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.

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.

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.

Dodgers Quiet the Bats and Bring Out the Brooms

Mets Lose Fourth Straight, Fall 2 – 1 to Dodgers

Every single game at Dodger Stadium was close, but in the end the Mets were unable to win a single game. The Dodgers beat the Mets 3 – 2 in 11 innings on Monday, beat them again on Tuesday by a score of 5 to 3, and then secured the series sweep with a 2 - 1 victory Wednesday night. The Mets have now lost four straight.

The Dodgers got off to a nice start Wednesday. Dodgers starter Jeff Weaver managed to work around a Carlos Beltran double and David Wright walk in the top of the first. Then, in the bottom of the first, Juan Pierre and Rafael Furcal each singled. After Orlando Hudson grounded out, moving Pierre to third, Andre Ethier hit a sacrafice fly, putting the Dodgers up 1 – 0.

The Mets got the run back in the top of the third, when Luis Castillo hit a one-out single, and Carlos Beltran hit another double to bring Castillo in. After that, the two teams traded zeroes until the fateful bottom of the eighth. J.J Putz got the first out of the inning, but then gave up a single to Hudson, a walk to Ethier, and then an RBI single to Russell Martin. Putz was able to escape the inning without giving up any more runs, but by then, the damage had been done. The Mets got a runner to second in the top of the ninth off ,Jonathan Broxton, but were unable to score, and so the Dodgers prevailed by a score of 2 to 1.

It was another disappointing day for the Mets, who failed to capitalize on an excellent start from Livan Hernandez. Hernandez pitched seven strong innings for the Mets, giving up seven hits but just one run. Perhaps, most critically, he walked only one.

Yet, it was all for naught, as the Mets continued their struggles at the plate. Weaver pitched five solid innings for the Dodgers, and was followed by a strong crew of relief pitchers, who held the Mets to just three hits in four innings of work. There were some good individual performances once again. David Wright had yet enother good game for the Mets, walking twice and singling to center. Beltran, meanwhile, doubled twice, drove in the only run of the game, and walked. Yet, overall the Mets were horrible on offense. They managed just seven hits Wednesday and left nine runners on base.

The Phillies lost Wednesday, so the Mets remain just one game back in the NL East. Atlanta trounced the Colorado Rockies and are in third place, just a half-game behind the Mets and just one and a half behind the Phillies. The Cardinals also won so the Mets are now two games back in the NL Wild Card standings.

NL East: The Upcoming Week (Tuesday – Sunday)

New York Mets (tied for first place) – 2 @ LA Dodgers (27 – 13), 3 @ Boston (22 – 16)

Philadelphia Phillies (tied for first place) – 3 @ Cincinnati (20 - 17), 3 @ NY Yankees (21 – 17)

Atlanta Braves (2.5 games back) – 3 vs. Colorado (15 – 22),  3 vs. Toronto (27 – 14)

Florida Marlins (3 games back) - 3 vs. Arizona (14 – 23) , 3 vs. Tampa Bay (20 – 20)

Washington Nationals (8.5 games back) - 3 vs. Pittsburgh (17 – 21), 3 vs. Baltimore (16 – 22)

OVERALL OUTLOOK: The Mets probably have the toughest schedule of the bunch, and thus this a good chance for Philadelphia to take advantage and perhaps seize first place from the Mets. The Marlins have a fairly easy schedule this week, so this might be a chance for them to get back in the swing of things.

Many Opportunities, Nothing to Show for It

Matt Cain was all over the place Sunday evening. In the top of the second, right after Bengie Molina singled to put the Giants ahead 1 – 0, Cain walked the first three hitters. Bases loaded. No outs. The perfect chance to hit it big. But then Jeremy Reed hits into a double play and Mike Pelfrey grounds out. In the fifth, Mike Pelfrey walked to leadoff the inning, but then the 1, 2, and 3 hitters went down in order. Inning over. In every inning except the 6th and 9th, the Mets had at least one base runner. And yet, at the end of the night, the Mets were unable to score, shut out for the first time this season.

David Wright had another good game for the Mets, singling in the third and walking twice. Carlos Beltran singled and walked. Yet overall, the Mets offense was stymied by a wild yet effective Matt Cain. Cain would end up going six innings for the win. Bob Howry, Jeremy Affeldt, and Brian Wilson each piched an inning out of the bullpen to secure the 2 – 0 win. It was a particularly important outing for Wilson, who had already lost two games in the series.

Meanwhile, Mike Pelfrey struggled for the Mets. He gave up only two runs in six innings of work, but he clearly had his struggles on the mound. He gave up six hits, two walks, balked three times, and looked visibly frustrated as the game went on.

The Mets, however, did get two nice comeback outings from their bullpen. Ken Takahashi pitched a scoreless seventh after giving up runs in his two previous outings, and Sean Green pitched a 1 – 2 – 3 eighth. Green has struggled over the past month. His ERA was 2.45 after a scoreless outing against Milwaukee on April 19. It was 8.80 going into tonight’s game, so the scoreless inning was huge for Green and the Mets.

The Phillies beat the Nationals on Sunday, to move just a half-game behind the Mets. The Braves game against Arizona was postponed Sunday and are now just two and a half behind the Mets. The Marlins lost yet again Sunday and remain three and a half games behind the Mets.

Meanwhile, the Mets, if they weren’t leading their division, would be just a half-game back in the wild card chase, which is certainly good news. The Mets will now head to Los Angeles to take on the streaking Dodgers.

Mets Beat Lincecum on Friday, Give Santana Win on Saturday

Mets One Game Away from Sweeping San Francisco

Friday’s pitching matchup looked unfavorable for the Mets, as they sent Livan Hernandez to the hill against Giants phenom Tim Lincecum. Things looked even worse when they found themselves down 5 – 1 after two innings of play. Yet, in a impressive display of resilience, the Mets offense heated up, scoring two runs in the sixth and four runs in the seventh. David Wright had the big hit. With the team down 6 – 3 in the top of the seventh and the bases loaded, David Wright hit a bases-clearing double, tying the game at 6. The Mets then put together two runs in the top of the ninth to win it 8 – 6.

After giving up five runs in the first two innings, Hernandez settled down ending with a line of: 5 IP, 8H, 5ER, 0BB. Most impressive was the lack of walks. The bullpen pitched an excellent game, giving up just one run in four combined innings. Sean Green gave up the run and looked bad once again, but Pedro Feliciano, Brian Stokes, and Francisco Rodriguez all put up scoreless innings to help the Mets win the game.

Then, on Saturday, Johan Santana had a rare bad game. He was shaky throughout giving up 11 baserunners and six runs, although only four of those runs were earned. Fortunately, Santana was backed by a potent Mets offense, who had an awful lot of success against Randy Johnson.

The Mets got off to a good start, scoring three runs in the top of the first. They were led by a 2-RBI double off the bat of Carlos Beltran. Then after Santana and the defense gave away the lead, the Mets scored four runs in top of the fifth, led by RBI doubles from Carlos Beltran and David Wright and an RBI single by Ramon Castro.

The Giants continued to chip away at the Mets lead eventually turning it into a 7 – 6 game, but that’s when the Mets did something they rarely did last season, which is put the game away. In the top of the ninth, the Mets scored two runs on a Fernando Tatis RBI sacrafice fly and a Ramon Castro single. J.J. Putz then threw 13 pitches, 11 for strikes, to close out the game, and the Mets would end with a 9 – 6 victory and an impressive 21 – 15 record.

The Mets  would end the night with a slim 1.5 game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies. They have a 3-game lead over the Atlanta Braves though, and a 3.5-game lead over the Florida Marlins.

Tomorrow’s game features Mike Pelfrey (4 – 0, 4.89 ERA) versus Matt Cain (3 – 1, 3.00 ERA) of the Giants.

Mets Run Wild, Defeat Giants 7 – 4

Victory Gives Mets Two Game Cushion in NL East

Bobby Parnell hadn’t given up an earned run since April 19, but on Thursday evening, Parnell blew his second save in two days, giving up two runs in the eighth to the San Francisco Giants. Yet, after watching their 4 – 2 lead slip away, the Mets responded immediately with three runs in the top of the ninth. A double by Carlos Beltran, a key steal, and then RBI singles from David Wright and Ramon Castro, and the Mets suddenly had a 7 – 4 lead. Francisco Rodriguez pitched a smooth ninth to secure his 10th save in 10 opportunities.

The Mets got a good outing from starter John Maine last night. Maine gave up two runs in the first but held the Giants scoreless from then on. He gave up a lot of baserunners (7H, 4BB) but managed to go 6.2 innings and would have gotten a win out of it if it were not for Parnell’s struggles. The Mets hitting (12 hits and 6 walks) was strong as well, and the baserunning was stellar. The Mets stole a franchise-record seven bases Thursday, including four from David Wright. The most amazing thing is they did this without any help from Jose Reyes, who sat out Thursday with a stiff right calf.

To make things even sweeter for the Mets, the Phillies and Marlins both lost. The Mets now hold a two-game lead over the Braves and Phillies and a two and a half-game lead over the Marlins.

Weekend Outlook

The Mets continue their series with the Giants tonight as Livan Hernandez (3 – 1, 5.08 ERA) faces off against Giants ace Tim Lincecum (3 – 1, 3.25 ERA). Meanwhile, Philadelphia has a good chance to gain ground as they head to Washington for a three-game series. Atlanta hosts the struggling Arizona Diamondbacks, and Florida hosts red-hot Los Angeles this weekend.

Braves @ Mets: Series Summary

Monday: Braves 8 @ Mets 3 

• W: Derek Lowe (6.2 IP, 2ER)
• L: Johan Santana (6.1 IP, 2R, 0ER, 7K)
• The Big Hits: Matt Diaz and Casey Kotchman seventh inning 2-RBI singles that turned a 1 – 1 tie into a 5 – 1 Braves lead. 

Tuesday: Braves 3 @ Mets 4 (10 innings)

• W: Frankie Rodriguez
• L: Jeff Bennett
• Mets Starter: Mike Pelfrey (7 IP, 2ER)
• Braves Starter: Jeff Jurrjens (7.2 IP, 2ER)
• Hits of the Game: Jose Reyes 2-RBI single in the 8th and Luis Castillo game-tying sac fly in the 9th

Wednesday: Braves 8 @ Mets 7 (12)

• W: Jeff Bennett 
• L: Ken Takahashi
• S: Mike Gonzalez
• Mets Starter: Jonathan Niese (4.2 IP, 5ER, 7H, 2BB) 
• Braves Starter: Jo-Jo Reyes (3 IP, 5ER, 4H, 3BB)
• Hits of the Game: Fernando Tatis grand slam, Gary Sheffield solo HR in the 8th for the Mets. Garrett Anderson two RBI-singles and a sac fly and a Martin Prado 12th inning game-winning homer for the Braves.

The Amazings

Grittiness, Gary Sheffield, Reyes Talent, Carlos Beltran, Fernando Tatis grand slam, not leaving as many runners on base

The Lows

Ken Takahashi (gave up a run in multiple outings), J.J Putz (same as Takahashi), Reyes Baserunning, Poor Performance from Jonathan Niese