Mets Fall 7 – 4 In Arizona

Mets In Midst of 1 – 4 West Coast Trip

In the list of things the Mets were counting on to help them bring home the NL East this year was offensive spark provided by Jose Reyes, power from Carlos Delgado, and good setup work by J.J. Putz. Injuries got in the way of those items. But another thing the Mets were counting on was Mike Pelfrey to step up as the team’s #2 starter and form a powerful duo with Johan Santana. Santana has done his part, but Pelfrey has struggled this year.

Pelfrey had another rough start Monday night giving up five earned in six innings. He gave up eight hits and two walks, striking out five, and is now 8 – 8 with a 4.88 ERA on the season. Hardly what the Mets were hoping for out of the #2 spot in the rotation.

On the bright side, Pelfrey was efficent, throwing just 94 pitches in six rough innings. They then brought in Dessens, who had two rough innings, giving up two earned runs on three hits and a walk. So, while neither pitcher was pretty, they both soaked up innings, meaning that the bullpen should be well-rested as the Mets hope to mount a strong finish to what has been a dreadful West Coast trip.

The Mets offense, meanwhile, didn’t fare very well against Doug Davis. Davis had his fourth strong start in a row, giving up just two earned runs in seven innings of work. Yet no matter how good Davis might be (and he didn’t seem all that good to tell the truth), this game was disappointing because of the multiple missed opportunities. Davis began three innings with leadoff walks.  But the Mets were able to do very little with these chances.

Luis Castillo had another strong game, going 2 for 4 with a walk to bring his average above .300. David Wright went 1 for 3 with a walk. Anderson Hernandez had another good game, going 2 for 3 with a run scored and a run batted in. Hernandez also walked once. But other than that, the offense was quiet.

Add in a sloppy play by Daniel Murphy failing to cover first, and a couple sloppy plays by Angel Pagan in center, and you see just how tough a game this was for the Mets.

The Mets are now 10 back in both the NL Wild Card and NL East. Their playoff hopes are slim to none, and hang on the balance each night the Mets step out onto the field.

Santana Pitches Beautifully, Mets Escape San Diego With 5 – 1 Win

Sunday  marked Johan  Santana’s second attempt at 13 wins. Last time Santana pitched, he gave up five runs in eight innings of work. He left with a 7 – 5 lead, only to watch Francisco Rodriguez blow the save, and the Mets lose it in the tenth.

This time around, Santana pitched a much better game, giving up just one earned run on five hits and two walks in eight strong innings. He also helped himself at the plate, getting two hits, including a 2-RBI double in the top of the sixth that put the Mets up by a score of three to nothing. Santana was absolutely brilliant, and this time left with a  4 – 1 lead. Daniel Murphy’s RBI-single in the top of the ninth made it 5 – 1, and this time Francisco Rodriguez was able to shut the door on the opposition.

Santana is now 13 – 7 on the year with a 3.00 ERA.

The Mets got two-hit games from five players Sunday. Jeff Francoeur had another fine game going 2 for 4 with two runs. He is now hitting .262 on the season. (He is hitting .292 since being traded to the Mets.) Luis Castillo went 2 for 5 and is now hitting .297 on the season. Anderson Hernandez went 2 for 3 with an RBI and a walk. Daniel Murphy was 2 for 5. And then, of course, Santana went 2 for 3.

It was a nice game for the Mets. Great pitching. Good hitting, although they did leave eight men on base. Good fielding, including a slick double play in the second inning. And they got to rest their bullpen.

With the Phillies losing their third straight Sunday, the Mets are now 10 back in the NL East, and with the Giants losing as well, the Mets now find themselves just 9 back in the Wild Card hunt.

No Offense, No Chance – Mets Lose 3rd Straight to Padres

The second batter of the game for the New York Mets, Alex Cora, hit a solo home run to put the Mets up 1 – 0. That was the only run the Mets would score all game Saturday, as they fell 3 – 1 to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park.

The Mets really struggled on offense. They managed just five hits in the entire game. They failed to get a single  runner in scoring position from the third inning on. In short, it was another embarrassing display from a Mets offense that can’t seem to get it done against the Padres. Aside from Cora’s two hits and a hit from pinch-hitter Jeremy Reed, the only two other Mets to record hits were Daniel Murphy and Jeff Francoeur. Francouer, who went 1 for 3 with a walk Saturday, is now hitting .260 on the season and has gotten a hit in four consecutive games.

It was also a disappointing night for Bobby Parnell in his first start of the season. Parnell was unable to get out of the third, giving up two runs on four hits and three walks in two and a third innings of work. His early departure forced the Mets to dig deep into the bullpen. The bullpen hero of the night was Tim Redding, whose three innings of scoreless relief not only helped save the bullpen arms but also kept the Mets in the game. They were still down just 2 – 1 in the eighth when David Eckstein’s single gave the Padres a seemingly insurmountable 3 – 1 lead.

The Phillies lost their second straight so the Mets remain eleven back in the NL East. With the Giants’ 4 – 2 victory over the Reds Saturday, the Mets are now 10 back in the NL Wild Card.

K-Rod Blows Another One, Mets Fall 6 – 2 in San Diego

With Oliver Perez on the mound for the Mets Friday night, who would’ve thought that two runs would’ve been enough to win? Yet, it nearly was.

Perez pitched his best game all year Friday night at Petco Park, giving up just one run in six and a third innings. He was dominant in the first six innings, giving up no runs and just two baserunners. He collapsed a bit in the seventh, walking the first two batters and then giving up an RBI double with one out before getting pulled from the game, but overall Perez was great. He struck out seven, and most importantly, walked just two.

Then, Brandon Stokes did a great job getting Perez out of trouble, coming in with runners on second and third and one out, and stranding both runners. He also pitched a scoreless eighth, pitching in and out of trouble, with help from Daniel Murphy, whose sterling backhand play kept the Mets in the lead going into the ninth.

That’s when Francisco Rodriguez came in and proceeded to blow his second save in a row and his fifth save of the season. It started, as it always seems to with K-Rod, with a walk. Then, he gave up an RBI double. (To be fair to K-Rod, the run shouldn’t have counted. Replays showed that the runner was clearly out at the plate, so instead of it being 2 – 2 with a runner on third and no outs, it should’ve been 2 – 1 with a runner on third and one out. ) Then, he walked another hitter, walked the next guy intentionally, and finally gives up a walk-off grand slam to Everth Cabrera, who isn’t exactly the best hitter in the National League. Really bad game from K-Rod.

Also, a tough day for the Mets offense. Things got off to a good start when David Wright singled in Angel Pagan in the top of the first, and then scored on a wild pitch to give the Mets a 2 – 0 lead. The Mets got three hits in the top of the third, but failed to score, in part due to a double play grounder by Daniel Murphy. Then, after the third, the Mets offense went limp, getting just two men on base for the rest of the game.

David Wright had a good game, going 3 for 4 with the RBI single. Jeff Francoeur also had a good day, going 2 for 4.

The Mets defeat Friday puts them nine and a half back in the NL Wild Card race. The Phillies also lost, so the Mets remain eleven back in the NL East.

Mets Begin West Coast Trip On the Wrong Side of a Blowout

New York Mets 3 @ San Diego Padres 8

After a couple strong bounce back starts, Livan Hernandez struggled Thursday night, giving up six runs in the first three innings and seven runs in his five total innings of work. The big blow was Adrian Gonzalez’s two-run homerun in the bottom of the third that turned a 2 – 0 lead into a 4 – 0 one. That was followed by a few more runs in the third, and a run in the fifth, which gave the Padres a 7 – 0 lead.

The Mets mustered a bit of a rally in the top of the sixth, scoring three runs on a couple of walks and a couple of singles, but the inning could’ve potentially been a lot bigger if Daniel Murphy didn’t hit into an RBI double-play with runners on first and third and just one out.

After putting up a good fight in the top of the sixth, the Mets offense slumped to the finish, failing to get a runner past second in the final three innings.

Angel Pagan and David Wright both had rough days, striking out twice. Fernando Tatis and Daniel Murphy got two hits apiece. Tatis’s single in the top of the sixth drove in the Mets second run of the evening.

On the bright side, by making it through five innings, Hernandez saved the Mets bullpen some work. Manuel ended up using Sean Green, Tim Redding, and Elmer Dessens to get through the final three innings, thus giving Pedro Feliciano some much-needed rest. So by soldiering through five tough inning, Hernandez avoided ruining the Mets bullpen for a week, instead just ruining their chances in one game, something that ought to be appreciated.

Hernandez is now 7 – 6 on the season with a 5.08 ERA.

With Thursday’s loss, the Mets are now 11 games back in the NL East and 9 back in the Wild Card hunt.

For Mets Fans, Putz Lives Up to His Name

Five Run Eighth Inning Dooms Mets in Pittsburgh

The Mets got off to a good start Monday. Jeremy Reed led off with a double in the top of the second. Wilson Valdez followed with a RBI triple. Brian Schneider followed with a single, knocking in Valdez to make it 2 – 0.

The Mets continued the onslaught against Pirates starter Ian Snell in the top of the third. Fernando Martinez walked to lead off the inning, stole second, and then advanced to third on a throwing error by Jason Jamarillo. Daniel Murphy followed with a walk, and then Gary Sheffield grounded into a fielder’s choice making it 3 – 0. Snell got David Wright to fly out for the first out of the inning, but he then gave up another double to Reed. That’s when Valdez struck again, doubling to deep right to make it 5 – 0.

Livan Hernandez, meanwhile, was coming off his best start of the year, a complete game victory against the Washington Nationals. When he put up zeroes in each of the first three innings, it seemed the Mets were well on their way to victory. Then, he ran into trouble in the bottom of the fourth. After striking out Nate McLouth to begin the inning, he gave up a double and a walk. Throughout the inning, he kept missing the strike zone by the smallest of margins, and it seemed like that took him off his game. After the walk, he gave up a 2-RBI triple followed by an RBI groundout that made it 5 – 3. This was followed by a deep hard-hit fly ball that was snagged just a small distance from the fence. After that, things calmed down. Ian Snell recovered after giving up five early runs to throw six solid innings. Meanwhile, Hernandez recovered and made it five-plus innings without any further damage.

In the bottom of the sixth, Pittsburgh threatened and forced Hernandez out of the game. Bobby Parnell came in with runners on first and second and two outs. After a single off Parnell’s glove, the bases were loaded, but Parnell struck out Ramon Vazquez to end the inning. The score was still 5 – 3, and after Pedro Feliciano set down the Pirates 1-2-3 in the seventh, it seemed like the Mets superb bullpen once again had things under control.

But in the top of the eighth, Feliciano gave up a double and a groundout before Manuel lifted him in favor of J.J. Putz. Putz has looked shaky on the mound of late, and on Monday night, he was simply horrendous. Putz faced five batters. He gave up four hits and one walk on just 12 pitches. More importantly, he gave up four runs (three earned) and the runner he inheirited from Feliciano without recording an out. By the end of the inning, the Pirates led 8 – 5. The Mets mustered a small rally in the ninth, but nothing came of it, and in the end the Pirates has dealt the Mets one of their most devastating defeats of the season. And with the Phillies victory later in the evening, the Pirates had pushed the Mets one and a half games back in the NL East standings.

The bullpen, other than Putz, was fairly good. Parnell got out of the bases-loaded jam. Feliciano delivered a solid performance, just giving up that one double to get things started in the bottom of the eighth. Brian Stokes replaced Putz fairly successfully. But Putz’s struggles were enough to derail the entire team.

The offense was good early, but was shut out from the fourth inning on. This failure to tack on runs ended up costing the Mets. On an individual level, Jeremy Reed and Wilson Valdez had fine offensive games. Reed doubled twice, and Valdez doubled, tripled, and knocked in three runs. Valdez did make a big error in the field, but it was an understandable one, a simple error on the transfer, trying to get the ball out of his glove.

The loss is a tough one, but the Mets hope to regain their winning ways tomorrow with Johan Santana on the mound. The game begins at 7:05 Eastern time.

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.

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.

Mets Battered, Swept, and Utterly Humiliated by the Cardinals

Sports Illustrated boldly picked the New York Mets to win the World Series. Expectations are high for the Mets. And thus far, the Mets are disappointing on every level. The offense hits, but not with runners in scoring position. The bullpen has a few studs, but lacks depth. And the starting pitching, aside from Santana, has been dreadful from the second spot to the fifth.

On Thursday afternoon, the Cardinals finished off their three-game sweep of the New York Mets, withstanding a late Mets rally to win 12 – 8. Each game of the series presented a whole new set of issues for the Mets.

On Tuesday, Oliver Perez was given an early 4 – 0 lead, but promptly threw the game away, giving up four runs in the bottom of the fifth. Perez would leave after 4 and two-thirds innings, giving up four runs on six hits and five walks. After three starts, Perez has an ERA of 7.80. The bullpen pitched well until the eighth when Putz had his first bad game, giving up two runs. The Cardinals were helped by a crucial error from Mets left-fielder Daniel Murphy.

On Wednesday, the Mets once again received a subpar performance from their starter. John Maine lasted 5 and two-thirds innings, giving up five earned runs on seven hits and five walks. Manuel was forced to go to his bullpen early again, bringing in both Casey Fossum and Brian Stokes for the second straight game. The two pitched well, but it was of no use, as the Mets couldn’t manage any offense against Cardinals starter Joel Pineiro. The Mets would fall 5 – 2.

Then, on Thursday, the Mets left ten runners on-base in a 12 - 8 loss to the Cardinals. But the big story was once again the starting pitching. Livan Hernandez struggled Thursday afternoon giving up seven runs in just four and a third innings. Manuel once again needed big innings out of his bullpen. Brian Stokes was brought in for the third straight game, which has to worry Mets fans who watched Stokes and Joe Smith burn out last year.

General Observations: The Mets are hitting the ball well. Most of their starters are off to fast starts. Reyes, Beltran, Wright, Murphy, and Church are all hitting over .300. Yet, the Mets are having a hard time bringing runners home. And Sheffield is off to a terrible start. He has just two hits in eighteen at-bats. Meanwhile, the Mets starting pitching has been simply horrific. Perez and Maine are both off to terrible starts. Hernandez looked terrible on Thursday. Pelfrey is injured forcing the Mets to turn to Nelson Figueroa, a rather mediocre veteran from Pittsburgh. Thus far, the rotation, with the exception of Santana, has been among the worst in the Major Leagues. And the bullpen has had to work way too hard these past few weeks. For the most part, they are doing well, but there have been some problems with the middle relievers. Pedro Feliciano continues to struggle and Sean Green gave up five runs on Thursday. The pen is being overused and is in danger of burning out as spring turns into summer.