June 2009
Classic, Part 2…
If last night was amazing, tonight was ridiculous. Don’t get me wrong, when Werth caught the ball in the bottom of the 10th, I sensed something bad would happen. Parnell coming in to face Utley, Howard, and Ibanez? In Extras? *cringe* Yeah, I had a feeling one of them would go deep…and Utley did. He has 15 HRs this year and 4 have come against the Mets. BUT…this game was still great and it would have been worth the price of admission…
Normally, games like this are awesome and sometimes you lose them…but, we should and could have had this one. Mike Pelfrey pitched well. I know people have not been throwing him a bone at all this year, but he is selling me every start he makes. He pitched very well into the 7th inning. I agree with Keith Hernandez and absolutely love how he stared down Chase Utley twice. When Utley kept stepping out on him, Pelf stared him down and Utley stared back. A few pitches later, Utley grounded out and both players passed each other, again staring each other down. This is what the Mets need. They need to get emotionally involved and add some fire. It happened on Tuesday and Pelf replicated it again Wednesday night. He did give up a couple hits in the 7th and Beltran dropped a ball he would catch 99 out of 100 times. But all in all, Pelf held his own in a huge game and deserved a better fate. He went 6+ innings, 6 hits, 4 runs (only 2 earned), 1 BB, and 2 Ks.
Sean Green came in and could not keep any inherited runner from scoring. That is something that cannot happen when you consistently enter games in the middle of innings. Feliciano might be the unsung hero of this team. He entered in the 8th and got the assignment Parnell would later get and it wasn’t close. 3 up, 3 down against Utley, Howard, and Ibanez. K-Rod pitched 2 innings and was great, with the help of Tatis’s sick double play in the 10th.
Offensively, the Mets tore the cover off the ball, collecting 16 hits in all. Pelfrey started the charge, going 2 for 3 with a double, RBI and a run scored. The Mets shelled Hamels, who barely made it through the 5th, allowing 11 hits, 4 runs, 2 BBs, and a K. David Wright also a nice night going 3 for 5 with a walk and a run scored. He has continued to rake. He hit a sinking liner in the bottom of the 10th, with F-Mart on 1st, that Jayson Werth made a diving grab on. If Werth misplays that ball at all, it gets by and Martinez walks home to end the game. That is how the entire game went. Santos contributed 3 hits, while Castillo and Beltran each had 2. Santos’s big flub came in the bottome of the 8th when he popped up (on the 1st pitch, no less) with the bases loaded and only one out. That is what killed the most. I saw a stat during the game that the Mets lead the NL is batting average with RISP (something like .282). I suppose it could be true…just sometimes hard to believe, watching this team.
Could Have Beens:
- 15 of the Mets 16 hits…were singles. That’s a 4 hits:1 run ratio. That’s terrible. Only Pelfrey got more than a base.
- The Mets loaded the bases twice and had 2 runners on twice and didn’t score in any of those 4 innings…
- During the 7th inning, when the Phils got 3 runs, Beltran dropped a catchable ball (but it was a hit) and Wright misplayed a grounded that would have been an easy out at home…defense always does come back to bite them
- The Mets were 6 for 19 with RISP (not terrible) but had 16 LOB…that’s bad.
- If these were the first 2 games, I cannot wait to see Thursday night’s rubber match. Unfortunately, I do have 2 playoff softball games, so I will be watching the game, after the fact…
- Also, I watched the Series Premiere of Royal Pains tonight…USA Network is coming out with some awesome shows. Their summer slate (Burn Notice, Royal Pains, and Psych) might rival CBS during year…
Thursday night, 7:10, Citi Field, Moyer vs. Redding…
Show Me The Apple!
This was just an amazing game. There was quality pitching, quality hitting, punches and counter-punches, comebacks, lead changes, great plays, and lots of gut-wrenching drama…
First, in the top of the 8th, my MLB.TV DVR stopped and I was help in purgatory-limbo for another hour+…but, I did manage to stay away from all scoreboards and see the end of great Stanley Cup and NBA Finals games…
This might have been the best game Johan Santana has played in as a Met. Yes, he did give up 4 HRs (3 of the were solo…and to lefties), but he contributed in other ways. His pitching line was 7+ innings, 8 hits, 5 runs, 1 BB, and 2 Ks. Yeah, not that great of a pitching night, but for the run support given to him, I’ll take it. Just seeing his emotion and the way he got out of innings showed his leadership. You could tell by his expressions that he knew how much this game meant and that his team needed him out there. After giving up a 3-run lead in the top of the 6th, Santana came through with his bat. With Santos and Church on 1st and 2nd and one out, Santana could not get the sac bunt down in 2 attempts. On an 0-2 pitch, Johan lines a ball into the corner to tie the game with his first RBI of the season. In the top of the 7th, with a runner on 1st and 1 out, Shane Victorino lined a shot back up the middle that Santana snagged and tossed over to 1st to complete the double play. When Manuel finally went out to get him after his 4th HR, Santana was not so pleased and tried to stay in. This was his game and he wanted to finish. That is what the Mets need to show more of. Yes, he has been giving up more runs in his last few starts and he did give up 4 HRs on Tuesday, but he used the run support he was given and he hung in the game long enough to get his team to the back end of the bullpen. The Mets had to have this game and Santana got them to the end. There are more aspects to leading a team than pitching your best game, statistically and Santana did that.
Major props to Pedro Feliciano and K-Rod for their solid performances in the 8th and 9th. Pedro threw 4 pitches and got Howard to hit into a double play and Ibanez to ground out, ending the 8th. K-Rod made his way through the 9th, including 2 Ks of Feliz and Dobbs.
As for the offense, they hit HRs! That’s plural…and more than 2!! Woohoo!!! David Wright hit his 1st HR in 100 ABs in the bottom of the 2nd inning. Carlos Beltran added a 2 run shot after a Cora double. To add to the power surge, Ryan Church hit a deep ball in the 7th inning. To top it off, Church hit the ball INTO the Apple well! It turned out to just be enough, as the Mets held on, 6-5.
Relief Points:
- Not to complain, but in the bottom of the 6th, after Tatis doubled and reached 3rd via a bad throw on a pickoff by Ruiz, Church grounded to 1st and Tatis was thrown out at home. Except that he wasn’t…the replay clearly showed that Tatis was under the tag.
- There is still no timetable on Reyes…its better that he not rush back. We are going to need a healthy Reyes for the last couple months…
- Every Phillies starter (except Ruiz and Happ) got at least 1 hit and Rollins continued his dominance over the Mets by going 3 for 4 with 2 RBI and a run scored…
- The Mets, again, showed great team hitting. Wright and Cora each had a couple hits, but everyone in the starting lineup got a hit (except Castillo)…
- The Nationals picked Stephen Strasburg with the #1 overall pick in the MLB Draft…it would be tough to turn him down.
Wednesday, 7:10, Citi Field, Hamels vs. Pelfrey…
Coming Through…
That was a must-win. And, honestly, who has been better in the last few starts than Livan Hernandez? He pitched well in Pittsburgh, last Monday, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead. From a guy who entered Spring Training fighting for the last spot in the rotation, Livan might be the #2 starter, if the Mets were in the playoffs today. His ERA has dropped steadily since his only loss on April 23rd (7.31 to 3.88 after today). He’s only given up 5 runs in his last 28 2/3 innings. Today, he only added to his great numbers, going 7 innings, 4 hits, 0 runs, 4 BBs, and 4 Ks. He is not scheduled to pitch against the Phillies (obviously) but should take the mound next Friday against the rival Yankees in the Mets first trip to the New Stadium.
The Mets jumped on Stammen early and often. That is exactly what needed to happen after last night…and against a good, young starter. 5 of the first 6 Mets reached base and all ended up scoring…2 by wild pitch. After the 1st inning, though, the Mets didn’t do much until the late innings. Fortunately, Hernandez took care of that. To me, though, it was important that more runs scored, especially via hits and not on gifts. In the 7th, Cora singled, stole 2nd, and scored and Wright’s RBI single. And in the 9th, Martinez reached on an error, but Beltran lined a shot into the right-center gap, gathering an RBI. On a day when Wright and Beltran each only had an RBI, the Mets still scored 7 runs. Sure, a couple came on on wild pitches, but Fernando Martinez, Murphy, and Schneider all drove in runs. Everybody is going to have to get clutch hits until Reyes and Delgado are back.
Positives Ending a Negative Road Trip:
- Ryan Church had a successful return to the lineup. He has said that he needs to be an everyday player and he backed it up today. Church went 2 for 5 with a run scored and he hit the ball hard 3 times. He also played strong in the field, making a couple of nice catches. It should be interesting how much he plays against the Phillies, as the Mets will be facing 3 lefties…
- Daniel Murphy also looked solid again, today. Murph hit well (2 for 4 with an RBI, a walk, and a run scored) and looked right at home at 1st base. He fielded a hard hit ball and started a double play, including getting back to the bag from a reasonable distance away. These are the type of plays that good first basemen make, routinely…and Murph is getting there.
- Gary Sheffield got to rest his aging body another day. This is going to be key, as I expect him to start the next 3 games against the Philly lefties.
- David Wright is quietly getting hot again. Today, he went 2 for 3 with an RBI, a run scored, and 2 BBs. On his last 4 games, he went 9 for 13 with 4 RBI, 4 doubles, 5 runs scored, 2 stolen bases, 5 BBs, and NO Ks!!!
- Roy Halladay won again today. He threw his 2nd complete game, allowing 7 hits, 0 runs, 0 BBs, and 6 Ks. His ERA is not Greinke or Santana-esque, but 2.52 is nothing to fret over. It is Top 5 in the AL. Halladay got his 10th win…can he give 30 a run?
The Mets are off again tomorrow, so…
Tuesday, 7:10, Citi Field, Happ vs. Santana…
No Recap…Just an Idea
You know what I would like to see? I’d like to see one of the Mets regulars (especially someone who has been having a great year: Santana, Beltran, Wright; Castillo, K-Rod or a young guy: Pelfrey, Parnell, or Santos) go into the Citi Field clubhouse and just absolutely destroy it. Take a few bats and maybe a blow-torch and just break everything in sight. Don’t harm people’s personal belongings but go to town on all of the public areas. Then, he should go up to Mr. Wilpon’s office and write him a check for all of the damage that he caused. After that, he should call a press conference and demand that everyone who has been on the team this year chip in to help for the damages. If that happened, I would send some money to said player…
- I’m not saying that Manuel needs to be fired, but this team still has that “tolerant” attitude about them. Sure, they get fired up after a nice win, but it goes away in a couple days. They don’t have that killer instinct that teams like the Phillies and Red Sox have. This team has a chance to be great, but it seems they just don’t want it, yet…
- This is a team that does not have any large holes. Sure, they could use another starter or an everyday catcher or another outfield bat, but who couldn’t? Their pitching and hitting are both in the Top 5 of the MLB and a few games over .500 is all they’ve got? That’s ridiculous…
- Yes, I know people have been hurt. I want to see Reyes back as much, if not more, than anyone. But, injuries are a part of the game. You can look at a potential lineup and it is still formidible. We still have as good of 4 starters as there are in the NL. Like Beltran said, they need to start taking losing personally or else this team is going to be broken up…and it should be. I love a lot of the players on this team, but finishing 2nd every year after putting together quality teams is unacceptable…
As for Saturday’s game, the Mets hit into 4 double plays in the first 4 innings (5 in all). John Maine allowed the opposing pitcher to reach base and then gave up HRs…that’s plural. Also, the Mets managed 4 hits tonight…
Sunday, 1:35, Nationals Park, Hernandez vs. Stammen……
The Losing Streak Ends…Barely
After starting June 0-3, the Mets finally put one in the win column. With another patchwork lineup and get-me-by pitching, the Mets eeked one out in DC against the hapless Nationals.
Tim Redding started and threw his best outing of the year. Redding, in his first game back in his old stomping grounds, went 6 innings, 6 hits, 1 run, 2 BBs, and 2 Ks. He did not get the win, but he kept the Mets in the game. Given the 4 above average starters the Mets have, if Redding can go 5 or more innings and give the Mets a chance, that is as much as the organization can ask.
The offense, however, must have stayed in Pittsburgh. Redding was in line to get his first win of the year, when in the top of the 5th, Brian Schneider doubled under the glove of Adam Dunn with Fernando Martinez on 1st. That led to runners on 2nd and 3rd with no outs. Tim Redding and Alex Cora each grounded out and Luis Castillo flew out to left. Both runners were left on base. The Nationals scored in the bottom of the 5th and tied the game. I blame Redding not getting the win on the lack of offense. With this lineup, runs need to be scored when hits aren’t necessary. The Mets have had absolutely no power, so they can’t sit around waiting for a 3-run homer. Productive outs are essential. They got away with it today, but until Reyes and Delgado come back, the Mets will need to take advantage of any scoring opportunity they can create.
Hits and Misses:
- David Wright was the offense, tonight. He went 4 for 5 with 2 RBI and a run scored. He also had 2 doubles. Hopefully, he will continue on this “power surge.” His biggest hit of all was a double into the right-center gap, plating 2 runs to give the Mets a 3-1 lead in the 10th inning.
- Other than Wright…no one seemed to hit the ball. If you take away Wright, the Mets had 4 hits. They went 1 for 11 with RISP and left 10 on base.
- Cristian Guzman had almost half of the Nats 7 hits, with 3.
- The Nationals are last in MLB in ERA with a 5.61 mark. That is .33 higher than the Indians who are in 29th place.
- The Mets have now evened their Extra Innings record at 3-3…
- Zack Greinke got wrecked again, Friday. He only went 5 innings, 9 hits, 7 runs (5 earned), 1 BB, and 3 Ks…the Royals are also not doing so hot. They have lost 8 in a row, not winning since Greinke’s last win…
- To top off a great win by the Metsies, the Dodgers put a feather in my cap. Down 3-2 in the bottom of the 9th with 2 outs, the next 3 Dodgers reached base and Andre Ethier lined a shot into the right field corner scoring 2 to end the Phillies winning streak at 7…
Saturday, 7:05, Nationals Park, Maine vs. Lannan…
Pitts…blah
After the terrible loss on Monday, the Mets played one of their most un-inspired performances of the year, as Santana didn’t pitch well and was marooned with a 3-1 loss. Wednesday was washed away due to rains in Western PA.
Thursday, was an afternoon game. I have always been a fan of afternoon games. Businessmen take an afternoon off to watch some baseball. There’s always lots of kids that come out to the game via either a summer camp trip or a field trip from school. Its kind of an old school type of baseball that can take you away from the stress and frustrations of everyday life. And, for people like me who try to watch/follow every game, it gives you a free evening.
A day after trading (I mean donating) their best player to the evil Braves, the Pirates came out swinging…and hitting. Before anyone knew what happened, the Pirates landed 6 hits and a walk that plated 4 runs in the 1st inning…with only 1 out. Much like the US in their game against Costa Rica last night, Pelfrey did not even show up against the Bucs. He only lasted 3 and 2/3 9 hits, 9 runs (8 earned), 4 BBs, and 3 Ks. Too bad for Pelf. He pitched his 2 best games of the year in his last 2 outings. If the Mets had scored an inning earlier in each game, he could be 6-1…well, now 2. But, they didn’t and he falls to 4-2.
Also, as I am writing this, JJ Putz is getting shelled. He has not done well at all, lately. I’m starting to form the opinion that he should go on the DL (I hear they need a 10th for Bridge). Not that he is hurt to the point of some of the other Mets, but he might just need some time to work on some things, like his focus/mentality. The Mets pitching staff (and bullpen especially) have been more than great this year. So, let Putz work himself out and lean on your strengths for a bit.
This has just been a rough trip and I think the Mets just need to start over. They need to get out of Pittsburgh and begin a new series. It wouldn’t shock me if the Monday night “giveaway” is still longering and maybe a plane ride can help it a little bit.
The news on Reyes is not great. He had a minor setback this week and it doesn’t look like he will be back this weekend in DC. The latest I heard was the best case would be Jose could return on Tuesday before the series against Philly. Ryan Church, however, is also supposed to come off the DL on Sunday.
While waiting for the Plane:
- On the positive side, Carlos Beltran came back with a bang, today. He went 2 for 4 with a walk and 2 extra base hits: a double and a HR!!!
- The Mets hit a HR! It was their first since last Friday against the Marlins…
- David Wright seems to be starting to show signs of breaking out of his slump…maybe. He went 2 for 3 with 2 BBs, an RBI, a stolen base, and 2 runs…he does needs to pick it up. If the Mets are going to turn it around and make a little run before the All-Star Break that keeps getting closer, Wright is going to have to be the David Wright of old. He doesn’t need to hit bushels of HRs, but he does need to start getting more doubles and triples…
- Jerry Manuel has said that the next few games are an audition for Fernando Martinez. With Church set to come off the DL, Martinez is going to have to start hitting better if he wants to stay in NY. He did go 2 for 4 today, with an RBI and a run scored.
Friday, 7:05, Nationals Park, Redding vs. Martis…
Blow-pen…
To quote Gary Cohen tonight, “…and the Mets lose their worst game of the year.” That pretty much sums it up. The Mets have dropped a few tough ones this year, but this might actually be the worst.
First of all, they were staked to a 5-0 lead, through 3 innings. Livan Hernandez pitched reasonably well. He didn’t quite complete the 6th, but kept his team in the game. He allowed 7 hits, 3 runs, 2 BBs, and 5 Ks. Coming from your back of the rotation starter, that is more than acceptable.
Second, they got great contributions from the bottom of their lineup. Jeremy Reed went 2 for 4 with 2 runs scored. Wilson Valdez went 2 for 4 with 3 RBI and a run scored. Brian Schneider also had an RBI double. Fernando Martinez also had a productive day in the 2 hole, going 1 for 3 with a run scored and 2 BBs. These are guy who generally are not at the top of the list when it comes to “counted on” production.
Lastly, it is the first game of the road trip…and in Pittsburgh. The Mets pretty much dominated the Pirates in NY, a few weeks ago. The Pirates also have not been playing overly well, lately. This is just not how things needed to go for the Mets, who have been ridiculously short-handed, lately. But, Santana is starting tomorrow…
Quickies:
- Carlos Beltran missed another game with a “stomach virus”…
- Alex Cora is scheduled to come off of the DL on Tuesday, but most likely won’t play until Wednesday…
- Jose Reyes is playing in extended spring training in Florida and might re-join the team on Friday in DC…
- Angel Pagan will most likely go on the DL…shocker!
- There is a chance that I will be going to Pittsburgh for the Wednesday and Thursday games…as long as the weather (and money) work out…
- Conan O’Brien debuted on the Tonight Show, Monday night…not too bad
Tuesday, 7:05, PNC Park, Santana vs. Duke…
mlblogssportfan
Recent Comments