Die Hard Sports Fan

The New York Mets (18-15) are playing Game 34 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Cincinnati Reds (14-22) at Shea Stadium.  It’s the second game of a three-game series.  The game began at 7:30 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Reds Lineup: Freel, Hairston Jr., Griffey Jr., Encarnacion, Dunn, Keppinger, Hatteberg, Bako, Arroyo.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Chavez, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Easley, Anderson, Castro, Pelfrey.

On the Mound

Mike Pelfrey (2-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Freel pulled a leadoff double over the third base bag and down the line.  Hairston dropped down a bunt towards first, and Pelfrey made the out at first while Freel advanced to third.  Ken Griffey Jr. lined a one-out RBI single into left, and Ryan Freel came home to score.  Encarnacion flied out to right.  Dunn flied out to left to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Keppinger grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  Pelfrey fanned Hatteberg and Bako back-to-back.  Arroyo lined to center, and Beltran dove to make a beautiful catch.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Pelfrey pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Keppinger lined a two-out single to right.  Hatteberg blooped the ball along the left field line, but Anderson dove for it but couldn’t hold onto the ball so Keppinger advanced to third.  Bako drew a two-out walk which loaded the bases.  Arroyo grounded to first, and Delgado tagged first to end the inning leaving the bases full.  Pelfrey gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Griffey dropped a two-out single into right.  Encarnacion popped up to second to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Keppinger grounded a one-out single under Reyes and into center.  Scott Hatteberg drove a one-out RBI double to the gap in right center, and Jeff Keppinger came all the way around to score.  Bako lined the ball foul of the left field line, and Anderson made the catch.  Arroyo grounded out to third to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Pelfrey left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 8 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Pelfrey with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 7th.  Heilman pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 8th.  Dunn hit a slow grounder to third, and Wright didn’t make a play on it so Dunn ended up with a one-out single (Patterson replaced Dunn).  Keppinger grounded a one-out single through the hole on the left side, and Patterson moved over to second.  Scott Hatteberg grounded a one-out  RBI single through the hole on the left side which scored Corey Patterson and Keppinger went first to third.  Paul Bako grounded a one-out RBI single through the hole on the right side which scored Jeff Keppinger and Hatteberg advanced to second.  Arroyo flied out to left.  Freel grounded to third, and Wright made the force play at second.  Sanchez gave up 4 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Griffey drew a one-out walk.  Encarnacion grounded to third, and Wright (Error on David Wright) misfielded the ball so Encarnacion is safe and Griffey moved over to second.  Patterson grounded to first, and Delgado (Error on Carlos Delgado) made a high throw to second so the bases are loaded.  Jeff Keppinger grounded an RBI single to short, and Reyes attempted to make a play at third but it was not in time and Ken Griffey Jr. scored.  Scott Hatteberg hit a sacrifice fly to left, and Edwin Encarnacion came home to score.  Paul Bako grounded a two-out RBI single through the hole on the right side scoring Jeff Keppinger.  Wagner gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Randolph replaced Wagner with Jorge Sosa with two outs in the 9th Inning.  Valentin popped up to right to end the nightmare.  Sosa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Bronson Arroyo (1-4) was the starting pitcher for the Reds.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Arroyo struck out the side.  Arroyo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Beltran drew a leadoff walk.  Delgado grounded a no-out single up the middle, and Beltran moved over to second.  Easley lined out to center.  Anderson grounded to first, but Hatteberg (Error on Scott Hatteberg) dropped the ball so the Reds couldn’t turn the double play so Hatteberg flipped the ball to Arroyo to try to get the out at first and Arroyo dropped the ball so everybody is safe.  Arroy struck out Castro swinging.  Pelfrey lined out to right leaving the bases loaded.  Arroyo gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Reyes led off with an opposite field double to left.  Chavez dragged a bunt towards first, and Arroyo made the out at first while Reyes advanced to third.  David Wright grounded to short, and Keppinger dropped the ball so Wright beat it out as Jose Reyes came home to score.  Beltran drove a one-out double to the gap in right center and bounced to the wall, but Wright got thrown out at home plate.  Beltran went to third on the throw to home.  Delgado grounded out to short to end the inning.  Arroyo gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Castro drew a two-out walk.  Pelfrey grounded to second, and Hairston made the force play at second.  Arroyo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Arroyo retired the side in order.  Arroyo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Arroyo pitched another 1-2-3 inning.  Arroyo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Arroyo struck out the side for the second time tonight.  Arroyo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 3 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Arroyo now retired the Mets in order for 4 straight innings.  Arroyo gave up 0 hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Baker replaced Arroyo with Francisco Cordero to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Cordero pitched a 1-2-3 inning to end the game.  Cordero gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: Cincinnati Reds 7 - New York Mets 1.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Mike Pelfrey (2-3) got the loss and Bronson Arroyo (2-4) got the win.

Big Pelf pitched six solid innings allowing only 2 runs, but the offense must’ve exhausted itself this afternoon because they only put up 1 run tonight.  The Mets’ Bullpen got taxed for 5 runs late in the game, and they called it a night in Flushing.  Tomorrow’s another day.  After the Reds and Mets split today’s double header, the Mets will host the rubber game tomorrow.  Johnny Cueto will face Oliver Perez.

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The Mets are going to host the Reds this weekend.  As of right now, the game is on even though it is raining in Queens.  The Mets have an opportunity to beat up on some crappy NL teams right now.  We’ll see if that actually happens or if they will continue to play .500 baseball.  Here’s a look at the probable pitching matchups:

• 05/09/2008 - Matt Belisle (1-2) - Mike Pelfrey (2-2)
• 05/10/2008 - Bronson Arroyo (1-4) - Johan Santana (3-2)
• 05/11/2008 - Johnny Cueto (2-3) - Oliver Perez (2-3)

Mets.com:

Shea’s days numbered: Nos. 69-60

Pagan day-to-day with shoulder injury - Anthony DiComo reported that, “An MRI taken on Thursday revealed that Mets outfielder Angel Pagan has a contusion of his left shoulder, the result of his crashing into the stands on Wednesday afternoon at Dodger Stadium. Pagan is day-to-day.”

Newsday:

Pagan has bruised shoulder

THIS DAY AT THE OLD BALLPARK - Newsday lets us know what happened at Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium on May 9th of another year.

Heilman trying to get back on track for Mets

New York Daily News:

Omar Minaya paying the price - Adam Rubin discusses the Mets‘ bullpen issues.

Willie Randolph’s efforts Met with nonsense early in season - Bob Raissman explains why the Mets fans are acting a bit crazy.

New York Post:

WRIGHT IS WRONG - Bart Hubbuch stated that David Wright’s slump has him searching for answers.

PAGAN DAY-TO-DAY AFTER PAINFUL CATCH IN LA

The Star-Ledger:

Mets have very little fire … and the manager is to blame - Dan Graziano does some Willie bashing.

Pagan day-to-day with bruised shoulder

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The New York Mets (16-14) are playing Game 31 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Los Angeles Dodgers (18-14) at Dodger Stadium.  It’s the second game of a three-game series.  The game began at 10:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.Mets Lineup: Reyes, Church, Wright, Alou, Delgado, Pagan, Schneider, Castillo, Figueroa.

Dodgers Lineup: Pierre, Jones, Kemp, Kent, Loney, Martin, DeWitt, Hu, Kuroda.

At the Plate

Hiroki Kuroda (1-2) was the starting pitcher for the Dodgers.  In the Top of the 1st, Ryan Church hit a one-out solo shot to center.  Wright drove the ball just foul of the right sideline, and Kemp made the out.  Alou lined a two-out single into center.  Delgado grounded to short, and Hu made the force out at second to end the inning.  Kuroda gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Pagan dropped down a bunt towards the pitcher and Kuroda made a bad throw to first so Pagan is safe.  Schneider pulled a single down the right field line, and Pagan went first to third.  Luis Castillo lined a no-out RBI single into center which brought Angel Pagan home, and Schneider advanced to second.  Figueroa dropped down a bunt towards the pitcher, and Kuroda (Error on Hiroki Kuroda) made a bad throw to third so the bases are loaded.  Jose Reyes lined a no-out RBI single into center, and Brian Schneider scored.  Church grounded to the pitcher, and Kuroda got the out at home before Martin got Church out at first.  Kuroda fanned Wright with Mets on second and third.  Kuroda gave up 4 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Alou grounded to third and DeWitt (Error on Blake DeWitt) couldn’t field it properly so Alou is on base.  Delgado grounded a no-out single up the middle, and Alou went first to third.  Pagan grounded to third, and DeWitt got the force out at second.  With Schneider at the plate, Pagan stole second so Martin attempted to throw him out but didn’t and then Moises Alou stole home.  Schneider drew a one-out walk.  Castillo grounded to second, and the Dodgers only got the out at second on the double play attempt.  With Figueroa in the batters box, Castillo stole second.  Figueroa drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Reyes grounded to short, and Hu tagged second to leave the bases loaded.  Kuroda gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Wright drew a one-out walk.  Alou lined a one-out single into left, and Wright advanced to second.  Kuroda gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  Kuroda left the game after pitching 3.1 Innings allowing 8 Hits, 4 Runs, 2 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Torre replaced Kuroda with Hong-Chih Kuo with one out in the Top of the 4th.  Kuo fanned Delgado.  Then Kuo fanned Pagan leaving two Mets stranded.  Kuo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Kuo hit Castillo with the pitch to give the Mets a one-out base runner.  Figueroa drew a one-out walk.  Reyes worked the count full before looking at strike three.  Church also worked the count full prior to staring at strike three with two Mets on base.  Kuo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 3 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Kuo quickly retired the side.  Kuo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Kuo sent the Mets down in order again.  Kuo gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Kuo left the game after pitching 3.2 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 8 SOs.

Torre replaced Kuo with Jonathan Broxton to begin the Top of the 8th.  Church lined a two-out double into the right field corner.  Broxton struck out Wright looking.  Broxton gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Torre replaced Broxton with Takashi Saito to begin the Top of the 9th.  Pagan lined a two-out bloop single into center.  Schneider lined a two-out single into right, and Pagan advanced to second.  Saito caught Castillo looking at strike three to end the game.  Saito gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 S in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Nelson Figueroa Jr. (2-1) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Jones drew a one-out walk.  Kemp grounded to third, and the Mets only got the out at second on the double play attempt.  With Kent at the plate, Kemp stole second.  Kent drew a two-out walk.  Loney grounded the ball hard down the third base line, and Wright dove to make the stop but couldn’t get the out so the bases are loaded.  Martin flied out to center to leave the bases juiced.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, DeWitt grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  Figueroa fanned Hu.  Kuroda dropped down a bunt towards first, and Figueroa made the out at first as DeWitt moved over to second.  Juan Pierre lined a two-out RBI single into right, and Blake DeWitt came around to score.  With Jones in the batters box, Pierre attempted to steal second and Schneider threw him out.  Figueroa gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Kemp drew a one-out walk.  Kent grounded to third, and the Mets only got the out at second on the double play attempt.  Loney grounded a single up the middle, and Kent went first to third because Pagan bobbled the ball.  Martin drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Blake DeWitt pulled a two-out 2-run single past Delgado and into right which scored Jeff Kent and James Loney, and Martin advanced to second.  Hu flied out to right to leave two Dodgers stranded.  Figueroa gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Jones lined a two-out single up the middle.  Kemp lined out to third to end the inning.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Martin lined a two-out single into center.  Blake DeWitt hit a two-out in the park home run off of the top of the wall which scored Russell Martin and himself (Church attempted to make the catch and just laid on the ground thinking it was a Homer, and didn’t make a play).  Hu grounded to third, and Wright (2 Base Error on David Wright) made a poor throw to first so Hu advanced to second.  Kuo grounded to third, and Wright tagged Hu as he was running to third.  Figueroa gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  Figueroa left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 8 Hits, 5 Runs, 5 ER, 4 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Figueroa with Aaron Heilman to begin the Bottom of the 6th.  Kemp lined a one-out single into right field.  With Kent in the batters box, Kemp stole second.  Kent grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at first.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Heilman pitched the Mets first 1-2-3 inning of the game.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Heilman left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Hu grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Young is pinch hitting for Broxton, and Young dropped down a sacrifice bunt which moved Hu to second while Feliciano made the out at first.  Pierre grounded to first, and Delgado tossed it to Feliciano who tagged first while Hu advanced to third.  Feliciano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Joe Smith with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Smith got Jones looking.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 4 - Los Angeles Dodgers 5.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Nelson Figueroa Jr. (2-2) took the loss and Hong-Chih Kuo (2-1) got the win.

The Mets already lost this series against the Dodgers.  The Mets were smacking the ball around the park against Koruda, but Torre had enough of that and replaced him with Kuo.  Kuo was lights out against the Mets giving up no hits, one walk, and 8 K’s.  Then the Dodgers’ Bullpen continued to keep the Mets from scoring.  The inside the park homer by DeWitt was pathetic because Church just laid there on the ground.  In the Bottom of the 9th, I had no confidence in Castillo to do anything at the plate.  He had an RBI in the 2nd Inning so it was very unlikely that he would do it again.  This slump he’s in is serious.  The Mets left a ton of men on base all night though so it’s not just his fault.

Maybe the Mets can get out of there without getting swept.  Maine is facing their ace Penny tomorrow.

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The New York Mets (14-11) are playing Game 26 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Pittsburgh Pirates (10-16) at Shea Stadium.  The series opener got postponed so it’s the second game of the two-game series.  The game began at 1:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Pirates Lineup: McLouth, Sanchez, Bay, Doumit, Nady, LaRoche, Bautista, Gomez, Gorzelanny.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Church, Delgado, Pagan, Molina, Perez.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (2-1) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Bay drew a two-out walk.  Perez fanned Doumit to leave one stranded.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Nady drew a leadoff walk.  Perez caught LaRoche looking at strike three.  Bautista drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Gomez drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Tom Gorzelanny grounded slowly to second, and Castillo (Error on Luis Castillo) barely release the ball so it ended up on the ground while everbody is safe and Xavier Nady came home to score.  Nate McLouth drew a one-out walk which scored Jose Bautista.  Freddy Sanchez grounded a one-out RBI single up the middle so Chris Gomez came home to score, and the bases remained loaded.  Jason Bay hit a one-out sacrifice fly to center, and Tom Gorzelanny tagged up and scored.  Ryan Doumit pulled an RBI single over the third base bag which scored Nate McLouth, Sanchez went first to third, and Doumit got out of being caught in a rundown and advanced to second.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 7 Runs, 4 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 7 Runs, 2 ER, 5 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Nelson Figueroa Jr. with two outs in the Top of the 2nd.  Nady dumped a 2-run single into right which scored Freddy Sanchez and Ryan Doumit.  LaRoche drew a two-out walk.  Bautista grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first to stop whatever it is that I’m watching on television.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, McLouth grounded a two-out single through the hole on the right side.  Sanchez flied out right to end the inning.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Nady drew a two-out walk.  LaRoche grounded a two-out single through the hole on the right side which moved Nady to second.  Figueroa also caught Bautista looking to leave two Pirates on base.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Gomez grounded out to short.  Grozelanny popped up to short.  McLouth grounded a two-out double over the first base bag.  Freddy Sanchez hit a two-out RBI single into left as Nate McLouth came around to score.  Figueroa fanned Bay on three straight pitches to leave one Pirate on base.  Figueroa gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  Figueroa left the game after pitching 3.1 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Figueroa with Jorge Sosa to begin the Top of the 6th.  Doumit led off by hitting a Ground Rule Double over the left field wall.  Xavier Nady drove a no-out RBI double to the gap in left center, and Ryan Doumit came around to score.  Sosa fanned LaRoche.  Bautista grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first while Nady advanced to third.  Gomez grounded to third, and Wright (Error on David Wright) bobbled the ball so Gomez was safe at first while Xavier Nady scored.  Bixler is pinch hitting for Gorzelanny, and Bixler hit a two-out broken bat single into right center as Gomez moved over to second.  Nate McLouth drove a two-out 2-run double over the head of Pagan which scored Chris Gomez and Brian Bixler.  Freddy Sanchez drove the ball to deep left field, and Pagan (Error on Angel Pagan) dropped the ball so Sanchez ended up with a double as Nate McLouth came around to score.  Bay lined out to short to end another ugly inning.  Sosa gave up 4 Hits, 5 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sosa with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Top of the 7th.  Nady grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side (Mientkiewicz is pinch running for Nady).  LaRoche grounded to short, and the Mets turned the double play.  Feliciano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 8th.  Heilman pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  In the Top of the 9th, Heilman retired the side in order again.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Tom Gorzelanny (1-3) was the starting pitcher for the Pirates.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran also drew a two-out walk.  Gorzelanny fanned Church to leave two Mets on base.  Gorzelanny gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Pagan drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Gorzelanny struck out Molina on three pitches.  Figueroa lined out to center to leave one Met on base.  Gorzelanny gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Grozelanny sent the top of the lineup down in order.  Gorzelanny gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Gorzelanny caught Beltran staring at strike three.  Church drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Delgado grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side, and Church went first to third.  Pagan blooped the ball into shallow center, but Sanchez made the running catch.  Molina popped up to shallow right, and Nady made the catch leaving Mets standing on the corners.  Gorzelanny gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of 5th, Reyes drew a one-out walk.  Castillo popped up in foul ground along the first base line, and Doumit made the catch.  Wright grounded out to short to end the inning.  Gorzelanny gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Gorzelanny left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 5 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Russell replaced Gorzelanny with John Van Benschoten to begin the Bottom of the 6th.  Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Ryan Church drove a no-out RBI double into the gap in right center, and Carlos Beltran came all the way around to score.  Delgado grounded out to short.  Van Benschoten fanned Pagan.  Molina flied out to right to end the inning.  Van Benschoten gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Van Benschoten retired the side in order.  Van Benschoten gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Van Benschoten left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 ER, 1 BB, and he had 3 SOs.

Russell replaced Van Benschoten with Evan Meek to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Wright drew a leadoff walk.  With Beltran at the plate, Meek threw a passed ball so Wright moved over to second.  Beltran popped up to short, and Gomez made the catch.  Church grounded out to short.  Delgado drew a two-out walk.  Pagan also drew a two-out walk which loaded the bases.  Molina grounded out to first to leave the bases juiced.  Meek gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 3 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 9th, Meek retired the side in order.  Meek gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: Pittsburgh Pirates 13 - New York Mets 1.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.

The Mets already had to play a day game following a late extra innings night game.  Then, today’s game was delayed 40 minutes because a water main broke.  Oli was simply awful today.  He pitched 1.2 innings and gave up 7 runs while 5 were unearned.  The Mets made 3 errors today which made everything worse than it could’ve been.  The Bullpen allowed even more runs to score.  The offense isn’t even worth discussing since the Mets only put up 1 run on the scoreboard.  This was torture to watch.  On the Pirates, X-Man was on fire today.  Nady was 3 for 3, with 3 RBIs and 2 walks.  I hope Omar goes after him.  The Pirates put up 12 of their 13 runs in just 2 innings.

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The New York Mets (13-11) are playing Game 25 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Pittsburgh Pirates (10-15) at Shea Stadium.  The series opener got postponed so it’s the first game of the two-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Pirates Lineup: McLouth, Gomez, Sanchez, Bay, Nady, LaRoche, Bautista, Paulino, Snell.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Church, Delgado, Casanova, Chavez, Santana.

On the Mound

Johan Santana (3-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Nate McLouth led off with a solo shot to right.  Gomez grounded out to third.  Sanchez grounded out to second.  Santana fanned Bay.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, LaRoche drew a one-out walk.  Santana caught Bautista looking at strike three.  Paulino grounded out to short to end the inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Santana pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Jason Bay hit a one-out jack to left.  Nady flied out to left.  Santana fanned LaRoche.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Santana sent the bottom of the lineup down in order.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, McLouth drew a leadoff walk.  Santana got Gomez on a called strike three.  Sanchez flied out to left.  Bay drew a two-out walk.  Santana hit Nady in the arm to load the bases.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Santana left the game after pitching 5.2 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 7 SOs.

Randolph replaced Santana with Pedro Feliciano with two outs in the 6th Inning.  LaRoche popped up to short to leave the bases full of Pirates.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 7th.  Bautista grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Paulino drew a no-out walk.  Morgan is pinch hitting for Marte, and Morgan popped out in shallow left.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Scott Schoeneweis with one out in the Top of the 7th.  McLouth grounded to second, and Castillo tagged Paulino as he was running to second.  With Gomez in the batters box, Schoeneweis threw a passed ball.  Casanova threw the ball to Schoeneweis who tagged out Bautista as he was going home.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 8th.  Gomez led off with a line drive into left field.  Sanchez pulled a no-out double down the left field line, and Gomez went from first to third.  Sanchez fanned Bay.  Nady drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Adam LaRoche drew a one-out walk to bring home Chris Gomez.  Bautista grounded to third, and Wright made the force out at home.  Paulino popped up to shallow right, and Castillo made the catch.  Sanchez gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Doumit is pinch hitting for Grabow, and Doumit grounded to short.  Delgado couldn’t hold onto the catch from Reyes (Error on Jose Reyes) so the Pirates have a leadoff runner on base (Bixler is pinch running for Doumit).  With McLouth in the batters box, Wagner threw a wild pitch so Bixler moved over to second.  Wagner got McLouth swinging at strike three.  Gomez grounded out to short as Bixler advanced to third.  Freddy Sanchez hit a two-out RBI single to the gap in right center, and Brian Bixler came home to tie up the game.  Wagner fanned Bay.  Wagner gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.  In the Top of the 10th, LaRoche hit a one-out opposite field double off of the wall in left field.  Bautista flied out to center.  Paulino grounded out to short to leave LaRoche standing on second.  Wagner gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.

Randolph replaced Wagner with Jorge Sosa to begin the Top of the 11th.  Gomez grounded a two-out single through the hole on the right side.  Sanchez popped up to shallow center, and Beltran made the catch.  Sosa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 11th Inning.

At the Plate

Ian Snell (2-1) was the starting pitcher for the Pirates.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes dropped a bunt in front of home plate and beat out the throw for a leadoff single.  With Castillo at the plate, Paulino threw out Reyes as he attempted to steal second.  Castillo flied out to left.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran grounded out to first to leave Wright on base.  Snell gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Snell retired the side in order.  Snell gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Chavez flied out to center.  Santana flied out to right.  Reyes drew a two-out walk.  Castillo grounded to second, and the Pirates turned the double play to end the inning.  Snell gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Ryan Church tied up the game with a one-out 2-run homer to right scoring Carlos Beltran.  Delgado flied out to left.  Casanova grounded out to first to end the inning.  Snell gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Chavez led off with a line drive to left.  Santana attempted to bunt on strike three, but he missed the ball.  Jose Reyes hit a one-out RBI triple off of the right field wall, and Endy Chavez came around to score.  Castillo drew a one-out walk.  David Wright grounded to short, and Sanchez (Error on Freddy Sanchez) mishandled the throw from Gomez so everybody is safe and Jose Reyes scored.  Beltran drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Snell gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  Snell left the game after pitching 4.1 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 5 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Russell replaced Snell with Damaso Marte with one out in the Bottom of the 5th.  Marte caught Church staring at ball four which resulted in a strike out.  Marte fanned Delgado.  Marte gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Marte worked a 1-2-3 inning.  Marte gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Russell replaced Marte with Tyler Yates to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Reyes drew a leadoff walk.  With Castillo at the plate, Reyes stole second.  Castillo drew a no-out walk.  Yates fanned Wright.  Beltran flied out to left near the line.  Church grounded out to second to leave two Mets on base.  Yates gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Russell replaced Yates with John Grabow to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Chavez lined a two-out single into shallow center.  Pagan is pinch hitting for Sanchez, and Grabow fanned Pagan to end the inning.  Grabow gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Russell replaced Grabow with Franquelis Osoria to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Reyes led off by grounding a single up the middle.  Castillo dropped down a bunt towards third, and Bautista made the out at first as Reyes moved over to second.  Wright flied out to right, and Reyes stayed put.  Beltran grounded out to second to leave Reyes on base.  Osoria gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 10th, Osorio retired the side in order.  Osorio gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.

Russell replaced Osorio with John Van Benschoten to begin the Bottom of the 11th.  Chavez hit a broken bat single up the middle to give the Mets a leadoff runner.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Sosa, and Van Benschoten was called for a Balk so Chavez moved over to second base.  Anderson dropped down a bunt towards third, and Bautista made the out at first as Chavez advanced to third.  Van Benschoten intentionally walked Reyes.  With Castillo in the batters box, Reyes went to second and it was called defensive indifference.  Castillo drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  The Wright Stuff crushed an opposite field single that hit right of the foul poul and fell in fair territory so Endy Chavez came home to score.  Van Benschoten gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 11th Inning.

Final Score: Pittsburgh Pirates 4 - New York Mets 5 (In 11).  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.

Another game, another win.  Santana gave up two solo shots.  He threw a lot of pitches, and he only went 5.2 innings.  The Mets got off to a slow start tonight offensively.  Church tied up the game at 2 in the 4th.  Jose was on base 6 times tonight and went 3 for 6.  Endy was 3 for 5.  Wright was 0-4 before he hit the walkoff.  I wish that the Mets didn’t have to go to extra innings against the Pirates, but it is what it is.

The Metropolitans are 14-11 now.  The Mets will host the Pirates again tomorrow for a day game.  After that, they head out west.

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The New York Mets (11-9) are playing Game 21 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Washington Nationals (6-16) at Nationals Park.  It’s the final game of the two-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Happy 31st Birthday to Carlos Beltran!

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Church, Delgado, Pagan, Casanova, Perez.

Nationals Lineup: Lopez, Guzman, Zimmerman, Kearns, Pena, Boone, Harris, Nieves, Hill.

At the Plate

Shawn Hill (0-0) was the starting pitcher for the Nationals.  In the Top of the 1st, Hill sent the Mets down in order on nine pitches.  Hill gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Church drove a one-out double off of the wall in left center.  Delgado grounded to second, and Lopez made the out at first as Church advanced to third.  Pagan grounded out to short to leave Church on third.  Hill gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Casanova pulled a ground ball through the hole on the right side for a leadoff single.  Perez dropped down a sacrifice bunt down along the first base line, and Nieves made the out at first while Casanova moved over to second.  Reyes grounded out to first, and Casanova advanced to third.  Luis Castillo lined an RBI single into shallow center which brought Raul Casanova home to score.  With Wright at the plate, Castillo stole second.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran grounded out to second to leave two Mets stranded.  Hill gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Church drew a leadoff walk.  Hill got Delgado to chase strike three.  With Pagan in the batters box, Church stole second.  Pagan drew a one-out walk.  Casanova flied out to center, and Church tagged up and went to third.  Oliver Perez grounded a two-out RBI single up the middle which scored Ryan Church and Pagan went first to third.  Reyes flied out to right to end the inning with runners on the corners.  Hill gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Castillo grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  With Wright in the batters box, Hill threw a wild pitch so Castillo advanced to second.  Hill got Wright to stare at ball four, but the Umpire called it a strike.  With Beltran at the plate, Hill attempted to pick off Castillo and the ball hit Castillo and went into center so Castillo went to third.  Hill caught Beltran looking at strike three.  Ryan Church lined a two-out RBI single into right field, and Luis Castillo came home to score.  Delgado grounded to second, and Lopez made the force out at second to end the inning.  Hill gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Hill left the game after pitching 5.0 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 5 SOs.

Acta replaced Hill with Michael O’Connor to begin the Top of the 6th.  Casanova drove a one-out single off of the wall in center field.  Perez bunted and the ball landed into the glove of the pitcher, but O’Connor dropped it and then only got the out at second on the double play attempt.  Reyes grounded out to second to end the inning.  O’Connor gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Acta replaced O’Connor with Saul Rivera to begin the Top of the 7th.  Carlos Beltran hit a two-out solo shot that barely got over the high wall in right field.  Church grounded out to second to end the inning.  Rivera gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Acta replaced Rivera with Luis Ayala to begin the Top of the 8th.  Ayala sent the Mets down in order.  Ayala gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Acta replaced Ayala with Jon Rauch to begin the Top of the 9th.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Feliciano, and Marlon Anderson led off with a solo shot to right.  Reyes grounded a no-out single up the middle.  Castillo grounded a no-out single through the hole on the left side.  Wright flied out to center, and Reyes tagged up and went to third.  Rauch fanned Beltran.  With Church at the plate, Castillo stole second.  Church flied out to center to leave two Mets on base.  Rauch gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (2-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Perez retired the side in order.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Boone lined a two-out single into center.  Harris flied out to right field to leave one man on base.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Nieves drew a leadoff walk.  Hill dropped down a sacrifice bunt down in front of home plate, and Casanova made the out at first as Nieves moved over to second.  Lopez drew a one-out walk.  Guzman grounded to short, and the Mets turned the double play to leave two Nationals stranded.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Zimmerman beat out an infield hit to short for a leadoff single.  Kearns lined out to center.  Perez fanned Pena.  Boone popped up near first, and Castillo made the out to end the inning.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Harris drew a leadoff walk.  Nieves grounded a no-out single up the middle, and Harris advanced to second.  Belliard is pinch hitting for Hill, and Perez walked Belliard to load the bases.  Felipe Lopez grounded a no-out 2-run single up the middle which scored Willie Harris and Wil Nieves, and Belliard moved over to second.  Guzman lined out to center, and Belliard tagged up and went to third.  Ryan Zimmerman grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first as Ronnie Belliard came home to score and Lopez moved over to second.  Kearns grounded hard to third, but a diving Wright made the stop and the out at first to end the inning.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Pena grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Boone lined a no-out single over the head of Reyes and into left, and Pena moved over to second.  Harris dropped a bunt down in front of home plate, and Perez got the lead runner out at third.  Nieves grounded to first, and Delgado tagged the base as the runners advanced.  Milledge is pinch hitting for O’Connor so Randolph is making a pitching change.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 5.2 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 5 Runs, 5 ER, 4 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Aaron Heilman with two outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Milledge drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Felipe Lopez crushed a Grand Slam to right off of Heilman which scored Aaron Boone, Willie Harris, Lastings Milledge, and of course himself.  It’s like deja vu.  How many times do I have to watch that?  Guzman lined a two-out single to center.  Zimmerman lined a single into left, and Guzman advanced to second.  Heilman fanned Kearns to end the end of the Mets chances to sweep this mini-series.  Heilman gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Jorge Sosa to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Boone grounded to short, and Reyes (Error on Jose Reyes) misfielded it so Boone is on base with one out.  Harris drew a one-out walk.  Wil Nieves grounded a two-out RBI single under the glove of Delgado and into right field as Aaron Boone came around to score and Harris held up at third.  Estrada is pinch hitting for Rivera, and Johnny Estrada grounded a two-out RBI single through the hole on the right side which scored Willie Harris while Nieves advanced to second.  Lopez popped up in foul ground near third, and Wright made the catch.  Cristian Guzman lined a two-out single to right which brought Wil Nieves around to score and Estrada went first to third.  Zimmerman grounded to short, and Reyes made the force play at second to end another inning of hell.  Sosa gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning. 

Randolph replaced Sosa with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Pena grounded a two-out single up the middle.  Felician fanned Boone.  Harris grounded out to short to end the inning.  Feliciano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 5 - Washington Nationals 10.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Oliver Perez (2-1) got the loss and Shawn Hill (1-0) got the win.

All I can say is that it started out well.  The Mets were in complete control of this game until the Nationals tied it up in the Bottom of the 5th.  Then the Nats just kept scoring like Forest Gump kept running.  And just like the Yankees, the Mets got attacked by Gnats.  So Johan saved us yesterday, but Oli couldn’t provide the Mets with the opportunity to win the ballgame.  Then came the Heilman/Sosa tandem…they allowed 5 runs combined.  How are we going to win this series against the Braves this weekend if we can’t sweep a two-game series against the Nats?

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Yesterday was yesterday, and today is a new day.  I hope that brighter days are coming now.  It’s imperative because the Mets are going to face the Nationals and the Braves for five games.  These are the games that matter more than any other.  If the Mets can walk out of D.C. with a mini-sweep then maybe it will give them enough mojo to win the series against the Braves over the weekend.

Here’s a picture of the new Nationals Park which replaced the ugliest stadium in sports, RFK.  I went there once, and they needed a new stadium.  If you never made the trip to RFK then you didn’t miss anything.  Anyway, Washington is only 2-5 in their new park so New York doesn’t need to make it easier for them to get closer to a winning record at home.  Santana is on the mound tonight, and he has to stop the bleeding.

Mets.com:

Capital time to visit Washington, D.C. - Jon Greenberg put together a pregame analysis for today’s game between the Mets and the Nationals.

Alou finding timing in rehab outings

 Can’t Compare - Anthony DiComo is taking in Yankees and Mets games on the same day — in Chicago.

Newsday:

Trouble at first glance - David Lennon summarized yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Cubs.

Pedro can return to mound in 10-14 days - David Lennon found out that Pedro Martinez can return to the mound in 10-14 days.  At that point in time, Martinez will need about three weeks before he can return to the Mets.

DEBATE: Who hurts his team more: Delgado or Giambi?

THIS DAY AT THE OLD BALLPARK - Find out what happened on today’s date at Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium.

New York Daily News:

Don’t expect to see El Duque or Pedro Martinez soon - Adam Rubin informs us about Mets injuries.

Met bullpen implodes against Cubs - Adam Rubin criticizes how the Mets bullpen performed in Chicago.

New York Post:

LIFELESS METS PUT TO SWEEP - Bart Hubbuch asks where the offense was in the Mets-Cubs series.

SOSA FAR, SOSA NOT GOOD - Bart Hubbuch pointed out how poorly Jorge Sosa has been so far.

HEILMAN NO WORRY TO WILLIE - Willie Randolph had this to say about Aaron Heilman’s struggles, “He’s just going to have to make pitches. That’s the life of a set-up guy. I’m going to use him like I’ve been using him. He’s healthy, and I’m not ready to reduce his role a month into the season. He’s fine. He’s strong. It’s early. That [workload] will even out later on. I’m not concerned about it.”

New York Times:

For a Day, Chicago Becomes a New York Kind of Town - Jack Curry wrote up an article about how the Mets played the Cubs and how the Yankees played the White Sox on the same day in Chicago.

The Star-Ledger:

Delgado looking powerless - Jeremy Cothran breaks down the struggling Carlos Delgado.

Infield blunder opens floodgates

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The New York Mets (10-7) are playing Game 18 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Chicago Cubs (12-6) at Wrigley Field.  It’s the first game of the two-game series.  The game began at 7:05 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Castillo, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Church, Casanova, Chavez, Maine.

Phillies Lineup: Johnson, Fontenot, Lee, Ramirez, Fukudome, DeRosa, Soto, Cedeno, Zambrano.

At the Plate

Carlos Zambrano (2-1) was the starting pitcher for the Cubs.  In the Top of the 1st, Reyes dumped a leadoff single into left field.  Castillo grounded to first, and Lee made the out at first as Reyes moved over to second.  Wright worked himself into a full count before staring at strike three.  Beltran grounded to short, and Cedeno made the out at first to leave a runner at second.  Zambrano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Church grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  Casanova struck out swinging as Church attempted to steal third, but Soto threw out Church to end the inning.  Zambrano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Zambrano quickly retired the side.  Zambrano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Castillo drew a leadoff walk.  Wright grounded to third, and the Cubs turned the double play.  Beltran popped up to third, and Ramirez made the catch.  Zambrano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Delgado led off by lining a single into center.  Church grounded to second, and Fontenot only made the force out at second on the double play attempt.  Casanova grounded to first, and Lee made the out at first and then got the Cubs got Delgado out in a rundown.  Zambrano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Chavez led off with a standup double off the wall in left center.  Maine dropped down a sacrifice bunt in front of home plate, and Soto threw to third but Ramirez didn’t tag Chavez at third so everybody is safe.  Reyes grounded to short, and the Cubs turned the double play as Endy Chavez came home to score.  Castillo grounded to third and beat out the throw by Ramirez for a two-out single.  With Wright in the batters box, Castillo stole second safely.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Beltran lined out to left to leave two Mets stranded.  Zambrano gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Zambrano sent the Mets down in order.  Zambrano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Zambrano left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Piniella replaced Zambrano with Carlos Marmol to begin the Top of the 8th.  Marmol retired the side in order.  Marmol gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Piniella replaced Marmol with Kerry Wood to begin the Top of the 9th.  Wood pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Wood gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

On the Field

John Maine (1-1) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Johnson grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  With Fontenot at the plate, Casanova threw out Johnson as he attempted to steal second base.  Maine fanned Fontenot.  Lee flied out to right to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Ramirez drew a leadoff walk.  Fukudome flied out to shallow center.  DeRosa popped up in foul ground along the first base line, and Delgado made the catch.  Soto grounded slowly in front of home plate, and Casanova made the out at first.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Cedeno grounded out to second.  Maine fanned Zambrano.  Maine hit Johnson with the pitch in the left arm.  Fonteno grounded to second, and Castillo made the out at first to leave on Cub on base.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Lee lined a leadoff single into center.  Aramis Ramirez drove a 2-run homer to left center scoring Derrek Lee.  Fukudome grounded out to short.  DeRosa grounded a one-out single through the hole on the left side.  Maine got Soto swinging at strike three.  Cedeno flied out to left to end the inning.  Maine gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Maine walked Fontenot on four pitches to give the Cubs a two-out runner.  Lee grounded to third, and Wright got the lead runner at second to end the inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Ramirez grounded out to third.  Fukudome lined a one-out single into left.  Maine struck out DeRosa on a check swing.  With Soto at the plate, Maine threw a wild pitch so Fukudome moved over to second.  Maine got Soto staring at strike three to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Maine left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 6 SOs.

Randolph replaced Maine with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Cedeno grounded to third, but the ball bobbled in Wright’s (Error on David Wright) hand so Cedeno beat out the throw to first.  Ward is pinch hitting for Zambrano, and Ward grounded to third and Wright made the out at first while Cedeno moved over to second.  Johnson also grounded to third, and Wright held Cedeno at second before making the out at first.  Fontenot grounded out to second to end the inning.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Aaron Heilman to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Lee led off by grounding to short, but Reyes (Error on Jose Reyes) mishandled the ball so Lee beat out the play.  Heilman hit Ramirez with the pitch.  Fukudome grounded a no-out single through the hole on the left side to load the bases.  Heilman fanned DeRosa.  Soto popped up to second.  Ronny Cedeno lined a 2-run single up the middle scoring Derrek Lee and Aramis Ramirez, and Fukudome advanced to second.  Heilman gave up 2 Hits, 4 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Jorge Sosa with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Felix Pie broke the game open by crushing a 3-run shot to right scoring Kosuke Fukudome and Ronny Cedeno.  Johnson grounded out to third to end the inning after the Cubs put a 5-spot on the scoreboard.  Sosa gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 1 - Chicago Cubs 7.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  John Maine took the loss while Carlos Zambrano got the win.

I hate when the Mets face a pitcher like Zambrano did tonight.  Carlos pitched 7 scoreless innings allowing 5 hits.  Maine pitched a pretty good game.  John gave up 2 runs over 6 innings, and gave up 5 hits.  One of the hits was a two-run jack.  So the Mets dropped 2 consecutive games right now.  They have to wake up early tomorrow to play a day game.  Figueroa will make his first start as a Met away from Shea.

The Mets are 10-8 now.  It seems like the NL is playing them tough this year.  They need to put their foot down on the NL already.

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Who doesn’t love it when they know the Mets have a chance to sweep a divisional rival?  We know it’s a 50/50 chance tonight, and it is less stressful to watch the final game of a series that has already been won.  It makes it even better when the Metsies do it to the NL East Champs.  Today’s game begins at 8:05 p.m., and it will be aired on ESPN.  Mike Pelfrey will be facing Adam Eaton, and you don’t want to miss it. 

Mets.com:

Heilman gets right back on horse - Marty Noble walks us through the eighth inning of yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Phillies where Aaron Heilman came in and struck out two batters with the bases loaded.

Pelfrey, Mets go for sweep of rival Phils - Joseph Santoliquito put together a pregame analysis for tonight’s game between the Mets and the Phillies.

Schneider sore, OK after injury scare - Marty Noble reported that the Mets thought that Brian Schneider might of suffered a broken bone in his right arm from a foul tip by Chase Utley on a 97-mph fastball from Billy Wagner that struck Schneider on the top of the forearm and eliminated some of the function of the arm.  Noble wrote that, “X-rays were negative, and Schneider intended to ice it all night. But the Mets were already making plans to summon an understudy from their Triple-A team.”

Mets putting last year in rearview mirror - Mike Bauman feels like the Mets are turning the page of 2007 by beating the Phillies four straight games.

Reyes feeling no ill effects after collision - Joseph Santoliquito wrote that, “Jose Reyes woke up Saturday morning without any swelling or wooziness and without feeling any after effects of being jarred in the head by the knee of Phillies second baseman Chase Utley while attempting to steal second in the third inning of Friday night’s game.”

Randolph not happy about missed sign - Joseph Santoliquito found out that Willie Randolph wasn’t happy that Luis Castillo didn’t pick up the signal for a suicide squeeze during Friday night’s game against the Phillies.  If Castillo can’t even walk then how is he supposed to pick up a sign, or more importantly execute anything.  I have no idea how Luis got a four-year deal worth more than the league minimum when they guy can’t walk, hit, or field.

Newsday:

Start spreading news: Starters ace it! - Johnette Howard pointed out how great the starting pitchers have been for the Mets so far this season.

Mets beat Phillies, 4-2, for fifth straight win - David Lennon summarized last night’s game between the Mets and the Phillies.

Determination, patience land Figueroa with Mets - Barbara Barker wrote up a Bio about Nelson Figueroa Jr., and how he ended up back on the Mets.

METS NOTEBOOK: Battered battery member - David Lennon also talks about the injury status of Schneider.

New York Daily News:

Jose Reyes, Oliver Perez lead Mets past Phillies for fourth straight time - Adam Rubin also summarized yesterday’s game between the Phillies and the Mets.

Cheering over Jose Reyes injury pains Billy Wagner - Adam Rubin gathered the thoughts of Billy Wagner on the Phillies fans after they booed when Reyes getting the wind knocked out of him.  Wagner said,

It’s really sad when humanity comes to the point where somebody getting hurt, it’s fun to watch. It’s sad when that happens. Nobody wants anybody to get hurt. I don’t want Jimmy Rollins getting hurt. I don’t want Pat Burrell to get hurt. I don’t want none of these guys. I want to compete against these guys because they’re the best, and you want to beat the best. You don’t want excuses. When you see Reyes laying there - it’s a tough shot, a clean play - and the fans cheering that he’s hurt, that just goes and shows you volumes about where our society is headed.

Brian Schneider’s arm hit on foul tip, swells up

New York Post:

IN THE ‘BANK’ - Bart Hubbuch discusses the Mets-Phillies rivalry

METS TAKE SHOTS AT PHIL FANS

METS PLAN ON EDDIE TO BE THERE IN END - Tim Bontemps tells us how Eddie Kunz is doing down in the Minors.

HEILMAN KING FOR A DAY

New York Times:

With Mets on Edge, Heilman Prevents a Fall

Hit by Hit, Wright Puts Last Season Behind Him

The Star-Ledger:

Three Sunday Thoughts (Mets Edition)

Mets take it to Phillies again

Schneider hit, X-rays negative

Final: Mets 4, Phillies 2 - Jeremy Cothran summarized yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Phillies yesterday.

News, notes & lineups: Game 17 - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineup and more for yesterday’s game between the Mets and the Phillies.

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The New York Mets (9-6) are playing Game 16 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Philadelphia Phillies (8-9) at Citizens Bank Park.  It’s the second game of the three-game series.  The game began at 3:55 p.m., and it was aired on FOX.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Church, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Pagan, Schneider, Castillo, Perez.

Phillies Lineup: Taguchi, Werth, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Feliz, Coste, Bruntlett, Moyer.

At the Plate

Jamie Moyer (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Phillies.  In the Top of the 1st, Reyes hit the first pitch down the left field line for a standup double.  Church lined the ball to right, but Taguchi dropped the ball so Church ended up with a no-out single and Reyes held up at second.  With Wright in the batters box, Reyes stole third without a throw.  David Wright hit a 2-run gaper to right center for a no-out double scoring Jose Reyes and Ryan Church.  Beltran popped up to second.  Delgado grounded out to first, and Wright moved over to third.  Pagan grounded out to third to end the inning.  Moyer gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Schneider grounded a single through the hole on the right side for a leadoff single.  Castillo worked the count full before grounded to second, and the Phillies turned the double play.  Perez blooped an opposite field single.  Reyes flied out to left center to leave Perez stranded.  Moyer gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Wright grounded a one-out single to short that went under the legs the diving Bruntlett.  With Beltran in the batters box, Coste threw out Wright as he attempted to steal second.  Beltran grounded towards first, and Moyer fielded the ball and flipped it to Howard to end the inning.  Moyer gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Moyer sent the Mets down in order.  Moyer gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Perez drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Reyes flied out to left center, and Werth made the catch.  Church lined a two-out single into left center, and Perez moved over to second.  Wright lined out to center to leave two Mets stranded.  Moyer gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Moyer pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Moyer gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Moyer left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 7 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Manuel replaced Moyer with Ryan Madson to begin the Top of the 7th.  Schneider grounded out to first.  Castillo drew a one-out walk.  Chavez is pinch hitting for Sanchez, and Chavez grounded to first and Howard bobbled the ball so he could only make the out at first as Castillo moved over to second.  Jose Reyes jacked a two-out 2-run shot to right scoring Luis Castillo and himself.  Church grounded out to second to end the inning.  Madson gave up 1 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Madson retired the side in order.  Madson gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Madson left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs.

Manuel replaced Madson with Chad Durbin to begin the Top of the 9th.  Schneider drew a one-out walk.  Castillo grounded a one-out single up the middle and Schneider moved over to second.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Heilman, and Anderson grounded to the pitcher but the Phillies turned the double play to leave two Mets on base.  Durbin gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Perez quickly retired the top of the lineup in order.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Perez struck out Howard and Burrell before giving up a two-out walk to Feliz .  Coste lined a single into left field, and Feliz advanced to second.  Bruntlett popped up in foul territory along the first base line, and Delgado made the catch to leave two Phillies stranded.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Taguchi grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  Werth flied out to right.  Utley drew a two-out walk.  Perez caught Howard looking at strike three to leave to runners on.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Coste drew a two-out walk.  Bruntlett grounded to third, and Wright made the force play at second to end the inning.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Taguchi grounded to the pitcher, and the ball bounced off of Perez towards second so Taguchi beat out the play for a one-out single (Randolph and the trainor came out to the mound to check on Perez).  Perez got Werth swinging at strike three.  Utley lined a two-out single into center, and Taguchi went first to third.  Howard flied out to left to leave runners on the corners.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Feliz drew a one-out walk.  Coste grounded to short, and Reyes got the out at second but Coste beat out the play at first on the double play attempt.  With Bruntlett in the batters box, Perez threw a wild pitch so Coste advanced to second.  After 13 pitches, Bruntlett drew a two-out walk.  Rollins is pinch hitting for Moyer, and Rollins .  This move by Manuel brought Randolph out to the mound to make a pitching change.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Perez left the game after pitching 5.2 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 0 Runs, 5 BBs, and he had 7 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Duaner Sanchez with two outs in the Bottom of the 6th.  Rollins grounded out to first to leave two Phillies stranded.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Chase Utley pulled a two-out home run to left.  Schoeneweis fanned Howard.  Schoeneweis gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Joe Smith to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Burrell drew a leadoff walk.  Feliz grounded out to third as Burrell moved over to second.  Dobbs is pinch hitting for Coste.  This move by Manuel brought Randolph out to the mound for a pitching change.  Smith gave up 1 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Pedro Feliciano with one out in the Bottom of the 8th.  Dobbs worked the count full prior to dropping a pop up into shallow center for a one-out single, and Burrell advanced to third.  Bruntlett drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Feliciano gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Aaron Heilman with one out in the Bottom of the 8th.  Ruiz is pinch hitting for Madson, and Carlos Ruiz lined an RBI single into left scoring Pat Burrell.  Jenkins is pinch hitting for Taguchi, and Heilman fanned Jenkins after falling behind 3-1.  Then Heilman got Werth to strike out leaving the bases juiced like Scott Schoeneweis.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Billy Wagner to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Wagner came in and slammed the door on the Phillies.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 4 - Philadelphia Phillies 2.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Oliver Perez (2-0) got the win and Jamie Moyer (1-1) got the loss.

Before I talk about the Mets, I would like to thank FOX for not making us suffer through another game having to listen to Joe Morgan.  We had to listen to him two weeks ago, and that was more than enough for the season.

Back to the Mets…They are on a roll now.  They already took the series from the Phillies down in Philly.  Tomorrow, Mike Pelfrey will face Adam Eaton as the Mets have the opportunity to sweep their second divisional foe in row.  The Mets now won the first two series against the Phillies in ‘08.  That’s awesome.  The Mets also won their fourth straight game today so they finish the day with a 10-6 record.  We have to start giving some props.  Mr. Wright continues to drive in half of the runs each day.  Props to Willie for trying not to put in Heilman because Mets fans don’t want to see him, but it backfired on him.  Heilman ended up striking out two batters in a row to get out of a bases loaded jam.  So props to Heilman.  Reyes has been on fire since Beltran’s little pep talk.  Church has done a great job batting in to two spot.  The starters have been really good this year also.  The Bullpen seems like it has gotten better than early on, but they still need to improve.  Beltran and Delgado are struggling.  Pagan’s hot streak has diminished.

The Mets have quickly turned the tide on the Phils.  They are now on a 4-game winning streak against them.  I do have to point out that they haven’t been at full strenght.  Rollins hasn’t played in four out of five games.  Victorino hasn’t played in most of the games.  Howard is batting .182.  The Mets stuck it to them when they were down, but it will be more difficult when they are healthy.  For now, great job by the Mets.  Hopefully, we’ll see another sweep tomorrow.

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