked two.
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| Pelfrey Gets A Valentin Present | |||
Jose Valentin hit a grand slam in the first inning and a bases-loaded triple in the second to spark New York's biggest offensive showing of the season, a 17-3 win over the Florida Marlins on Saturday that gave Pelfrey a victory in his major league debut. Besides Valentin's career-high seven RBIs, Cliff Floyd hit a two-run homer, drove in five runs and scored three more for the Mets in the second game. Carlos Beltran hit his 25th home run and scored four times for New York. Valentin helped the Mets to an early 5-0 lead with a first-inning grand slam, punctuating his drive to right by pumping his fist as he rounded first base. He came up with the bases loaded again in the second against Florida starter Ricky Nolasco (6-6). This time, Valentin tripled off the right-field wall, putting the Mets firmly in control, 9-2. The 6-foot-7 Pelfrey (1-0), the ninth pick in last year's amateur draft, struggled with his control throughout his much-anticipated debut. He was activated from Double-A Binghamton on Friday.
Certainly enough to get the 22-year-old out of Wichita State the win. The Shea Stadium crowd gave him a nice ovation after he retired the Marlins in order in the fifth and 286-game winner Tom Glavine was one of the first to congratulate him when he reached the dugout. | |||
| Met Bats Can't Help Maine | |||
New York rookie John Maine (0-3) gave up all three homers, ruining an otherwise effective outing. He allowed six hits in six innings, struck out three and didn't walk a batter. New York tried to rally in the eighth, putting runners on first and second with one out. Randolph even inserted Jose Reyes as a pinch runner, hoping the All-Star's speed could help the Mets tie the game. Reyes needed seven stitches after he cut his left pinkie sliding headfirst into first base in Friday's game and wasn't expected to play. But all the strategy was for naught. Pinch-hitter Lo Duca struck out and Ramon Castro grounded out to end the inning. There was some excitement in the ninth when Mets reliever Duaner Sanchez hit leadoff hitter Cabrera with a pitch as Cabrera squared around to bunt. Cabrera yelled at Sanchez and both benches emptied. Things remained tense and, when Sanchez bounded off the mound after striking out Miguel Olivo to end the inning, both Olivo and Cabrera yelled at the reliever, with Cabrera getting tossed from the game by third-base umpire Charlie Reliford.
Cabrera was booed all three times he batted in the second game before coming out in the bottom of the fifth. | |||
| Lima Meltdown and Sent Down | |||
The Marlins were up 1-0 against Lima (0-4) when Miguel Cabrera opened the fourth inning with a walk. Lima, filling in because ace Pedro Martinez is on the disabled list with a sore hip, never recovered. Mike Jacobs followed with a double, and an error by third baseman David Wright loaded the bases. Jeremy Hermida's bloop fell for a single, scoring Cabrera. Matt Treanor followed with another single, scoring Jacobs. Willis then completed the rally. After the game, the Mets designated Lima for assignment and added prized prospect Mike Pelfrey to the active roster. Pelfrey was called up from Double-A Binghamton to start the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against Florida. Lima allowed seven runs and seven hits in three-plus innings. His ERA in four starts with the Mets was 9.87.
New York's All-Star shortstop, Jose Reyes, left in the seventh inning with a cut on his left pinky. He appeared to get spiked on a headfirst slide into first base and took seven stitches in the finger. X-rays were negative. | |||
| Trachsel Wins Again | |||
Cliff Floyd and David Wright each drove in two runs to back Trachsel in the New York Mets' 7-5 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Thursday night. Trachsel (8-4) gave up seven hits and three runs, walked four and struck out four in 6 1-3 innings. Billy Wagner allowed an unearned run the ninth for his 17th save in 21 opportunities. Floyd doubled in two runs off Pirates rookie starter Tom Gorzelanny (0-1) in the second inning. Wright hit his 19th homer, a two-run shot, in the fifth. Gorzelanny allowed a run without a hit in the third. Jose Reyes walked, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Carlos Delgado's infield out.
Gorzelanny hit Floyd with a pitch to lead off the fourth and then issued a one-out walk to Eli Marrero. Both runners advanced on Trachsel's sacrifice before Reyes singled to center to score both and make it 5-0. | |||
| El Duque Beats Bucs | |||
"They're an aggressive, young team," Randolph said. "He throws a good breaking ball, a good changeup. He finesses you a little bit. He's smart. He mixes his pitches and gets hitters off stride. He knows how to pitch, how to handle himself in spots." Hernandez baffled the Pirates on four hits through seven innings Wednesday night, pitching the Mets to a 5-0 victory that had its troubling side for New York. All five Mets runs came in the first inning. So did all four of their hits. The quick cushion made life easy for the ageless Hernandez, listed at 36 but believed to be older. He mixed his pitches with his herky-jerky motion, keeping the Pirates off balance as the Mets became the first National League team to win 50 games. He allowed a runner in all but one of the seven innings he pitched but was in control throughout. For the veteran right-hander, acquired in a trade with Arizona on May 24 to boost the back end of the Mets' rotation, the effort was reminiscent of a complete game three-hitter he threw against the Diamondbacks on June 8. The first six pitches he threw missed the strike zone but he recovered quickly and dominated the Pirates, allowing four singles. Hernandez (5-8) walked two and struck out seven before turning the game over to the bullpen for the final two innings to complete the Mets' fifth combined shutout of the season.
Jose Reyes led off with his major league-leading 12th triple and scored on a single by Paul Lo Duca. After Carlos Beltran walked, Carlos Delgado struck out but Cliff Floyd was hit by a pitch, loading the bases. Jose Valentin followed with a two-run double. Floyd scored on a wild pitch and Endy Chavez singled, scoring Valentin.
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| Mets Finally Look Alive, Breifly! | |||
And when the game was over, even the lowly Pirates admitted they weren't expecting many breaks against a first-place team. Xavier Nady hit a go-ahead single in the eighth inning and drove in three runs, rallying New York to a 7-6 victory Tuesday. Billy Wagner earned his 300th save and Jose Reyes had three hits and two stolen bases for the NL East-leading Mets, who won for only the second time in eight games. "To come back and win when we've been struggling, that shows the character of this team. Never die, just keep playing," Wagner said. "Right now, every game is a fight."
David Wright's two-run single put New York on the board. All-Star Tom Glavine failed in his bid to become baseball's first 12-game winner, but his teammates fought back to take him off the hook for what would have been his first loss since April 24 in San Francisco. | |||
| Mets Get Kicked On The Grass Again | |||
The Pirates, with the worst record in the National League, also gave them another reason to make a hasty exit from Shea Stadium. All-Star Jason Bay drove in three runs and Paul Maholm held slumping New York in check for six innings, leading Pittsburgh to an 11-1 rout Monday night. The Pirates improved their major league-worst road record to 9-31 with the win over New York, which has lost six of its last seven. The Mets have been outscored 27-8 in their last two games.
Pedro Martinez was originally scheduled to start the series opener against the Pirates but was pushed back because of a sore hip. The Mets aren't sure if Martinez will start again before the break but manager Willie Randolph said he isn't concerned about his star right-hander.
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| A-Rod A-Bombs Mets Pitching | |||
Rodriguez hit a grand slam and a three-run homer, sending the Yankees to a 16-7 blowout of the Mets in their Subway Series finale Sunday. "We needed to win this game. We don't have a 10-game lead like they do," Rodriguez said. "Every game for us is monumental." Jorge Posada and Nick Green also connected for the Yankees, who rallied from an early 4-0 deficit to remain four games behind first-place Boston in the AL East.
The Mets, who have lost five of six, had a franchise-record six players chosen for the All-Star team earlier in the day -- but they sure didn't play like the sound squad that's built an 11-game cushion in the NL East through half the season.
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| Mets Bats Come Alive | |||
Steve Trachsel won his fifth straight start and the Mets roughed up Johnson for the second time this year, snapping their four-game slide with an 8-3 victory over the Yankees on Saturday. "You have to make sure that four-game losing streak doesn't become a five -- and you don't get complacent with the lead that we have," David Wright said. Paul Lo Duca had three hits and two RBIs for the Mets, held to one hit by five Yankees pitchers in a 2-0 defeat Friday. Wright got them going with a two-run double in the first inning, and No. 9 batter Eli Marrero capped the outburst with a homer off Johnson in the sixth. Ramon Castro's two-run single keyed a five-run fourth for the NL East leaders, who scored just eight runs during their losing streak yet still began the day with a 10 1/2 -game cushion in the division. Leadoff batter Jose Reyes got two hits and scored twice. The Mets, who stacked their lineup with nine right-handed batters against Johnson, hadn't dropped three in a row all season before getting swept in Boston this week.
Steve Trachsel (7-4) pitched out of trouble early, allowing two runs, seven hits -- all singles -- and four walks in six-plus innings. He is unbeaten in eight outings since a 1-0 loss in St. Louis on May 17.
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