Mets Start Homestand With 3 – 0 Win Over Giants

Bobby Parnell was mainly a starter in the minor leagues, but had been doing relief work for the Mets ever since he came up last year. But, last Saturday, after 60 major league appearances from the bullpen, the 25 year-old got his first major league start, and failed to make it out of the third inning. This time was a little different. This time, on a Friday evening at Citi Field, Parnell pitched beautifully. He threw six shutout innings against the San Francisco Giants, giving up just three hits and no walks while striking out seven.

He was truly masterful last night. And he was backed up by a couple big hits and some solid work from the bullpen.

Offensively, the Mets managed just five hits. But they were efficient with what base runners they had, leaving just three runners on base Friday night. In the first inning, Angel Pagan homered. In the fourth, Luis Castillo led off with a single and JefF Francoeur doubled him in with two outs to give the Mets a 2 – 0 lead. And then in the sixth, Castillo led off with a walk, Wright doubled moving Castillo to third, and then Gary Sheffield’s fly ball brought Castillo home.

And three runs turned out to be plenty enough for the Mets Friday. Parnell needed just 86 pitches to make it through six innings, but was replaced anyway in the top of the seventh by Brandon Stokes. Stokes pitched a nice clean seventh, before giving up a couple base runners in the eighth. Pedro Feliciano came in to relieve Stokes and get the Mets out of trouble in the eighth, before Francisco Rodriguez came in to pitch a perfect ninth for his 26th save of the year.

A good smooth win for the Mets, who are now 31 – 25 at home. The Mets remain 12 back in the NL East but move to just nine and a half back in the Wild Card chase.

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.

Mets Fall to 1 – 5 on West Coast Trip

This West Coast trip shouldn’t have been so bad. 7 games in 7 days is a little exhausting, but the opposition is hardly tough. First, 4 games in San Diego, against a Padres team that is 48 – 66 and currently in last place in the NL West. The Mets, of course, lost 3 out of 4 in San Diego, barely avoiding the dreaded four-game sweep. Then, 3 games in Arizona, a place the Mets have historically done well in, and playing against a Diamondbacks team that was 50 – 62 going into the series and remains in second-to-last place in the NL West. But the Mets have dropped their first 2 games to the Diamondbacks, and are now on the verge of being swept.

There’s very few reasons why anyone would want to watch the Mets right now. They’re falling out of contention. They’re losing pretty much every game they play. Their offense lacks firepower. Their pitching is deeply flawed. And their fielding is highly lackadaisical at times. In short, it’s tough to be a Mets fan.

All of these aspects applied Wednesday night. Their offense managed 8 hits but only 2 runs. Livan Hernandez was terrible on the hill, giving up five earned in just four innings of work. And they made 2 errors, although the one against Cora may have been a little harsh.

Pretty much the only reason to watch a Mets game these days is to see Jeff Francoeur play. Francouer went 2 for 4 with a home run and a triple last night. The triple was particularly fun to watch. Francoeur may not be very fast, but he’s a hustler. He runs hard on the bases and in the field. And he’s hitting over .300 since joining the Mets. He’s been a real spark. And as the announcers pointed out last night, it seems like he really enjoys the game. That smile, that type of enthusiasm is what I like to see out of a player. In short, Francoeur has been a pleasure to watch.

Oh, and you might also tune in just to see what other teams can do against the Mets. Tonight, Diamondbacks rookie Trent Oeltjen went 4-for-4 with 2 singles, a double, and a triple. He nearly hit for the cycle. Who knows what he’ll do tomorrow against our pitching?

The Mets are now eleven and a half back in the NL East. Tough times indeed.

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.

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.

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.