Mets Avoid the Sweep, Win 6 – 4 Over D-Backs

At the end of the day, after five and one third innings of work, Oliver Perez had given up just one earned run and had given the New York Mets a huge lift. But it wasn’t easy. Every inning, there was some crisis. Multiple baserunners. Men in scoring position with less than two outs. So, the fact that he gave up just one earned run was something of a miracle.

In the bottom of the first, Ollie worked around a triple and a walk to get out of the inning. In the second, Ollie walked the leadoff hitter and then gave up a double, but with runners on second and third and no outs, Ollie somehow managed to keep the D-Backs off the board.

Ollie gave up his only run in the third after once again walking the leadoff hitter and then giving up an RBI double to Ryan Roberts, but stranded runners on first and second. In the fourth, Ollie put up a zero despite giving up a single and a walk. Then, in the fifth, Ollie got out of a bases loaded jam, and finally was lifted with one out in the sixth. His overall stats were ugly. He gave up six hits and six walks in just five and one third innings of work. But he gave up just one run, and thus gave the Mets a chance to win.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Mets put up a three-spot giving Oliver Perez a chance to get his 3rd win of the season. The big hit was Fernando Tatis’s 2-RBI single .

Unfortunately for Ollie, Sean Green got off to a rocky start n the seventh, hitting the first batter of the inning and then giving up a double to the second. He stuck out the next hitter, then was replaced by Pedro Feliciano, who got the second out of the inning before giving up two consecutive RBI singles.  The runs were charged to Green, but Feliciano also deserves some blame for giving up both inherited runners. And no matter whose fault it was, the result is the same, no win for Ollie Perez.

Thankfully, for the Mets,  with a man on second and two outs, Luis Castillo hit an RBI single to put the Mets up 4 – 3.  Then, after Castillo successfully stole second, Cory Sullivan tripled him home.

With a 5 – 3 lead, Brandon Stokes pitched a scoreless eighth. Then, with a 6 – 3 lead, Francisco Rodriguez struggled once again, allowing the tying run up to come up to the plate, but held on to get his 25th save of the season.

Great day for Fernando Tatis, who went 3 for 4. Gary Sheffield went 2 for 3. David Wright went 3 for 5 with two runs scored. Cory Sullivan went 2 for 4. And of course, tons of credit to Luis Castillo, whose pinch-hit RBI single gave the Mets the lead and was probably the most important play of the game.

Unfortunately for the Mets, the Phillies, Rockies, and Giants all won Wednesday, so they were unable to gain ground.

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.

With Ace on the Mound, Mets Fall Flat

They have an old saying in baseball. Throw strikes. Let them hit the ball. That’s what the eight guys behind you are for. That advice certainly worked for the Pittsburgh Pirates Tuesday night. The combination of Zach Duke, John Grabow, and Matt Capps failed to record a single strikeout. Yet, they found other ways to get 27 outs, giving up just one run in a big 3 – 1 victory over the visiting New York Mets.

The game began as a pitcher’s duel between two aces: Zach Duke of the Pirates and Johan Santana of the Mets, and remained scoreless until the fifth. In the top of the fifth, Ramon Martinez and Jeremy Reed singled. Johan Santana sacraficed, moving Martinez to third and Reed to second. Luis Castillo followed with a sacrafice fly, giving the Mets a 1 – 0 lead.

The Pirates responded with one out in the bottom of the fifth when Jason Jamarillo hit a solo home run to tie the game at one. Then, in the bottom of the sixth, Freddy Sanchez singled and moved to second on a wild pitch. This was followed by conseutive RBI doubles from Nate McLouth and Adam LaRoche giving the Pirates a 3 – 1 lead.

Giving the lead, Zach Duke managed to go one more scoreless inning for the Pirates. He was followed by John Grabow, who pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, and Matt Capps, who pitched a 1-2-3 ninth to record his 12th save in 14 chances.

It was a continuation of woes for the Mets offense, who after scoring five runs in the first three innings of Monday’s game have scored just one run in their last fifteen innings at the plate. David Wright is one for his last sixteen. His average is now down to .328 down from a high of .362 on May 22. Fernando Martinez went 0 for 4 Tuesday after a couple of big games. Omir Santos also went 0 for 4.

Of course, it’s hard to get too mad at the Mets offense, seeing as they were without Carlos Beltran, Carlos Delgado, Ryan Church, Alex Cora, and Jose Reyes on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, Santana went six innings, giving up three earned runs on seven hits and a walk. After a nearly perfect beginning to the season, Santana has “struggled” of late. He gave up four runs in seven innings to the Giants. He then had a beautiful start against Boston, but followed that with a subpar start against Washington when he gave up three runs in six innings. And now, in this game against the Pirates, he again gave up three runs in six innings of work, which was particularly surprising giving his record of domination of the Pirates. On the bright side, Sean Green, Ken Takahashi, and Brandon Stokes combined to pitch two scoreless innings out of the bullpen.

Meanwhile, the Phillies gained yet another game on the Mets Tuesday night. They dispatched of the Padres to move two and a half games ahead of the Mets in the NL East. Thankfully, for the Mets, the Brewers also lost, so the Mets remain just one and half games back in the NL Wild Card race.

The Mets will aim to end their two-game losing skid Wednesday night as they send Mike Pelfrey (4 – 1, 3.88 ERA) against Ross Ohlendorf (5 – 5, 4.45 ERA) of the Pirates.

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.

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.

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.