Redding Rocked on Saturday, Mets Come Back Sunday for Series Win

Mets End Weekend 1/2 Game Behind Phillies

Saturday’s game was simply a contrast of two pitchers. On one hand, the Marlins sent out their young sterling ace Josh Johnson, who pitched an excellent game. 7 innings. 5 hits. 2 walks. (That’s a baserunner per inning.) And just 2 earned runs. Josh Johnson now has a 4 – 2 record, a 2.66 ERA, and a 1.09 WHIP. Meanwhile, the Mets sent out their aging replacement starter Tim Redding. He pitched horribly for the Mets. 4-plus innings. 8 hits. 2 walks. (That’s 2.5 baserunners per inning.) And 7 earned runs. Redding is now 0 – 2 on the season, with a 9.20 ERA and a 1.91 WHIP. Certainly it’s going to be hard to win and pitch well when you’re giving up that many baserunners.

The Marlins offense clearly had Redding’s number Saturday. Emilio Bonifacio, Hanley Ramirez, and Jorge Cantu each had two hits. Jeremy Hermida, however, was the offensive star for the Marlins, knocking an RBI single in the first and a 3-run home run in the top of the fifth to put the game out of reach.

Hermida’s home run also served to knock Redding out of the game. He was replaced by Sean Green who pitched a scoreless inning. Green was followed by Ken Takahashi, who pitched three scoreless innings for the Mets. Brandon Stokes added a scoreless ninth. It was a truly great day for the Mets bullpen. 5 innings. 3 hits. 1 walk. 0 runs. But the damage had already been done. The Marlins seven runs against Tim Redding was more than enough, and they would end up winning 7 – 3.

Meanwhile, the Phillies defeated the Nationals at home Saturday to move a half game ahead of the Mets for first place in the NL East.

The Mets jumped on the board early against Chris Volstad on Sunday, when Angel Pagan doubled in Wilson Valdez in the bottom of the third to give the Mets a 1 – 0 lead.

Meanwhile, the Mets got an excellent start from John Maine, who went six shutout innings before leaving the game due to illness. He gave up just three hits and two walks and needed just 82 pitches to get through six innings. If not for the illness, who knows how long he could have gone.

Maine was relieved by Pedro Feliciano, who pitched a 1-2-3 seventh for the Mets. Perhaps most importantly, Feliciano threw 10 of 13 pitches for strikes Sunday. His control really has been most impressive this season. He hasn’t walked a hitter in his last seven appearances and has just 3 walks against 19 strikeouts on the year.

The Mets remained in front by the slimmest of margins until the bottom of the seventh, when Fernando Martinez and Omir Santos each hit RBI doubles to give the Mets a 3 – 0 cushion.

But given a 3 – 0 lead in the eighth, J.J. Putz got into trouble, walking Ross Gload with one out. He then gave up a single to Chris Coghlan, and an RBI single to Emilio Bonifacio. With the Marlins now down by just two runs and with the tying run on first, Manuel replaced Putz with Bobby Parnell. Parnell proceeded to give up an RBI single to Hanley Ramirez before striking out Jorge Cantu and inducing a fly out from Jeremy Hermida. After seven and a half at Citi Field, the Mets were clinging onto a 3 – 2 lead.

The Mets failed to score in the bottom of the eighth, but it didn’t matter. Francisco Rodriguez pitched another scoreless ninth for the Mets, walking one and striking out three to earn his 14th save in 14 chances. Unfortunately for the Mets, the Phillies also won Sunday, so the Mets remain a half game behind Philadelphia for first place in the NL East. On the bright side, St. Louis lost Sunday, so the Mets are now just a half-game back in the NL Wild Card chase.

Fernando Martinez Watch

Fernando Martinez, the highly touted prospect for the New York Mets, got his first two hits Saturday. In his first 16 at-bats in the big leagues, he has a single, two doubles and has struck out just three times. He has yet to earn a walk. In the field, he has yet to make an error.

Mets Defeat Marlins in 11, Hold Onto First Place

It was a marvelous pitchers duel Friday night as young Sean West of the Florida Marlins went up against Mike Pelfrey of the New York Mets. Both pitchers performed spectacularly. West went seven innings, giving up just four hits, one walk, and one earned run. The one real blemish was the fifth inning home run West gave up to Omir Santos. West probably could’ve went longer too. He had thrown just 91 pitches when he was pinch hit for in the top of the eighth. Meanwhile, Mike Pelfrey went seven and two-thirds, giving up just five hits and a walk, and striking out six. The only run he gave up was in the fourth, when he surrendered a triple to Chris Coghlan and then gave up a sacrafice fly to Dan Uggla.

Then, it became a battle of the bullpens. Pelfrey was taken out with runners at first and second and two outs in the top of the eighth. He was replaced by Bobby Parnell, who got Dan Uggla to ground out for the final out of the inning. Then, Marlins reliever Kiko Calero loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the eighth but was able to escape with no harm done. In the ninth, Francisco Rodriguez gave up one hit, struck out two, and kept the Marlins off the board. A combination of Marlins relievers held the Mets scoreless in the bottom of the ninth.

So, the game was headed to extra innings. Putz managed to pitch a perfect tenth. Dan Meyer would do the same for the Marlins. In the elventh, Putz recorded two outs, but let a runner get to third. That’s when Pedro Feliciano came in, and managed to get another huge out. Still 1 – 1 after 10 and a half at Citi Field. And then Sheffield walked to begin the bottom of the eleventh, stole second, and was driven home by Omir Santos soft line drive into left-center. Game over. Mets win!

Overall, it was not a good night for either offense. Both teams ended up leaving runner after runner on base. The Marlins left seven on base, the Mets left ten. That being said, the Mets did get some very good individual performances from some unexpected faces. Omir Santos continued to surprise, blasting the solo home run in the fifth as well as the game-winning single in the 11th. Santos is now hitting .276 on the season. And then Ramon Martinez had a multi-hit game as well, going two for three to riase his average to .167. And once again, Gary Sheffield was in the thick of things, particularly with his single to start the Mets 11th inning rally. David Wright, on the other hand, had a rough day, going 0 for 5 with two strikeouts, including a strikeout with the bases loaded in the bottom of the eighth.

The Phillies had already won by the time the Mets game headed into extra innings, so first place was at stake in Friday night’s game. With their big win, the Mets remain a half game ahead of the Phillies in the NL East.

GAME NOTE: After a rough stretch, J.J. Putz has had three straight scoreless appearances, earning one hold and a save over that stretch.

Off-Day Notes: The Braves, The NL Wild Card, Inside the Mets Dugout, and What Lies Ahead

An Eye on the Braves

After getting swept in San Francisco, the Atlanta Braves began their four-game series in Arizona tonight with yet another loss. This time, the Braves were stifled by Diamondbacks ace Dan Haren, and ended up losing 5 – 1. They are now three and a half games behind the first-place New York Mets.

The NL Wild-Card Scene

The Los Angeles Dodgers defeated the Chicago Cubs 2 – 1 at Wrigley Field tonight, guided by seven beautiful innings from Randy Wolf and a 2-inning save from Ramon Transoco. The Cubs are now 23 – 22, three and a half games out of the wild card lead. The Giants and Braves are also three and half back.

None of the other wild-card contenders played tonight. Milwaukee remains in the lead, holding a half game lead over the Reds, a one game lead over the Phillies, a three game lead over the Padres, and a three and half game lead over the Cubs, Braves, and Giants. If the Mets were to fall out of first place, they would be just one half game behind the Brew Crew.

In the Mets Dugout

Carlos Beltran has hit in six consecutive games…Daniel Murphy’s three-hit, five-RBI performance Wednesday was his first multi-hit performance since an April 19 home game against the Brewers. The performance raised his batting average 16 percentage points from .246 to .262…In the bullpen, Pedro Feliciano hasn’t given up an earned run since May 2. Since that date, he has pitched eight and two-thirds innings, giving up just seven hits and one walk. His WHIP is 0.96 this year and opposing hitters are hitting just .208 off Feliciano.

Florida Marlins @ New York Mets

Friday’s matchup pits Florida Marlins starter Sean West against Mets starter Mike Pelfrey. This will be West’s second appearance for the Marlins. He gave up two earned runs in five innings against the Tampa Bay Rays on May 23. Pelfrey, meanwhile, has given up three or less runs in six consecutive starts…Saturday will be a big day for Tim Redding, who will try to show the Mets that he deserves to stay n the big leagues. He has made two starts thus far for the Mets, giving up six runs to the Red Sox his last time out. His job is in serious jeopardy now that Oliver Perez is healthy again. Redding will oppose Marlins ace Josh Johnson, who is 3 – 1 with a 2.67 ERA this season…And on Sunday, Chris Volstad (4 – 3, 3.69 ERA) of the Marlins will take on John Maine (4 – 3, 4.18 ERA) of the Mets. Volsted has given up 18 earned runs in his last 5 starts. Maine gave up just one runs in his last start against the Washington Nationals.

The Marlins are coming off a big series win in Philadelphia after they spent most of May in free fall. They are 22 – 26 overall, five and half back of the Brewers in the Wild Card Chase.

Santana Stumbles But Mets Win Regardless

Phillies Loss Combined With Mets Win Puts Mets In First 

Everything seemed so perfect. The Mets were leading 3 – 0 with their ace pitcher and possibly the best pitcher in all of baseball, Johan Santana, on the mound. Meanwhile, the Phillies were off to a bad start against the Florida Marlins. It seemed the Mets would end the night in first for sure.

And then, Santana stumbled. Up 3 – 0 in the top of the fourth, Santana walked Ryan Zimmerman and then gave up a two-run home run to Adam Dunn. And if that wasn’t bad enough, the Nationals would load the bases off Santana, on a single and two walks. With two outs and the bases loaded, Santana proceeded to issue his fourth walk of the inning, a walk to Christian Guzman that tied the game at 3. Santana would escape the inning without any further damage, but for a second, it looked as if the Mets night might not turn out so well after all.

Santana thankfully regained his control after that disastorous top of the fourth, getting the Nationals out 1-2-3 in the top of the fifth and the top of the sixth. Then, fortune turned the Mets way in the bottom of the sixth, when with Gary Sheffield on first, Daniel Murphy hit a high fly ball to right field. The ball apparently hit the right-field wall, and when Sheffield tried to score on the play, he was tagged out at home. Murphy ended up on second with a double. But then the umpires examined the video, and decided that the ball had bounced off the Subway sign overhang above the right-field wall and thus was a home run. 5 – 3 Mets. It appears the umpires were wrong. It appears it was just a double, but regardless of whether the call was correct or not, the Mets now had the lead.

And from there on, it was easy. Bobby Parnell and Pedro Feliciano combined to pitch a relatively easy top of the seventh. The Mets then added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh. The big hit in the seventh was Daniel Murphy’s 2-RBI double, which gave him an impressive 5 RBIs on the day.

Manuel brought in J.J. Putz to pitch the top of the eighth, and after a leadoff walk, Putz got Ronnie Belliard to ground into a double play and then got Willie Harris to ground out to end the inning. Still 7 – 3 Mets. Francisco Rodriguez had a little trouble in the ninth, giving up an RBI single to Nick Johnson after Daniel Murphy’s error allowed Christian Guzman to reach base. But it was over. Rodriguez struck out Zimmerman to win the ballgame and clinch the sweep of the Nationals.

It was a strange day for Johan Santana. The fourth inning aside, he was phenomenal. His final numbers were three hits, six walks, 11 strikeouts, and 120 pitches in just six innings of work. The bullpen was strong.

The offense was good too although they left nine runners on base. Angel Pagan got two more hits from the leadoff spot. Luis Castillo was spectacular, getting two hits, scoring two runs, and walking three times from the two spot. Murphy was tremendous too, ending with three hits and of course the five RBIs. The one downer was David Wright, who went 1 for 5 with four strikeouts.

With the Phillies losing 6 – 2 to the Florida Marlins shortly after the Mets game ended, the Mets  are now in first place in the NL East. They are a half game up on the Phillies. Meanwhile, the Braves are currently losing to the Giants, and if they do end up losing, then the Mets will be three games up on the Braves.

The Mets have an off day before they begin a home series with the Florida Marlins on Friday night.

Livan Hernandez Goes the Distance, Mets Win 6 – 1

Santana Will Go For Sweep Tonight

The biggest move the Mets made this winter was getting Francisco Rodriguez. Yet, that was hardly the only move Omar Minaya made this past off-season. He brought in J.J. Putz, Ken Takahashi, and Sean Green as well to help shore up the bullpen. Sean Green aside, those moves have worked out pretty well. He also brought in some key position players. Gary Sheffield was clearly the biggest and best acquisition, but Minaya also brought in solid players like Jeremy Reed and Alex Cora to provide depth. But perhaps, one of Minaya’s biggest and most underated moves was bringing in Livan Hernandez.

Livan Hernandez is 33 years old, and presumably past his prime. Yet, he brings plenty of experience, craftiness, and of course his rubber arm to the Mets. He has been remarkably consistent this year. He is rarely spectacular, but he keeps the Mets in games. As evidence of the statement, Hernandez has lost only one game this entire year. The fact is he may not win every game, but he usually gives his team a chance. And on a starting staff that has been wildly inconsisten this year, Hernandez’s work has to be appreciated.

Last night, against one of the worst teams in baseball, Hernandez was hardly spectacular, but remarkably efficent. In going all the way for the Mets, he gave up nine hits and a walk, but just one earned run. It took 127 pitches, yet at the end of the evening, Livan Hernandez had gotten the first complete game at Citi Field.

Despite their depleted lineup,  the Mets provided plenty of offense for Hernandez. Ramon Martinez hit an RBI double in the bottom of the second. The Mets added another two runs in the bottom of the third, and then with the Mets leading 3 – 1 after six and a half innings, Gary Sheffield put the game out of reach with his three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh.

In other good news, Oliver Perez made his first rehab start for triple-A Buffalo, and presumably, dependent on how Perez does for Buffalo and on how Tim Redding does for the Mets, could rejoin the big club within the next few weeks.

With the Braves loss to the Giants last night, the Mets are now two games ahead of the Braves. They remain a half-game behind the Phillies iu the NL East and 1.5 games behind the Brewers/Cardinals in the Wild Card chase.

Mets Greet Home Fans With 5 – 2 Victory Over Nationals

Mets Bullpen Bends But Doesn’t Break Against Nationals

Over 41,000 fans greeted the Mets at Citi Field Monday night as they returned home from a 5 – 5 road trip through San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Boston. And the Mets, in turn, treated their fans to a 5 – 2 victory over the last-place Washington Nationals.

The Nationals got on the board first Monday, when Wil Nieves hit an RBI single in the second-inning to give the Nats a 1 – 0 lead, but the Mets responded just one inning later with an RBI single by Carlos Beltran. The game remained tied at 1 until the sixth inning, when Gary Sheffield hit a 3-run homerun to give the Mets a 4 – 1 lead. Ramon Martinez added a sacrafice fly to make it 5 – 1.

The Nationals threatened in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings. In the seventh, Bobby Parnell, coming in for John Maine, walked the first batter he faced. He struck out pinch-hitter Justin Maxwell, but then gave up a single to Carlos Guzman and walked Nieves to load the bases with just one out. Next up was Nationals third-basemen Ryan Zimmerman, who Parnell proceeded to walk. With the score 5 – 2 and the bases still loaded, Jerry Manuel brought in Pedro Feliciano to face Adam Dunn. After Dunn flied out to deep center, Manuel replaced Feliciano with J.J. Putz, who was able to record the final out of the seventh.

In the eighth, J.J. Putz walked two, but was able to keep the Nationals from scoring. Then, in the ninth, Nick Johnson singled off Francisco Rodriguez, and Zimmerman walked again, but once again, the Mets bullpen was able to avoid damage, as Rodriguez struck out Austin Kearns and got Willie Harris to pop out to preserve the 5 – 2 victory.

It was a scary but encouraging victory for the Mets. John Maine had a nice comeback outing Monday. After giving up five runs (four earned) against the Dodgers, Maine gave up just one run in six innings of work against the Nationals. It wasn’t his best performance.  Yet, it was a solid performance, one that was good enough to get Maine his fourth win of the season.

Meanwhile, the bullpen was shaky yet ultimately effective. In three innings of work, the bullpen (Parnell, Feliciano, Putz, and Rodriguez) gave up two hits and six walks but only gave up one run. Parnell’s performance was discouraging, but Feliciano recorded a crucial out with the bases loaded, and Putz and Rodriguez showed mental toughness getting out of jams.

On offense, there were lots of good signs. David Wright had more than one walk for the fifth time in eight games. Meanwhile, Gary Sheffield had two hits, including the three-run home run. His average is now up to .277 with 4 home runs and 14 RBI. Angel Pagan walked twice in the leadoff spot. And Beltran got another two hits to raise his average to an astounding .367.

Monday’s victory combined with losses by Philadelphia and Atlanta, put the Mets all alone in second place and just a half game out of first. Tonight, the Mets will send Livan Hernandez against Craig Stammen. The game is scheduled to start at 7:10 EST.

Red Sox Batter Mets Bullpen, Win Series Finale

Phillies Win in Extra Innings to Move 1.5 Games Ahead

For a brief moment Sunday, it looked like the New York Mets were on their way to a series sweep of the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Led by David Wright and Jeremy Reed RBI singles, the Mets had stormed back from a 3 – 1 defecit. Then, up 4 – 3 in the top of the fifth with runners on first and third, Gary Sheffield hit a single off Tim Wakefield to give the Mets a two-run lead. With Tim Redding doing surprisingly well, it looked like the Mets might be able to pull off a shocking three-game sweep of the Red Sox. And with the New York Yankees hanging tough against the Philadelphia Phillies, it looked like the Mets might end the weekend in first place.

That’s when Tim Redding imploded. In the bottom of the fifth, After retiring Kevin Youklis and Jason Bay on deep fly balls, Redding gave up a single to J.D. Drew. Mike Lowell followed with a deep drive off the Green Monster. Sheffield played the bounce perfectly, holding Lowell to a single. George Kottaras hit a double to make it 5 – 4. And that’s when Manuel came out, and replaced Redding with Sean Green.

The Mets entered Sunday’s game with one of the best bullpens in the major leagues, but Sunday wasn’t a very good day for the Mets relief corps. Red Sox shortstop Nick Green hit Sean Green’s first pitch into right field for a two-RBI single. Green was tagged out trying to stretch it into a double, but by then the Red Sox were already up 6 – 5.

Ken Takahashi came in to pitch the seventh. He walked Dustin Pedroia but also recorded two outs before handing the ball over to Brandon Stokes. Stokes immediately proceeded to walk Youklis before giving up an RBI single to Jason Bay and an RBI double to J.D. Drew. 8 – 5 Red Sox.

 Stokes got into more trouble in the eighth. He gave up consecutive singles to Kottaras and Green to start the inning. After getting Jacoby Ellsbury to ground out, Pedroia hit an RBI single, and two batter later, Youklis hit a three-run homerun to give the Red Sox a 12 to 5 lead.

It was a rough day for the Mets bullpen. Sean Green actually made a pretty good pitch to Nick Green, but Nick took it the other way for the 2-RBI single. Ken Takahashi was OK too, but ended up being charged with an earned run. Meanwhile, Brandon Stokes was awful, giving up five earned runs in just one and a third innings. On the bright side, Pedro Felicano pitched a scoreless eighth inning, his ninth straight appearance without giving up a run. His ERA is now down to 2.50.

Meanwhile, while the Mets bullpen was giving away the game, the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees were battling it out at Yankee Stadium. Down 3 – 2 in the ninth, Melky Caberea hit a game-tying single off Phillies closer Brad Lidge to send the game into extra innings. But in the top of the 11th, Carlos Ruiz hit a double, driving in Chase Utley to give the Phillies a 4 – 3 lead. Chad Condrey shut the Yankees out in the bottom of the inning to secure the win for the Phillies, who now lead the Mets by one and a half games in the NL East. 

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Braves completed a three-game sweep of the Blue Jays, defeating Toronto by a score of 10 to 2. Atlanta has won seven of their last ten, and are now tied for second place in the NL East with the Mets.

Pair of Ninth Inning Comebacks Puts Mets Back in Striking Distance of First

Two-Run Santos Homerun Lifts Mets to 3 - 2 Victory Over Red Sox

Despite a brilliant start from Mike Pelfrey, an errorless game by the Mets defense, and an excellent relief appearence from Pedro Feliciano, the New York Mets were down to their final out Saturday afternoon. There they were, two outs in the top of the ninth, a runner on first, and reserve catcher Omir Santos at the plate. On the mound was Jonathan Papelbon, perhaps the best closer in the major leagues. That’s when the improbable occured. That’s when Santos hit a shot to left-center field that bounced high off the Green Monster and back iunto play. At first, it was ruled in-play, but after much discussion, the umpires correctly ruled that it was a home run. 3 – 2 Mets. Suddenly, the Mets were on line for their second straight victory over the Boston Red Sox.

The Mets got off to a good start Saturday as Carlos Beltran hit a two-out single in the top of the first off Josh Beckett. After a Beckett throwing error allowed Beltran to advance to second, Gary Sheffield hit a single to put the Mets in front 1 – 0. Sheffield’s average is now up to .260, and he has 10 RBIs and 19 runs on the season.

Unfortunately for the Mets, the Red Sox stormed back with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia started the inning with consecutive singles. After a David Ortiz strikeout, Ellsbury and Pedroia managed a double steal, and were then brought home by a Kevin Youklis 2-RBI single. 2 – 1 Red Sox.

But what started out as an offensive game quickly turned into a masterful pitcher’s duel between Mike Pelfrey of the Mets and Josh Beckett of the Red Sox. Pelfrey ended up going seven innings for the Mets. In those seven innings, he gave up just six hits, one walk and struck out eight. Meanwhile, Beckett pitched eight beautiful innings, giving up just five hits and one run. The run was unearned, a result of Beckett’s own error in the first.

The Red Sox still led 2 - 1 as the game headed into the bottom of the eighth. Mike Pelfrey had already thrown 111 pitches,  so Pedro Felicano was brought in to pitch the eighth.  Feliciano was excellent, retiring the Red Sox 1-2-3. Saturday’s successful appearance was yet another example of a rathe r remarkable turnaround for Feliciano, who had a 4.5o ERA on May 2. Now, just weeks later, his ERA is down to 2.65.

Then, in the top of the ninth, Papelbon walked Sheffield, struck out David Wright and Jeremy Reed, before surrendering the game-winning blow to Santos. Things got a little shaky in the bottom of the ninth, when J.J. Putz walked the leadoff batter, but then he retired Jason Bay, J.D. Drew, and Mike Lowell to seal the victory.

Meanwhile, the New York Yankees scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Philadelphia Phillies. The Yankees entered the inning down 4 – 2, but managed to muster three hits and three runs off Phillies closer Brad Lidge to win the game. They tied the game on a two-run homerun by Alex Rodriguez. Yankees outfielder Melky Cabrera got the game-winning blow, doubling in Robinson Cano to win the game.

So, the Mets are now just a half-game behind the Phillies for first place in the NL East. The Braves are a half-game behind the Mets and one and a half behind the Phillies. Meanwhile, the Florida Marlins are fading. They’re now five and half games out of first place in the NL East.

Santana Leads Mets to Big Win at Fenway

Despite 5 – 3 Win, Mets Remain 1.5 Games Behind Phillies.

If there’s one combination that’s worked for the New York Mets this season, it’s Johan Santana, Bobby Parnell, and Francisco Rodriguez. All three pitchers have ERAs below two and are a major part of why the Mets are contending for a playoff berth as June approaches.

The Mets came into Friday night needing a win after four straight losses on the West Coast. With their ace pitcher on the mound against Daisuke Matsuzaka, the struggling Red Sox starter, the Mets needed to win this game. It wasn’t easy, but in the end, they were able to emerge with the win.

The Mets took a 1 – 0 lead in the top of the second on a solo shot by Gary Sheffield. The Red Sox tied it in the bottom of the second with a solo blast by catcher Jason Varitek, but the Mets would take the lead for good in the top of the fourth. Ryan Church started the inning with a fly out to center, but then Carlos Beltran doubled, Sheffield walked, and David Wright hit an RBI single to give the Mets a 2 – 1 lead. After Jeremy Reed grounded into a fielders choice, Omir Santos and Ramon Martinez each hit RBI singles to give the Mets a 4 – 1 lead.

The Red Sox trimmed the Mets lead to one in the bottom of the fourth. With one out and runners on second and third, shortstop Ramon Martinez made his 4th error of the season in just 19 chances, allowing two runs to score. Johan Santana escaped the inning without any further damage, and after four innings at Fenway, the Mets were still holding onto a 4 – 3 lead.

Santana held the Red Sox scoreless for the rest of the night. He threw a season-high 118 pitches on the night, 79 for strikes, and left after seven innings. In those seven innings, he gave up just three runs (two earned) on seven hits. He walked only one batter and struck out eight. Meanwhile, the Mets managed to give Santana a little more security in the top of the 7th, when Angel Pagan singled in Luis Castillo to give the Mets a 5 – 3 lead.

It was a heroic effort from Johan Santana who threw a ton of pitches to help the Mets end their losing streak. It was an efficent night for the Mets offense who scored five runs on just eight hits and left just five runners on base. And it was a good night for the Mets bullpen. Bobby Parnell pitched a perfect eighth, lowering his season ERA to 1.86. Then, Francisco Rodridguez pitched a perfect ninth to record his 12th save of the season.

It was a mixed day for Mets third basemen David Wright, who went 1 for 3 with a walk. He drove in his 29th run of the season, yet he also made his 7th error of the season which ties him for the league lead among third basemen.

Unfortunately for the Mets, the Phillies also won on Friday night, defeating the New York Yankees by a 7 to 3 margin. The Phillies remain one and a half games ahead of the Mets in the NL East. The St. Louis Cardinals also won Friday, shutting the Royals out 5 – 0, so the Mets also remain two and a half games behind the Cardinals in the NL Wild Card standings.

The Mets will send Mike Pelfrey (4 – 1, 4.61 ERA) to the hill Saturday evening to take on Red Sox ace Josh Beckett (4 – 2, 5.85 ERA). The game is at 7:10 EST.

The Mets Off-Day Report: Dropping the Ball

The New York Mets made six errors in their three-game series against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Five of them came in Monday’s game. One came in Tuesday’s game. Rather than an aberration, this just continued a disturbing trend for the Mets, who have made the fourth-most errors in the major leagues. The Mets have made 32 errors. Compare that to the Phillies, who have made just 11.

The only three teams to make more errors than the Mets are the Arizona Diamondbacks, Seattle Mariners, and the Washington Nationals, all of whom are under .500 and struggling.

In terms of individual errors, David Wright leads the Mets with six errors, which also ties him for second among all major league third basemen. Jose Reyes has made five errors and Luis Castillo has made four, both numbers that are higher than ordinary for players at their positions. In the outfield, Daniel Murphy has had a terrible time of it. He is tied for the league lead in errors and has one of the worst fielding percentages in the major leagues.  Essentially, for any position, if you search for who’s made the most errors, a Met will be high on that list. It’s an embarassment, and something the Mets will need to work on.

There are reports that Jerry Manuel is going to start having the Mets take infield before games, and that’s probably a good idea. The Mets will need to cut out the errors, especially this weekend as they head to Fenway to take on a very tough Red Sox team.