Mets lose game and Reyes
August 31, 2003 - Vicente Padilla held the Mets hitless for six innings and Jim Thome homered as Philadelphia completed a three-game sweep of New York with a 4-1 victory Sunday.
Jose ReyesThe Phillies, tied with Florida for the NL wild-card lead, finished 4-9 on a four-city road trip. Philadelphia had lost six in a row coming into the series.
Mets rookie Jose Reyes, who broke up the no-hit bid with an infield single leading off the seventh, injured his left ankle trying to break up a game-ending double play.
Reyes seemed to catch his spikes in the dirt as he slid into second. He writhed in pain on the infield while fans and teammates watched in a hushed Shea Stadium. Trainers and Mets manager Art Howe rushed to Reyes’ side, and he was carted off the field as fans filed toward the exits.
But the Mets got good news after the game. X-rays did not reveal a fracture, and Reyes was day-to-day with a sprained ankle.
The 20-year-old shortstop has provided the brightest ray of hope for the future in a disappointing Mets season. Called up from the minors in June, the speedy Reyes is hitting .307 with five homers, 32 RBIs, 47 runs and 13 steals.
Wolf howls Mets
August 30, 2003 - Battered for nine earned runs in less than two innings in the worst start of his career earlier this week, Randy Wolf seemed like a different pitcher Saturday night. He handcuffed the Mets on six hits over seven innings in Philadelphia’s 4-2 victory.
So Wolf (13-8) came to the mound determined to be aggressive and it paid off. He struck out six, walked only one and withstood the 5,000th home run in Mets franchise history, a two-run shot by Jason Phillips in the fourth inning.
The Phillies bunched four singles against Tom Glavine (9-12) to break a 2-2 tie in the seventh.
Marlon Byrd started the rally with a hit and raced to third on a hit-and-run single by Placido Polanco. Then RBI hits by Mike Lieberthal and Jason Michaels finished Glavine, who allowed 11 hits.
Millwood blanks Mets
August 29, 2003 - Kevin Millwood knew how to stop the Philadelphia Phillies’ losing streak. Millwood allowed only three hits in eight innings and the Phillies broke a six-game slide Friday night with a 7-0 victory over the New York Mets.
Millwood (13-9) allowed singles to Timo Perez in the first inning, rookie Jose Reyes in the sixth and Ty Wigginton in the seventh. Reyes’ bunt single in the sixth was his 38th hit in August, setting a Mets’ record for most hits in any month. Jay Payton set the record of 37 in June 2000.
Pat Burrell hit a two-run homer for Philadelphia, which improved to 2-9 on its 13-game road trip. The Phillies are tied with Florida for the NL wild-card lead.
Burrell again victimized the Mets, hitting a homer against them for the 21st time in his career. In four years in the majors, Burrell has homered off the Mets far more than anyone else. He connected for his 20th home run of the season overall, putting the Phillies ahead in the second inning against Steve Trachsel (13-8).
Reyes in record books
August 28, 2003 - Jose Reyes switched on the power and put his name in the record book. Reyes became the youngest player in modern major league history to homer from both sides of the plate, leading the New York Mets over the Atlanta Braves 3-1 Thursday night.
Reyes also became the first Mets rookie to connect from both sides of the plate in one game.The youngest player to do it previously was Texas’ Ruben Sierra at 20 years, 342 days on Sept. 13, 1986, at Minnesota.
Reyes also became the first Mets rookie to connect from both sides of the plate in one game.
Reyes, a natural right-handed hitter, began batting from the left side only three years ago.
Al Leiter allowed two hits in seven shutout innings for the Mets. He outpitched Mike Hampton, who had won nine straight decisions. Leiter (13-7) allowed only three runners, none beyond second base.
He gave up a one-out double to Mike Hessman in the third, a leadoff walk to Andruw Jones in the fifth and a leadoff single to Gary Sheffield in the seventh.
The last-place Mets took two of three from the Braves, who have the best record in the majors. New York has won four of five and 11 of 15 overall.
Maddux and Chipper do it to Mets again
August 27, 2003 - The change was evident as soon as the eighth inning ended— no blaring music, no video introduction and, more importantly, no John Smoltz.
Greg Maddux earned his 286th win, Chipper Jones drove in all four Atlanta runs and the Braves won their first game without Smoltz, beating the New York Mets 4-1 Wednesday night. Jones gave the Braves a 3-0 lead in the third with a three-run homer off Aaron Heilman (2-6), a 438-foot shot to center field. In the fourth, Jones singled home Gary Sheffield for an insurance run.
Kent Mercker closed it out in place of Smoltz, who went on the disabled list earlier in the day with tendinitis in his right elbow. The problem is not considered serious, however, and he’s not expected to have any lingering effects when he returns Sept. 8.
It was the first time a pitcher other than Smoltz earned a save for Atlanta since Jung Keun Bong did it in a 15-3 victory over Cincinnati on May 28.
Smoltz leads the majors with 44 saves. Bong was called up from Triple-A Richmond to replace him in the bullpen and should join the team Thursday.
Maddux (13-10) pitched around a 29-minute rain delay in the fourth to win his second straight start. With at least five starts left this season, he appears on track to win at least 15 games for a record 16th straight season.
Trachsel on a roll
August 23, 2003 - The New York Mets’ bullpen kept Steve Trachsel perfect in his last four starts. Trachsel, David Weathers and Mike Stanton combined on a six-hitter, and rookie Jose Reyes homered as the Mets beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 4-0 Saturday night.
Steve TrachselTrachsel (13-7) allowed five hits over 7 1-3 innings, struck out four and walked none. The right-hander, who last Monday became the first pitcher in Mets history to throw two one-hitters in the same season, is two wins away from matching his career high in 1998 with the Chicago Cubs.
Andy Ashby (3-10) lost for the sixth time in seven starts, allowing four runs and a season-high 11 hits over six innings. It took him 15 minutes to get out of a first inning in which he threw 24 pitches and gave up two runs. Cleanup hitter Mike Piazza drove in Roger Cedeno with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly, and Jason Phillips hit an RBI single.
The Mets had loaded the bases without a ball leaving the infield. Cedeno singled to second, then moved up on a wild pitch. Reyes bunted for a hit, advancing Cedeno to third. Timo Perez then reached on a fielder’s choice when Ashby grabbed Perez’s comebacker but threw too late to trap Cedeno off third.
The hitless blunders lose in L.A.
August 22, 2003 - Eric Gagne tied a major league record with his 43rd consecutive save this season as the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the New York Mets 2-1 Friday night. The All-Star right-hander got a break when pinch-runner Vance Wilson missed a bunt sign and got thrown out in the ninth inning.
Gagne got three outs for his 51st consecutive save overall, three shy of the major league record set by Tom Gordon. Gordon saved 43 straight in the 1998 season.
None of the three batters in the Mets’ ninth had ever faced Gagne. Jason Phillips led off with a single and was replaced on the basepaths by Wilson. Rookie Ty Wigginton was given the bunt sign, but Wilson took off thinking it was a hit-and-run play—and Paul Lo Duca threw him out. Gagne then struck out Wigginton and Jeff Duncan.
Hideo Nomo (15-9) won his fourth straight start at home, allowing a run and six hits in seven innings, struck out seven and walked three.
Mike Piazza, booed every time up by the fans who used to cheer his every move with the Dodgers, faced Paul Quantrill in the eighth with the tying run on base, but grounded into his second consecutive double play after striking out his first two times up against Nomo.
The Dodgers scored both runs in the fourth against lefty Al Leiter (12-7). Cesar Izturis got an RBI single after Coomer hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to center field.
Leiter, who won four of his previous five decisions, allowed six hits over six innings, struck out five and walked three. New York’s starters were 7-0 with a 2.04 ERA over the previous nine games. The Mets are 0-60 when trailing after eight innings and the Dodgers are 60-0 when leading.
Burroughs lifts Padres
August 20, 2003 - Sean Burroughs lined a one-out single in the ninth inning to score Phil Nevin with the winning run, lifting the San Diego Padres to a 2-1 win over the New York Mets.
Burroughs’ hit off Grant Roberts (0-1) gave San Diego its second straight late-inning win over the Mets. Nevin hit a two-run homer in the eighth on Tuesday night to give the Padres a 3-2 victory.
Nevin led off the ninth Wednesday with a single and stole second as Ryan Klesko struck out. It was Nevin’s first attempt of the season since coming off the disabled list on July 23.
Dave Hansen was walked intentionally before Burroughs hit a line drive to center. Nevin scored standing up ahead of center fielder Jeff Duncan’s throw, which took two hops to reach catcher Vance Wilson.
Rod Beck (3-1) struck out the only batter he faced in the ninth inning.
Roger Cedeno hit a two-out double off Jay Witasick in the ninth. But Beck relieved and struck out Jose Reyes to end the inning.
The Mets, who outhit the Padres 8-4, had problems getting timely hits. New York was 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position.
Trachsel tosses third career one-hitter
August 18, 2003 - True to his profession, Steve Trachsel claims he wasn’t thinking about the no-hitter or the perfect game. Trachsel pitched his third career one-hitter, allowing only a sixth-inning double to pitcher Chin-Hui Tsao in the New York Mets 8-0 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Monday.
New York won its sixth straight and completed a sweep of the four-game series.
Trachsel (12-7) retired the first 17 batters before Tsao lined a ball over center fielder Timo Perez’s head for a two-out double. Perez was playing shallow against Tsao, who was 0-for-8 in his career before the hit.
The only other baserunner against Trachsel came in the ninth when Greg Norton reached on an error by first baseman Jason Phillips. The play was originally ruled a hit but changed to an error after the game.
Trachsel, who also pitched a one-hitter at Anaheim on June 15, needed only 103 pitches in his second complete game and shutout in 26 starts this season. He struck out three.
Mike Piazza and Phillips hit two-run homers off Tsao (2-1) for the last-place Mets. Jose Reyes singled twice to extend his hitting streak to 17 games. Piazza hit his ninth homer of the season after a one-out single by Reyes in the first inning to give the Mets the lead. Phillips hit his 10th with two outsin the third after Reyes led off the inning with a single.
Complete list of Met One Hitters >>
Battle of lefties leaves Johnson on top
August 10, 2003 - Randy Johnson did not have that overpowering engine roaring in his latest victory. He was pedaling uphill all the way. Johnson scattered 10 hits in eight innings but still won consecutive starts for the first time this season in the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-4 victory over the New York Mets on Sunday.
Errors by Vance Wilson and Jason Phillips cleared the way for two unearned runs for the Diamondbacks, who took two of three from the Mets. Arizona finished its homestand 5-1 to move within two games of Philadelphia and Florida in the wild card race.
Luis Gonzalez tripled in the go-ahead run with two outs in the fifth. Matt Kata tripled, singled and scored twice. Craig Counsell had two RBIs with a sacrifice fly and single, and Junior Spivey was 3-for-4 with an RBI double.
Pinch-hitter Alex Cintron had a two-run triple in the eighth. Arizona’s three triples tied a franchise record. Jason Phillips, who had never faced Johnson, had three RBI singles against him.
The Diamondbacks snapped Al Leiter’s string of three consecutive victories. The left-hander entered the contest allowing just one earned run in his last 20 innings. But Leiter (11-6) allowed four runs—three earned—on five hits. He struck out four, walked two and hit a batter.
Johnson (3-4) struck out five and walked none. He allowed four runs—three earned—including a leadoff homer by Ty Wigginton on the first pitch of the eighth inning. Johnson retired the next three, striking out Joe McEwing to end the inning.
Trailing 3-2, the Diamondbacks took the lead after two outs and no one on in the fifth. Kata singled, advanced to second with his first major league steal, then scored on Counsell’s bloop single to left. Gonzalez, a .385 career hitter against Leiter, lined one into the right-field corner for a triple to put Arizona up 4-3.
Matt Mantei struck out the side in the ninth for his 15th save in 17 chances.
Finley takes Franco deep
August 9, 2003 - Something special happened when Steve Finley and Stephen Randolph least expected it. Finley hit a leadoff homer in the bottom of the ninth inning to lead the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 2-1 victory over the New York Mets on Saturday night. Finley pulled a 2-2 pitch from John Franco an estimated 398 feet into the right-field seats, sending the Diamondbacks to their fifth win in seven games.
Randolph (6-0), who allowed one hit in two innings for the victory, was talking to pitching coach Chuck Kniffin about getting ready to work the 10th inning and didn’t watch Finley at the plate.
Joe McEwing’s RBI single in the fourth tied it for the Mets, who had won two straight. Franco (0-3) allowed one run and two hits in one inning.
Elmer Dessens, who hadn’t started since beating Los Angeles 1-0 on July 26, worked 6 1-3 innings for Arizona, allowing seven hits and one run. His shot at back-to-back wins ended when he walked Jeff Duncan to start the seventh.
Jae Seo allowed four hits and one run in six innings, but extended his winless streak to nine starts since beating Florida 5-0 as part of a team one-hitter June 17.
Rookie Jose Reyes extended his hitting streak to a season-high 10 games with a first-inning single.
Astros launch on Heilman
August 6, 2003 - Once the ball rolled free, Adam Everett took off. Everett hit the first inside-the-park home run at Minute Maid Park, and Jeff Bagwell and Richard Hidalgo each homered and drove in three runs as the Houston Astros routed the New York Mets 11-1 Wednesday night.
Everett hit a liner in the fifth inning that eluded diving center fielder Jeff Duncan. Left fielder Timo Perez tracked down the ball near the wall and threw to shortstop Jose Reyes. Everett slid home ahead of the relay for the first inside-the-park job in the stadium’s four-year history.
Wade Miller (8-10) allowed one run and six hits in six innings for the victory for Houston, which rebounded from a 10-1 loss to the Mets the previous night. Rookie Aaron Heilman (1-5) lost his third straight game, allowing six runs and seven hits in three innings.
Houston took a 2-0 lead in the second inning. Berkman led off with triple that bounced off the center-field fence and rolled away from Perez, who was playing the position at that point.
Perez fell while attempting to make the play on the hill in center, and Hidalgo drove in Berkman with an infield single. Blum scored the second run when Craig Biggio was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
New York cut the deficit to 2-1 in the third when Roger Cedeno, who went 3-for-5, doubled, moved to third on a single by Reyes and scored on a sacrifice fly by Cliff Floyd.
Houston increased its lead to 6-1 in the third when Bagwell led off with his 25th homer and Blum added a three-run shot, his 10th of the season. The Astros went up 10-1 in the fourth on a two-run double by Bagwell and atwo-run homer by Hidalgo, his 19th of the season.
Isringhausen helps, but stops Mets
August 2, 2003 - Jason Isringhausen and the St. Louis Cardinals cut it close at the end. Isringhausen threw three wild pitches that helped the New York Mets score five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning before the Cardinals held on for a 10-9 victory Saturday.
Rookie Bo Hart hit his first career grand slam, Albert Pujols hit his 30th homer and J.D. Drew also connected as the Cardinals built a big lead. Pujols launched a 440-foot solo shot in the first inning. He extended his hitting streak to 17 games, matching his career high.
Down 10-4, Vance Wilson started the Mets ninth by striking out but reaching on Isringhausen’s wild pitch. A passed ball and an error by Pujols kept the inning going.
Pedro Borbon Jr. relieved with two outs and gave up an RBI double to Raul Gonzalez and Roger Cedeno’s fourth hit, a two-run single that made it 10-9.
Esteban Yan then took over and allowed a single to Jose Reyes that put runners on first and third. But Yan retired Wilson on a liner to left field— Miguel Cairo struggled to make the catch—for his first save.
New York dropped its their third in a row despite getting a season-high 17 hits. Mike Matheny drove in four runs for St. Louis, which won with 10 hits. Jae Seo (5-8) lost his sixth straight decision. The Mets have not won in his last eight starts.
Kline relieves Cardinals
August 1, 2003 - Steve Kline’s double off Dan Wheeler capped a six-run eighth inning that sent the St. Louis Cardinals to an 8-2 victory over the New York Mets on Friday night.
Edgar Renteria went 3-for-4 with a homer and a double for the Cardinals, who remained two games behind first-place Houston in the NL Central. Miguel Cairo also had a two-run double in the eighth and Bo Hart had two hits in the inning.
But after the game, talk in both clubhouses was about Kline’s hit and the reliever—now 2-for-12 lifetime at the plate—took the high road.
Cliff Floyd homered for the struggling Mets, who have lost six of seven and 18 of 23.
New York led 2-1 to start the eighth, but as a steady rain became heavier, Hart pinch-hit and second baseman Joe McEwing bobbled his slow roller for an infield single. Pinch-hitter Kerry Robinson followed with a tying triple to the right-field corner off Wheeler.
Albert Pujols and Renteria walked to load the bases, and Scott Rolen lifted a sacrifice fly to left, advancing all three runners and putting the Cardinals ahead 3-2. After an intentional walk to Tino Martinez, Cairo sent a liner to the gap in right-center.
One out later, Wheeler had a chance to get out of the inning when Kline (4-4) came to the plate without an official at-bat this season. But the pitcher hit a sharp grounder just inside the third-base line to make it 7-2.
New York’s Steve Trachsel allowed five hits over 6 2-3 innings, and the Mets’ defense helped him leave with the lead in the seventh.
Mike Piazza expects to begin a rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Norfolk next Friday night, and manager Art Howe said Piazza could be back with the Mets by Aug. 12 if all goes well.