September 30, 2007
Remember The Maine
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| John Maine flirted with the first no-hitter in team history before allowing an infield single with two outs in the eighth inning. |
Maine flirted with the first no-hitter in team history before allowing an infield single to Paul Hoover with two outs in the eighth inning, and New York snapped out of its September doldrums by routing the Florida Marlins 13-0 in a fight-filled game Saturday.
"We weren't going to lose today," Maine said.
Maine finished with 14 strikeouts, the most by a Mets pitcher in eight years, and departed to a raucous ovation long after Florida catcher Miguel Olivo charged across the diamond and threw a punch at buddy Jose Reyes in the fifth -- setting off a bench-clearing brawl.
Jose Reyes is blame for John Maine not getting a no-hitter. Reyes pissed Miguel Olivo off and he was ejected from the game. His replacement Hoover was the one who hit the slow roller that became the first and only hit of the game. Free swinger Olivio may have struck out against John Maine. Jose Reyes where did you go? Jose has disappeared in the last two months of the season. Again he did not run out a grounder and thrown out at first while standing in the batters box.
Lastings Milledge probably needs to be hit in the head after his Kirk Gibson-Jeffrey Leonard like trot around the bases after his first home run. Lastings, just run around based and a good sportsman.
Luis Castillo looked on Saturday and appeared to be the catalyst for this team. Enough to be thrown at twice.
Ron Darling is a great broadcaster, well spoken, articulate, knowledgeable, and very clean in his commentary. Keith Hernandez is not!
September 29, 2007
Oliver Goes Wild
All-Star third baseman David Wright couldn't find the bag to make an important force play,
Oliver Perez hit a pair of batters with the bases loaded and the Mets stumbled out of the NL East lead with a 7-4 loss to the last-place Florida Marlins.
The Marlins pushed across two runs in the third to take a 4-1 lead as Perez tied a major league record by hitting three batters in one inning. Pitcher Byung-Hyun Kim led off with a single, Ramirez doubled and Perez plunked Uggla with a pitch to load the bases with no outs.
Hermida followed with a sinking liner toward Wright, who fielded the one-hopper and threw home for the forceout. Paul Lo Duca then tossed it back to Wright, who had to reach up to corral the high throw. Standing right next to the base, Wright tried to tag Ramirez but missed.
The Shea Stadium crowd booed lustily as Perez (15-10) bounded off the mound toward the dugout. He allowed six hits, walked two and struck out four after coming in with a 5-1 record and a 2.91 ERA in his previous seven starts.
Florida's Sergio Mitre was the last major league pitcher to hit three batters in an inning, doing it on Aug. 31 against Philadelphia, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
New York has lost five straight and 11 of 15 to fall one game back of surging Philadelphia, which beat Washington 6-0. The Mets' eighth straight home loss dropped them out of first place for the first time since May 15.
September 28, 2007
Another Nail In The Coffin
The New York Mets' lead in the NL East is gone. They might not even be in the playoffs at all if they can't snap out of their near historic funk.
The spiraling Mets managed just three hits off Joel Pineiro who looked like Greg Maddux in his Cy Young Award winning days and Jason Isringhausen in a 3-0 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Thursday night that dropped them into a first-place tie with Philadelphia in the division.
Not even Pedro Martinez could save New York, which had led the division alone every day since May 16. Martinez (3-1) allowed seven hits in seven innings, struck out eight and walked one. He threw a season-high 105 pitches in his first loss in five starts since coming back from shoulder surgery last October.
The Mets (87-72) were ahead by seven games on September 12 with 17 remaining but have lost 10 of 14 overall and seven straight at home, a monumental tailspin for a team that counted on being in the playoffs.
The home losing streak is the Mets' longest since dropping nine in a row from Aug. 28-September 12, 2004.
Moises Alou went 0-for-3, ending his hitting streak at 30 games, the longest by a player on a New York team (including Brooklyn) since Joe DiMaggio's record run of 56 games in 1941 with the Yankees.
Marlon Anderson's two-game suspension was upheld Thursday, leaving him out of the game and Friday's against the Marlins. Anderson was ejected in the ninth inning of a 5-3 loss to Philadelphia on September 15 and threw his batting helmet toward home after he reached the dugout.
September 27, 2007
Wake Me Up Before September Ends!
The Phillies, who beat Atlanta 5-2, haven't been this close to first place since they lost on opening day. It's the Mets' slimmest margin since they were a half-game in front before play on May 17.
New York led by seven games, with 17 to play, after beating Atlanta on September 12. No major league team has failed to finish first after having at least a seven-game advantage with 17 remaining.
Philip Humber looked good in the first four innings he pitched last night. As he entered the fifth, he ran out of gas.
Humber walked the leadoff batter in the fourth, then gave up Church's two-run shot. Alou hit an RBI single in the bottom half, but Humber walked the leadoff man again in the fifth and was pulled after Ronnie Belliard's RBI double.
Joe Smith came in allowed RBI singles to Ryan Zimmerman and Austin Kearns that cut it to 6-5 followed by Pedro Feliciano who K Ryan Church but then offered Wily Mo Pena's two-run double to make it a 7-6 game. The crowd was taken out of the game and the Mets looked like they were behind by 10 runs, not one.
Enter Expand Man, Billy Wagner finished off any Met comeback with an outstanding 2 run ninth of his own sealing the game for the Nats.
Fans have started to turn on the not-so-Amazin's, too. Many in the crowd of 51,940 booed throughout the late innings as New York flopped once more against a fourth-place team.
The Nationals, who began the night with the fewest runs in the majors, scored 57 in their final six games against New York. The Nationals completed a three-game sweep at Shea Stadium and improved to 5-1 against the Mets in a 10-day span.
Moises Alou hit his 13th home run, extending his hitting streak to 30 games. It's the longest streak by a player on a New York team (including Brooklyn) since Joe DiMaggio's record run of 56 games in 1941 with the Yankees.
MDP (Most Double Plays) David Wright grounded out into another double play last night when we needed a big hit. Wright has grounded out into 14 double plays. He does lead the league in times on base in 2007 with 285.
September 26, 2007
When Will We Win Again?
Tom Glavine looked old as the light hitting Nationals scored 4 times in the first inning and clobbered three home runs en route to a 10-9 win. The four runs would be enough but Majors worst offense pounded the Mets for 10 runs and 16 hits. Glavine would account nine hits and six runs in five innings.
David Wright lost more MVP votes by grounding into two inning ending double plays with runners in scoring position.
Jose Reyes lead off the game with a home run but then popped up in second inning with runners in scoring position. Jose popped out again in the fifth with a man on second. But in the 9th, Reyes blasted a three run homer to cut the DC lead to 10-6. Reyes' 10th career leadoff homer extended his club record. It was his fourth multi-homer game and first at Shea Stadium.
The Mets almost pulled off their biggest ninth-inning rally for a victory. On July 17, 1973, they overcame a 7-1 deficit by scoring seven times in the ninth to beat Atlanta, the Elias Sports Bureau said.
Carlos Delgado looked lost at the plate once again and leaving four men on base. Mets left 16 men on base.
What is David Newhan doing in the Major Leagues?
Willie Randolph had Scott Schoeneweis warming up in the bullpen in the 7th inning and left Jorge Sosa in to face lefty hitting catcher Brian Schneider. Schneider extended the inning with a base hit.
Shawn Green later got his 2,000th hit and Moises Alou extended his team-record hitting streak to 29 games.
September 25, 2007
Can Anyone Pitch?
Met pitchers walked nine batters and 13 runs against the Washington Nationals, you can't win with that type of performance.
Mike Pelfrey could not get the job done against the worst hitting offense in the N.L. The Nationals offense erupted once again as the bullpen could keep the game close surrendering six more runs after Pelfrey's departure. Joe Smith was ineffective and Pedro Feliciano pitched a scoreless seventh inning but walked the lead-off batter Brian Schneider in the eighth.
Guillermo Mota was his usual self in relief form. Mota's ERA is 28.35 with RISP (runners in scoring position) and two outs, and goes down drastically to 14.85 with RISP with one or no outs. His pitch count ERA is 1.51 when he throws 1-15 pitches, 16-30 pitches to balloons to 11.50 and after 30 pitches...20.25 ERA. Mota gave up three hits, three runs and walked one in an inning of work. Mota left the field in a chorus of boos that would make a wonderful ringtone.
Dave Williams who mopped up in the ninth and he begins today with an ERA of 22.85 after allowing three more runs. Nice job guys.
Jose Being Rickey
Jose Reyes went 0-4 and grounded out with the bases loaded in the sixth inning and one out with the Mets trailing 7-2. Reyes walked in the first inning and was thrown out stealing. Reyes was hitting .308 on Aug. 8th and now is batting .285, stealing only five bases while being caught four times in September. Jose stole 23 bases in 27 attempts. Rickey Henderson's influence could be hurting Reyes or is Jose partying too much. Some speculate Jose Valentin's absence could be a factor. Valentin was a big brother to Reyes in the clubhouse.
New York's magic number remained at five and its lead in the division dropped to two games over idle Philadelphia. The Mets play the Nationals again Tuesday while the Phillies host Atlanta in the opener of a three-game series.
Carlos Delgado went 2-for-5 and Moises Alou extended his club-record hitting streak to 28 games with a sixth-inning double for the Mets, who had won four of five. Alou also committed an error in left that allowed a run to score in the fourth.
Marlon Anderson's appeal of his two-game suspension will be heard Wednesday. Anderson was ejected in the ninth inning of a 5-3 loss to Philadelphia on September 15 and threw his batting helmet toward the plate after he reached the dugout.
David Wright extended his hitting streak to 11 games and Luis Castillo bumped his up to 10.
The Mets improved to 9-53 when trailing after six innings, and finished the road part of their regular-season schedule 47-34.
September 24, 2007
The Blown Games; Mets Do Take 3 Out Of 4 In Miami
Aaron Heilman's meltdown in the 8th inning on Sunday was latest in some poor decisions by Willie Randolph . Heilman pitched an inning on Saturday and showed why he can't start in big leagues. Heilman walked the two first batters he faced and surrendered two hits that cut the Met lead to 6-5. Heilman then plunked Alfredo Amezaga as Willie stood in the Mets dugout clueless what to do, again. Heilman finally managed to get the third out! Can we sign that guy who hit Heilman with a ball in the stands?
Billy Wagner blew his fifth game of the year yesterday surrendering a HR to the first batter he faced. Once again Met pitchers can't get the leadoff batter out. Billy has been suffering from back spasms earlier in the series. Met fans have been suffering from this team's pitching woes and are experiencing seizures and alcohol abuse.
Moises Alou is 41 years old. The Mets organization is 45 years old. Hard to believe no Met player has hit more than 25 consecutive games. Of course no pitcher has tossed a no-hitter.
September 21, 2007
Met Fans On Suicide Watch Again; Lead Down To 1 1/2
The New York Mets twice blew a three-run lead, and they might be about to blow the NL East.
With closer Billy Wagner out because of back spasms, the Florida Marlins took advantage to rally in the ninth inning, then scored in the 10th on Dan Uggla's RBI double to beat New York 8-7 Thursday night.
The Mets' lead was cut to 1 1/2 games by second-place Philadelphia, which rallied past Washington 7-6. New York led by seven games on September 12 but has lost six of their past seven.
The visitors had plenty of support from the crowd of 15,132. Fans chanted "Let's go Mets!" beginning in the first inning, and when David Wright doubled home a run in the third, there were chants of "M-V-P! M-V-P!" David, who in hell taught you to throw? You don't deserve the MVP award for poor defense and wild arm. You cost the team a win again with spin move. Every night in the 9th inning it seems, Wright makes a nice defensive play, stands, twirls and throws the ball away.
Can anybody on this team make a good decision? Why is Jorge Sosa out there for the 2nd night in a row? He pitched 2 innings on Wednesday against DC and did a great job. Hey Willie! Is Sosa available tonight? You're look so clueless!
Where was Billy Wagner? No one could tell us on SNY. Nice job out of them?
Marlon Anderson comes through again after Jose Reyes doesn't. What to know how to get Jose Reyes out, throw pitches in the dirt. Jimmy Rollins and Hanley Ramirez are best SS in the NL, not Jose Reyes. J -- O -- S -- E!!!!!!! J -- O -- S -- E!!!!!!!
Right fielder Lastings Milledge was ejected after he flied out in the seventh.
Reliever Aaron Heilman was hit by a ball thrown from the stands in the eighth when he was warming up for the. A fan was ejected.
September 20, 2007
Mets Finally Win
The New York Mets gathered in the infield for fist bumps and high-fives Wednesday night, and while they had celebrated 83 previous victories this season, No. 84 somehow seemed so important.
Beating the Washington Nationals 8-4 behind Mike Pelfrey's good-enough start, David Wright's three RBIs and a hobbled Moises Alou's three hits not only ended New York's five-game losing streak, it allowed the NL East leaders to breathe a collective sigh of relief.
Remember: It had been a full week since the Mets added to their "W" column, and they entered the day only 1 1/2 games ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies -- New York's smallest division margin since mid-July.
The Mets last night played the game on all cylinders. Mike Pelfrey pitched them into the 6th followed by Jorge Sosa 4 pitch inning with no outs and runners on the corners. Sosa struck out D'Angelo Jimenez on three pitches looking and Nook Logan ground into pitcher perfect double play ball to end the Nationals threat. Logan was fanned three times in his previous at bats against Mike Pelfrey.
Pelfrey looks disgusting on the mound with that mouth piece hanging out of his pie hole. ANY... SNY please stop showing close ups of Pelfrey with that guard hanging out of his mouth!
Mike Pelfrey went from July 19, 2006, to Aug. 31 this year without a single major league victory -- starting this season 0-7 -- and now he has three in September.
September 19, 2007
Choking Away The Moments That Make Up The Dull Day
Once again a Mets starter was spotted a lead and failed to get past the 5th inning against the worse hitting offense in the majors. New York started strong again, building leads of 4-0 and 7-3 for
John Maine. Maine gave 8 up runs and 11 hits in 4.1 innings and saw his ERA blow up to 4.04. Maine's ERA was 2.92 on August 1st.
The Mets, whose lead over Philadelphia is down to just 1 1/2 games after the Phillies beat the St. Louis Cardinals 7-4 in 14 innings. No major league team has failed to finish in first place after leading by seven games so late in the season, and only two others -- the 1938 Pittsburgh Pirates and the 1934 New York Giants -- failed to finish in first place after having a seven-game lead in September.
New York got 16 hits, three in the ninth inning when they scored once against closer Chad Cordero to make it 9-8. But pinch-hitter Ruben Gotay struck out with runners at the corners to end it. Gotay slammed his bat on the plate, the perfect picture of frustration.
Moises Alou extended his hitting streak to 22 games, one shy of his career best. It's the longest hitting streak by a player in his 40s. Alou left the game in the fifth with tightness in his left quadriceps muscle after he hustled to first base on an infield single. Alou missed more than two months this season with a strained left quadriceps before returning in late July. After the game, Alou said he expected to play Wednesday.
The Mets purchased the contract of LHP Dave Williams from Triple-A New Orleans and designated RHP Brian Lawrence for assignment. Maybe he will be found in slow pitch softball league in Florida?
Mets INF Marlon Anderson was suspended two games by the commissioner's office for throwing equipment Saturday. He appealed and struck out as a pinch-hitter to end the seventh.
September 18, 2007
The Masters Of Horror
Why doesn't Rick Peterson get a hit from the media? Isn't he the pitching coach? It seems every pitcher who comes in to relieve walks the first batter they face. The man responsible for the trade of Scott Kazmir (who is 13-8 with a 3.54 ERA on a last place AL team) has not really lived up the great pitching guru reputation from his Oakland A's days. He done a fine job with John Maine and
Oliver Perez, but that is it. Victor Zambrano career has changed since he became a pupil of Peterson. Peterson will gone after this season, next question will be if Willie The Wimp survives...who will be the next pitching coach?
Mel Stottlemyre?
Lefties Scott Schoeneweis and Pedro Feliciano are not left specialists! Walking and surrendering hits to opposing hitters with great regularity. Schoenweis' ERA is finally under 5.00 for the first time since opening day, then he ballooned back up to 5.03 after his great fielding performances in DC. Feliciano numbers look impressive, but this guy has allowed the first batter he has face to reach base in eight of his last 10 outings. Six of those batters have scored.
Can anybody get the leadoff batter out?
Has anyone bought Guillermo Mota some steroids yet. 6.02 ERA, 35 earned runs in 52.2 innings. Why did Omar Minaya give this guy a two year contract? 
Jorge Sosa has walked the first batter he has faced in his last two outings and surrendered big hits leading to big innings. Sosa in his last innings, he has given up 11 hits and 8 walks in 10 innings with an ERA of 8.10.
Another question...why is Aaron Sele still on this team? Someone get a gun and put him out of misery. How about planting his ass in the foundation of Citi Field. A wet cement bath!
Why isn't Philip Humber not pitching? He can start can't he? Humber was bypassed Monday night in favor of Brian Lawrence to start against the Washington Nationals and will be getting periodic relief innings the rest of the season. Have you heard Willie the Wimp's comments? "You don't take a young guy like that who's never done it and force-feed him," Randolph said. Horseshit! Remember Ron Guidry who you played with back in your Yankee days. He did pretty good for himself.
Brian Lawrence was a batting practice pitcher with the Padres and now he has brought his throw games away form to a Met uniform.
Willie The Wimp
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| Got Balls? Nice Hair |
Many Met players are hoping Willie will get fired up and yell, chew out his team.
Willie doesn't defend his players on field as we saw Paul Lo Duca and Marlon Anderson get tossed and Jose Reyes pout over calls in the Phillie series. I hope in the next week Ray Ramirez can take the coaches and players pulse to see if they alive.
This team is certainly killing the Shea Faithful and putting smiles on faces in The Bronx and Philly.
September 18, 2007
Mets Lose Again, Lead Dwindles Away!
In the thick of a pennant race, the NL East-leading Mets made four more errors, wasted a four-run lead built with Carlos Beltran's 30th homer, and had another bullpen implosion in a 12-4 loss to the Washington Nationals. Beltran's two-run homer in the first inning gave him a second consecutive season with at least 30 homers and put him over 100 RBIs for the sixth time.
So there's the strategy, in the face of four consecutive losses and a franchise-record 10 errors over the latest two games -- grin and bear it.
The Mets never had more than eight errors over two games until making six Sunday plus Monday's total, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Heck, even Casey Stengel's woeful '62 Mets never had a fielding fiasco of this magnitude.
The Mets are only 2 1/2 games ahead of second-place Philadelphia, which followed up a sweep at New York by beating the St. Louis Cardinals 13-11 Monday night. The Mets' three losses to the Phillies were quite similar to what happened Monday -- shaky bullpen work compounded by mental and physical miscues.
After Brian Lawrence -- filling in for the injured starter Orlando Hernandez -- gave up four runs in 3 1-3 innings, he was followed by this procession: Aaron Sele (four outs, three hits, one run), Scott Schoeneweis (two outs, one hit, three runs), Jorge Sosa (two outs, two walks, one run), Willie Collazo (one out, one hit, one run) and Joe Smith (five outs, two hits, two runs).
The totals: 4 2-3 innings, eight runs.
That follows a Phillies series in which New York's relievers allowed 10 runs in 9 2-3 innings.
Lawrence gave up four runs in the fourth inning, when six straight batters reached safely. Washington went up 5-4 in the fifth when Sele (3-2) gave up Pena's RBI single, but the big blunders came in the sixth.
Schoeneweis started things by walking the .233-hitting Schneider. Pinch-hitter Felipe Lopez hit a roller that went under third baseman David Wright's glove for an error. Logan followed with a bunt that Schoeneweis fumbled, then grabbed too late to get the batter at first. But Schoeneweis threw the ball anyway, launching it into right field for an error that allowed two runs to score. Logan was credited with a single and wound up at third.
An out later, Schoeneweis gave way to Sosa, who walked a batter. Pena then hit a broken-bat comebacker. Sosa gloved it, turned toward second but held the ball, then wheeled and threw home. Logan slid in before the tag to make it 8-4.
The Mets have lost five of their last six.
Mets OF Moises Alou extended his hitting streak to 21 games.
September 17, 2007
Mets Swept By Phillies Again
So much for a Phillies flop. It's the New York Mets who are guarding against a September swoon.
Greg Dobbs had a pinch-hit grand slam and Philadelphia beat the sloppy Mets for the eighth straight time Sunday, completing another sweep of New York with a 10-6 victory. Dobbs also hurt the Mets on Friday night, lifting the Phillies to a 3-2 win with a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the 10th inning. He leads the majors with 18 RBIs as a pinch hitter this year.
The Phillies pulled within 3 1/2 games of the NL East leaders. They won 12 of 18 against the Mets this season, including a franchise-best three series sweeps.
Carlos Beltran hit a tying, three-run homer for New York, which committed six errors and matched a season high with 11 walks. It was the most errors by the Mets since they had six on September 13, 2002, at Montreal. New York used eight pitchers, tying a club record, and the 11 walks were its most since April 11 against Philadelphia.
Beltran's 29th homer tied it at 5 in the fifth, but Philadelphia responded with five runs in the sixth.
Mets reliever Guillermo Mota (2-2) failed to retire any of the three batters he faced. Pat Burrell walked, Ryan Howard reached on second baseman Luis Castillo's error and Aaron Rowand walked before Mota was replaced by Jorge Sosa.
Sosa walked Jayson Werth to force in a run before Dobbs hit a 1-2 pitch into the first deck in right for his first career grand slam and third pinch-hit homer. It also was the Phillies' second pinch-hit slam of the season.
Wright Homers To Join 30-30 Club
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| David Wright |
Wright is the 29th player to accomplish the feat and third to do it with New York. Wright, who has 31 steals, joins his hitting coach, Howard Johnson, and Darryl Strawberry as the only Mets players in the 30-30 club.
The 24-year-old Wright has four homers in his last seven games.
Only five players under the age of 25 have recorded a 30-30 season, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. Bobby Bonds (1969), Jose Canseco (1988), Sammy Sosa (1993) and Alex Rodriguez (1998) are the others. A-Rod is the youngest to do it, joining the club with the Mariners three days after his 23rd birthday.
September 16, 2007
Rollins Is The MVP, Not David Wright
Jimmy Rollins proved once again why he should be the MVP against the Mets. Rollins came up with runners on base in the 7th inning with a hard drive off Shawn Green which was ruled an error than scored Taguchi from second and again in the 8th inning with a two run triple over the head of
Carlos Beltran who won a gold glove last season believe it or not.
Willie Randolph again made another bad bullpen move allowing Pedro Feliciano pitch the 8th after pitching the seventh. What happened to Aaron Heilman? Mets closer Billy Wagner was unavailable. "He said he needed a day," Randolph said.
Can someone count how many times Jose Reyes pops up in clutch situations. Take a pitch for once.
The Mets have 38 stolen bases in their last 23 games and lead the majors with 193 this year. The Mets tied franchise records for stolen bases in an inning with four in the third, and for the game with six total. But they also were caught three times, including Jose Reyes trying to take third with two outs in the sixth.
The Mets activated backup C Ramon Castro (lower back arthritis) from the disabled list. They also recalled RHPs Joe Smith and Brian Lawrence , INF Anderson Hernandez and OF David Newhan from Triple-A New Orleans.
Mets LF Moises Alou reached on an infield single in the second to extend his hitting streak to 19 games.
Pedro Looks Great, Bullpen Blow Again
New York wasted another terrific start by
Pedro Martinez, who struck out nine and held the Phillies to one run in six innings. Martinez was sidelined for most of the season after having major shoulder surgery last October, but is 2-0 in three starts since he came off the disabled list September 3.
"Today was the first time I felt that I could use my changeup in any count against any hitter," Martinez said.
The Mets led 3-1 after six innings but couldn't hold on for the second straight game. Chase Utley's two-run homer erased the Mets' 2-0 lead Friday night and Philadelphia went on to win 3-2 on pinch-hitter Greg Dobbs' sacrifice fly in the 10th inning. The Phillies lead the majors with 45 come-from-behind wins.
"We've done it all year long, fortunately, and hopefully we can continue to do it in big situations," Rollins said.
Rowand led off the eighth with a drive to left off Pedro Feliciano for his 24th homer, tying it at 3. Jorge Sosa (9-7) came in and walked pinch-hitter Wes Helms, who was replaced at first by Chris Roberson.
Martinez kept New York in front while he was in, throwing 68 of his season-high 98 pitches for strikes. The three-time Cy Young Award winner has allowed three earned runs over 16 innings in his comeback.
September 15, 2007
Mets Lose To Phillies Again
Greg Dobbs and the Philadelphia Phillies picked up right where they left off against the New York Mets.
Dobbs had a pinch-hit sacrifice fly in the 10th inning, and the Phillies beat the Mets 3-2 Friday night in the opener of a big weekend series.
Philadelphia picked up its sixth straight victory against New York -- five have been by two runs or fewer and two came in extra innings. Philadelphia tied it at 2 in the sixth. Nunez walked and scored when Chase Utley went deep with two outs.
That was it for Philadelphia against Tom Glavine, who gave up five hits and two runs in 7 2-3 innings. He is 8-1 with a 3.20 ERA in his last 16 outings.
He got some help from his defense in the eighth. Nunez led off with a bloop single. Moyer then tried to advance Nunez with a sacrifice but Wright made a terrific diving catch at third before hopping up and throwing to first to finish off the double play.
Glavine departed after allowing a single to Rollins, who stole second and was stranded when Pedro Feliciano got Utley to ground out.
"You kind of walk away with an empty feeling," Glavine said of his third no-decision in his last five starts. "But for me, personally, there's not a lot I can do. You just go out there and try and pitch well, give us an opportunity to win the game."
Glavine has allowed just four earned runs in 27 2-3 innings over his last four outings.
September 13, 2007
Guillermo Mota Sucks
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| Where can I buy some steroids? |
Why do you still throw this guy out there in tight situations? Please either keep Mota of games that are close or buy him some steroids. One more question. Why is Aaron Sele still on this team? He sucks!
New York led 3-1 with two outs and nobody on in the eighth but Atlanta tied it on Jeff Francoeur's two-run single off much-maligned Guillermo Mota, booed by the crowd of 51,648 as he trotted to the mound with a 5.82 ERA. Mota lowered his ERA to 5.79 and earned the win.
Relegated to part-time duty much of the summer, Shawn Green came through with a huge hit Wednesday night that helped the New York Mets tighten their firm grip on first place. Green lined a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning to drive in Carlos Beltran as New York edged the Atlanta Braves 4-3 for its 10th victory in 12 games.
Super sub Marlon Anderson homered off John Smoltz, and John Maine stymied Atlanta again for six innings. The Mets padded their NL East lead to seven games over second-place Philadelphia, which was routed by Colorado. They get their final day off of the regular season Thursday before the Phillies arrive at Shea Stadium for a three-game series beginning Friday night.
Wednesday, Sep 12, 2007
Mets Want Glavine Back, But On Their Terms
New York Mets pitcher Tom Glavine has a player option for next season that is worth at least $11 million and could increase to $13 million, assuming he reaches the 200-inning plateau (he is at 182 1/3).
GM Omar Minaya said yesterday that the Mets were, "of course," interested if Glavine wanted to come back. The Mets would seem inclined to decline the option and try to negotiate a new contract at a lower price.
September 10, 2007
Braves Tomahawk Mets
Orlando Hernandez was rusty after a long layoff, and it led to an important victory for the desperate Atlanta Braves.
Mark Teixeira hit a three-run homer and the Braves roughed up Hernandez in a 13-5 victory over the New York Mets on Tuesday night.
"We took advantage of some wildness by El Duque," Teixeira said. "When he's on he's tough to hit, but tonight he just couldn't throw strikes."
Yunel Escobar also went deep for Atlanta, which played without Chipper Jones for the second straight night but still managed 13 hits. Willie Harris drove in three runs, and Jeff Francoeur was 2-for-3 with two RBIs.
The Braves, clinging to their slim playoff hopes with 17 games left, pulled within 8 1/2 of NL East-leading New York. They are five back of front-runner San Diego in the wild-card race.
September 11, 2007
Mets Beat Braves
David Wright keeps getting big hits and the starting pitchers look sensational. Now that they've hit September, the confident New York Mets are coming down the stretch like champions.
Wright hit a two-run homer and Oliver Perez tossed another gem against the Atlanta Braves, leading New York to a tidy 3-2 victory Monday night. Wright got his 31st stolen base in the eighth. Perez allowed five hits with two walks and seven strikeouts. He is 4-1 with a 3.03 ERA and 32 strikeouts in five starts against Atlanta this year.
Don't you want to publicly execute fans who wear jerseys of teams that are playing at sporting venues. What is worse is when people wear jerseys of teams not in that sport. Like this idiot wearing an Eli Manning jersey on the 7 train after the game.
Why are Met fans doing the Braves in the 9th inning last night? Thank God some started doing the Lets Go Mets chant.
Mets LF Moises Alou extended his hitting streak to 15 games with his first triple of the season in the sixth. It's the longest current streak in the majors.
September 5, 2007
Lo Duca Hits A Pair of 3-run Homers
Paul Lo Duca hit a pair of three-run homers and drove in a career-high seven runs Tuesday night, powering the New York Mets to their fifth straight victory, 11-7 over the Cincinnati Reds. It was the third two-homer game of Lo Duca's career and his first since Oct. 2, 2001.
The NL East leaders have regained control of their division with their longest winning streak of the season. A balanced offense has led the way, piling up 46 runs in the last six games and reaching double-digits three times.
After falling behind 5-3, the Mets sent nine batters to the plate for five runs in the sixth inning, a rally started by Carlos Beltran's two-run homer. Shawn Green added a two-run double off reliever Bill Bray (3-2) during the comeback, and Lo Duca finished it with an RBI single.
Carlos Delgado, Green and Lo Duca each had three hits, helping left-hander Oliver Perez (13-9) get the victory on an off-night. Perez lasted only five innings, walked five and gave up five runs. The left-hander escaped a bases-loaded threat to end the fifth with the Reds leading 5-3, then hopped over the third base line for good luck as he left the field.
RHP Pedro Martinez will make his second start Sunday in New York against the Astros. "In front of the home fans, it'll be a little emotional," he said. "I'm crazy with the fans and they're crazy with me." Martinez returned from shoulder surgery and got the victory in the series opener.
The Mets called up 41-year-old C Sandy Alomar Jr. from the minors, adding to their depth.
Mets RHP Orlando Hernandez, who had a cortisone shot in his sore right foot last week, will miss his scheduled start Friday against the Astros. RHP Mike Pelfrey is expected to start in his place. "He's doing fine," Randolph said. "But we're going to skip one turn." Martinez hadn't pitch in the majors since September 27 last year.
September 4, 2007
Pedro Returns
Working with a fastball that was past its prime,
Pedro Martinez made a vintage comeback. Back on the mound for the first time in almost a year, the right-hander got his 3,000th career strikeout Monday and led the resurgent New York Mets to a 10-4 win over the Cincinnati Reds. A victory and a little bit of history, too. "Can't ask for anything better than that," manager Willie Randolph said. "He's amazing. I shouldn't even be surprised, really. Pedro was superb."
Martinez (1-0) had major shoulder surgery last Oct. 5. He returned after just four rehabilitation appearances in the minors, leaving some questions about his readiness. The Mets decided to put him on a 75-pitch limit that left him no margin for error to get through five innings and get a win.
Martinez threw 76 pitches while limiting the Reds to three runs and five hits in five innings. Four of his pitches came on an intentional walk. With two runners aboard in the fifth, Martinez got Adam Dunn -- the last batter he'd get to face -- to hit into a rally-killing groundout.
Former Met Nolan Ryan holds the career strikeout record with 5,714.
September 3, 2007
Glavine Beats Smoltz, Mets sweep Braves Finally
Tom Glavine allowed himself just a "fleeting 15 seconds" Sunday to consider his past in Atlanta and his future in baseball.
"During the course of the game I thought this could be the last time I pitch here," said Glavine, who has said he hasn't decided if he will retire after the season.
A long-awaited win over longtime teammate and friend John Smoltz, in the midst of a playoff run, could be a fitting Atlanta finale for Glavine.
Backed by David Wright's two-run homer, Glavine won for the first time in four tries this season against Smoltz, beating Atlanta 3-2 on Sunday as the Mets completed a three-game sweep.
September 2, 2007
Pelfrey Wins
Earlier this season, the losses kept piling up for Mets pitcher Mike Pelfrey. Called up Saturday to start against the Braves in the midst of a tight pennant race, the young right-hander turned it all around.
Pelfrey allowed one hit in six innings to win his first game of the season after seven losses, and Carlos Delgado, Lastings Milledge and Carlos Beltran each hit solo home runs to help the New York Mets beat the Atlanta Braves 5-1 on Saturday.
The Mets won their second in a row in Atlanta after getting swept in four games at Philadelphia. The Braves lost for the eighth time in their last 11 games to fall 6 1/2 behind the Mets in the NL East. Atlanta began the day 5 1/2 back in the wild-card race.
Asked about pitching in an important game at Atlanta, where the Mets were 18-35 since 2002 coming into Saturday, the 23-year-old Pelfrey shrugged. "I really didn't think about that. I've had a rough year. I was just trying to do my best," he said. Pelfrey (1-7), recalled from Triple-A New Orleans prior to the game, struck out seven, a career high for the second-year pitcher. He walked three, and the only hit was a clean single to right in the fourth by Mark Teixeira.
The Mets got some good news before the game when it was announced that RHP Pedro Martinez would start on Monday at Cincinnati. He has been sidelined all season after rotator cuff surgery last October.
Jose Reyes singled and stole his major league-leading 74th stolen base in the sixth, then promptly got picked off by RHP Manny Acosta. New York pinch-hitter Ruben Gotay also was picked off second in the eighth.
New York C Paul Lo Duca was thrown out at second in the fifth inning by left-fielder Willie Harris,s trying to stretch a single into a double. Milledge followed with his homer.
September 1, 2007
Mets End Losing Streak
Pedro Martinez may give the Mets rotation a September boost, but John Maine has been an able stand-in all season as New York's new ace.
Carlos Delgado hit a three-run homer and Maine gave up only three hits and one run to lead New York to a 7-1 win over the Atlanta Braves on Friday night, stopping the NL East-leading Mets' losing streak at five games. Delgado moved past Billy Williams for 38th place with 427 career homers.
The only run John Maine (14-8) allowed came in the sixth, after he loaded the bases with no outs. Maine struck out eight and walked three in seven innings, and won for only the second time in his last six starts.
Jose Reyes also hit a homer for the Mets, who had losing months in June (12-15) and July (13-14) but finished 15-13 in August, even after losing four straight to division rival Philadelphia. New York, which remained two games ahead of the Phillies, won for only the third time in seven games in Atlanta this season.