After Marvelous May, Mets Hope For Continued Success in June

After a 19 – 9 May, the New York Mets begin the month of June with a 7-game road trip through Pittsburgh and Washington. All of these games should be winnable. Pittsburgh is 22 – 28 on the season, with a rather mediocre 12 – 11 home record. Washington is currently the worst team in the majors, with a 13 – 36 record (7 – 16 at home).

Things get a little tougher when the Mets return to New York. After an off day, they have a crucial three game home series against the Philadelphia Phillies, who are currently a half game ahead of the Mets in the NL East. On Friday, the Mets head up to Yankee Stadium for the first half of this year’s Subway Series against the New York Yankees (29 – 21, 14 – 9 at home) .

On June 15, the Mets have another Monday off-day before heading to Baltimore for a three-game series against the last-place Orioles. The Orioles are 23  – 28 on the year, with a 16 – 13 record at Camden Yards.

Then, on June 19, the Mets begin a pivotal 10-game homestand with a weekend series against the Tampa Bay Rays (25 – 28 overall, 12 – 17 road). This is followed by a four-game series against the  St. Louis Cardinals (29 – 21, 12 – 12 road), who currently have a half-game lead over the Mets in the NL Wild Card standings. The series then concludes with a three game weekend series against the Yankees. The last game of the series will be featured on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.

The Mets will end the month in Milwaukee, where the Brewers are 16 – 9 on the year.

Player Profile: Wilson Valdez

Mets fans watching the series against the Florida Marlins this weekend could be forgiven for not knowing who was playing shortstop. That’s because with Jose Reyes and Alex Cora still on the disabled list, the Mets have brought up a new infielder, Wilson Valdez.

Valdez is a 31 year old journeyman from the Dominican Republic. He never went to college. He wasn’r drafted either. He first broke into the big leagues in 2004 when he got 43 at-bats for the Chicago White Sox. Since then, he has played for the Mariners, Padres, and Dodgers. Now, he is a New York Met.

He made his Mets debut May 27 against Washington and made an appearance in all three games against the Marlins. He is two for seven on the season with one walk and one run scored. In the field, he has yet to make an error.

This brief stint in the majors figures to end soon for Valdez. Alex Cora is set to return Tuesday, presumably meaning reduced playing time for Valdez. And then, Reyes is expected to return later this week assuming his rehab stint goes without incident. When Reyes does return, it seems likely that Valdez will be sent back down to the minors.

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.

A Change in Focus

Now that the two major Northwestern sports seasons (basketball and football) have come to an end, this blog will change its focus. Now, my blog will be focusing mainly on the Mets. These posts will be complemented by occasional updates concerning NU sports, general posts summarizing what has been happening in the sporting world, and perhaps a few posts concerning politics.

Please let me know if there’s anything you would like to see more of on this site or if you have any other feedback.

Thanks!

Mets Head to Atlanta Needing Series Win

The New York Mets haven’t been awful of late. They’re 6 – 4 in their last 10 games. And they now have a 1.5 game lead in the NL Wild Card chase over the Milwaukee Brewers. But they have definitely failed to take control of this 2008 season and this NL division. Losing two out of three at home against Philadelphia was disappointing. Then after two wins versus the Nationals, they lost two out of three to the Braves at home. And then, they were only able to win 2 of 4 in D.C., even though the Nationals are currently one of the worst teams in baseball.

The point is the Mets need to take advantage now of the opportunities they have. Luckily for them, Milwaukee is currently collapsing (2 – 8 in their last 10), so the Mets might be able to win the Wild Card without too much effort. But, if they want to show fans that this year is different than last, then they need to start winning. They won the last two games in Washington. Now, they’ve got to continue success. Atlanta is a bad team this year. And in this series, the Mets will send Oliver Perez, Pedro Martinez, and Mike Pelfrey to the hill. The Braves counter with a struggling Jo-Jo Reyes (who the Mets battered several days ago), a good pitcher in Campillo, and an unproven one in Parr.  The Mets will not have to face Jurrjens, who has been the Braves best pitcher this year. So, the Mets ought to win two out of three, particulalry the Perez vs. Reyes one and the Pelfrey vs. Parr one. And if they want to win this division and start beating down the ghosts of 2007, they’ll need to win two out of three.

Shit Happens – Mets Fall 3 – 0 at Shea

No team in recent Major League Baseball history has gone 162 – 0. Maybe the Cincinnati Red Stockings once won 162 straight games. But no team does it now. Every team loses. The Seattle Mariners got a lot of attention in 2001 when they won a record 116 games. Yet, even though they posted one of the best regular season records in history, they still lost 46 games. Every team has some great players. There’s too much talent spread around the league for one team to win every game.

And last night, the Mets lost a game. As hot as they’ve been, they simply couldn’t hit Brett Myers at Shea last night. Myers has struggled on the road, struggled on the season, and struggled against many of these Mets hitters in the past. Yet, sometimes in baseball, you can throw the numbers out the window. Last night, Myers was simply dominant. He pitched 8 innings, giving up only 3 hits, no runs, and striking out 10.

Mike Pelfrey was pretty good for the Mets, giving up only two earned in seven innings, but he was outmatched tonight. Once Greg Dobbs’s deep fly skimmed off of right fielder Ryan Church’s glove and over the right field fence in the top of the seventh,  turning a 1 – 0 Phillies lead into a insurmountable 3 – 0 lead, the game was as good as over.

Except for one last rally. In the bottom of the ninth, the Mets did get hits from David Wright and Carlos Delgado to put the tying run at the plate with one out. Unfortunately, neither Carlos Beltran nor Ryan Church could tie it up. But give the Mets credit. They put up a fight in pretty much every game. It’s something you like to see out of a team. Facing a dominant closer in a game where there offense has done virtually nothing all game, the bats woke up a little, and at least the Mets went down honorably.

So, now the Mets are two games ahead of the Phillies. They need to win one of the next two. If they can do that, they will leave this series with a two game lead. Yet, the Mets should aim higher than one of two. If they let the Phillies win another and win the series, it will be a big morale boost for the Phillies, and make it clear that this division is still up for grabs. But, if the Mets can win the next two, it would be a huge statement. It would be a way of taking ownership of this division. It would tell the Phillies and the rest of the league, “Not This Time.”

PS – Tonight’s loss may’ve also been a product of them just getting back from a long and successful road trip. All that focus and success, and then you come back home, and it can be hard to get back to playing winning baseball right away. Let’s hope those bats wake up for the next two games of this series though.

Phillies @ Mets Preview

Pitching Matchup

Pitching for the Phillies: Brett Myers (8 – 10, 4.40 ERA)

• He has only pitched once against the Mets this year, when he gave up 3 runs in 5 innings.
• Myers has been awful on the road this year, with an ERA above 6.
• Carlos Beltran (9 – 29), Carlos Delgado (7 – 17), and Jose Reyes (12 – 39) have all faced Myers many times and posted excellent career numbers against him. David Wright, on the other hand, has struggled (5 – 25) against Myers.

Pitching for the Mets: Mike Pelfrey (13 – 8, 3.66 ERA)

• Pelfrey hasn’t pitched against Philly since April, when he struggled in two starts against the Phils.
• He has been dominant (2.66 ERA) at home this year.
• Pelfrey is pretty young so most of the Phillies don’t have much experience against him. Utley, however, has a strong 3 hits in 8 at-bats against Pelfrey.

NOTE: The Mets are 41 – 25 at home this year. They are 10 – 5 against the Phillies.

Mets Rally in Florida: Go Two Up On Philly

Friday, August 29, 2008 at Dolphins Stadium in Miami, Florida

New York Mets  5

Florida Marlins  4

For all the success the Mets have had this season, they have struggled in the later innings. In the early innings, the Mets offense churns. Reyes is racing around the bases, Wright is knocking pitches out of the ball park, and Church is knocking singles into the outfield. They seem efficient. They get down bunts. They hit sacrifice flies. They find ways to get runs in. But in the later innings, this team has struggled. Suddenly, you hear “after a rough start, Linecum has retired 15 Mets in a row.” Or, maybe the offense is getting hits, but then you hear “and for the second straight inning, the Mets have left the bases loaded.” And the bullpen has been rocky. And so, all year, the Mets have gotten off to great starts, and won a lot of ball games, but you always wondered how many more games they could’ve won if they could’ve just played a little better in the late innings.

Well, maybe something has changed. In the early parts of this season, the Mets never were able to overcome defecits. But last night, for the second straight game, the Mets bats came out in the late innings. That’s right, for the second straight night, the Mets staged a dramatic rally in the later innings of a ballgame to beat a division foe. Last night, the Mets were dominated by the young Marlins rookie Chris Volstad for over six innings, and couldn’t muster anything off of the first three Marlins relievers. But then, in the ninth, down 2 – 1, and with two outs against them, the offense exploded. Two hits, and a hit by pitch, set the scene for a dramatic grand slam by Mets outfielder Carlos Beltran, who knocked in all five of the Mets runs last night. Yes, the Mets are finding ways to win. On Tuesday, the team used a stellar bullpen and a resilient offense to overcome a mediocre start by Johan Santana. Tonight, the Mets benefitted from a late-inning surge that gave them just enough runs to overcome a shaky bottom of the ninth from Luis Ayala. It wasn’t always pretty, but once again the Mets got it done.

The Mets are now two games ahead of the Phillies. And this weekend could be a great chance to gain ground. While the Mets continue their series in Florida this weekend, the Phillies will be in Chicago, squaring off against two 13-win Cubs pitchers, Ted Lilly and Carlos Zambrano. The Mets do have to face Ricky Nolasco this weekend, which is tough, but certainly this weekend is a chance for the Mets to perhaps gain a game on the Fighting Phils.

Tonight’s Hero: Carlos Beltran (2 – 4, GS, 5RBI)

Tonight’s Cause for Concern: Luis Ayala (1IP, 4H, 2ER) – and he came 10 – 20 feet away from giving up a big home run.

Mets Preview – August 26, 2008

NY Mets at Philadelphia Phillies – 7:05PM – SNY

Clinging to a half-game lead in the National League East, tonight’s game in Philadelphia will not be an easy one for the Mets. They face Jamie Moyer who is 11 – 7 this year with a 3.54 ERA (although his ERA is significantly higher at home). Moyer has pitched well against the Mets this year (2.86 ERA in 4 starts). Meanwhile, the Mets send Pedro Martinez (4 – 3, 4.97 ERA) to the hill. Pedro has pitched much better of late, but he does have a tendency to give up the long ball, which is a problem when you’re playing in a bandbox like Citizens Bank Park. And Mets fans, watch out for Shane Victorino, the Phillies center fielder who has been red hot and is riding a 7 game hitting streak. He adds to an already intimidating lineup. Below, is the latest in the NL East standings. Oh, and thank god for Mike Pelfrey’s complete game victory last night. The Mets need a rested bullpen for these two games.

Teams    W  -  L    GB

NY Mets  73 – 59     -

Phillies    72 – 59    .5

Marlins    67 – 64   5.5

2008

By Jonah Rosenblum

The Mets. Politics. Two of my favorite things to talk about. And this year is a thrilling year for both.

For the Mets, this could be the year. They seem to have a very special group of guys. They have the star kids (J. Reyes and Wright), the less known prospects (A. Reyes, Murphy), the veteran looking for revenge (Delgado), the sudden prospect-turned-star (Pelfrey), and the guy out of nowhere (Tatis). Yes, there are plenty of problems (bullpen, inconsistent back-end starters, bullpen…) And yes it is unlikely that this team will win the World Series, especially with teams like the Cubs, Brewers, Red Sox, and Angels obstructing the way. But, when this team is on a roll, they are scary. And certainly, a deep playoff run seems quite possible at this point.  World Series or not, 2008 will be a memorable year in Mets history.

And in politics, this is an election year, and an exciting one at that. John McCain versus Barack Obama. The Democratic Convention has started (and what a terrific speech by Michelle Obama on Monday night) and the Republican one will be here before we know it. This election is huge, and provides plenty to talk about.

So, I created this blog, as a space to talk about two of my favorite things. Feel welcome to join the conversation. All posts are mine, unless the byline says otherwise. Thank you for checking my blog out, and happy reading!