Die Hard Sports Fan

The New York Mets (8-6) are playing Game 15 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Philadelphia Phillies (8-8) at Citizens Bank Park.  It’s the first game of the three-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on CW11.

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

Phillies Lineup: Taguchi, Werth, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Feliz, Ruiz, Bruntlett, Hamels.

At the Plate

Cole Hamels (2-1) was the starting pitcher for the Phillies.  In the Top of the 1st, Church drew a one-out walk.  With Wright in the batters box, Hamels threw a passed ball so Church advanced to second.  David Wright drove an RBI double off the left field wall which scored Ryan Church.  Beltran lined out to short, and Wright was in between second and third so the Phillies turned the double play to end the inning.  Hamels gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Schneider grounded a two-out single through the middle.  Castillo flied out to left to end the inning leaving one stranded.  Hamels gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Reyes drew a one-out walk on four pitches.  Church flied out to the warning track in center.  With Wright in the batters box, Reyes stole second safely (However, Reyes slid into Utley’s knee which knocked the wind out of him for a minute.  Randolph and the trainors checked him out on field, and they let him play on.).  David Wright lined an RBI triple that a diving Werth couldn’t catch so the ball kept rolling toward the fence, and Jose Reyes came around to score.  Beltran flied out to left to end the inning.  Hamels gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Schneider lined a two-out double into right.  Castillo grounded out to third, and Feliz made the out at first to end the inning.  Hamels gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Hamels pitched his first 1-2-3 inning.  Hamels gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Wright lined a leadoff single into left (Wright needs a home run for the cycle).  Beltran grounded out to short, and Bruntlett made the force out at second.  Delgado popped up to second.  Pagan lined a two-out single into right, and Beltran moved over to second.  Schneider flied out to left to leave two Mets stranded.  Hamels gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Hamels sent the Mets down 1-2-3.  Hamels gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Top of the 8th, Church led off pulling the ball off the wall in the right field corner for a single.  Wright lined a no-out double into the left field corner, and Church went first to third.  Hamels intentionally walked Beltran to load the bases.  Hamels gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Hamels left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 8 Hits, 5 Runs, 4 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Manuel replaced Hamels with J.C. Romero with no outs in the Top of the 8th.  Carlos Delgado grounded an RBI single to first, but Howard bobbled the ball and made the tag at first as Ryan Church came home to score.  Angel Pagan lined a one-out RBI double into the gap in right center, and David Wright came around to score and Beltran moved over to third.  Brian Schneider grounded a one-out RBI single through the hole on the left side scoring Carlos Beltran and Pagan advanced to third.  Castillo grounded to third, and Feliz made the out at first as Schneider moved over to second.  Romero fanned Santana to end the inning.  Romero gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Manuel replaced Romero with Brad Lidge to begin the Top of the 9th.  Church lined a one-out single into right.  Wright drew a one-out walk.  Beltran grounded to first, and Howard (Error on Ryan Howard) deflected the ball so everyone was safe.  Carlos Delgado sacrifice flied to left, and Ryan Church came home to score.  With Pagan in the batters box, Lidge threw a wild pitch so both runners advanced.  Pagan flied out to left to end the inning.  Lidge gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

On the Mound

Johan Santana (1-2) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Santana sent the top of the lineup down in order.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Burrell lined a one-out single into left.  Feliz lined out to center.  Ruiz checked his swing, but the Umpire said he went around to leave one runner aboard.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Santana pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Utley grounded a one-out single through the legs of Delgado (Error on Carlos Delgado).  Santana caught Howard to chase strike three.  Burrell lined out to center to end the inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Santana retired the side.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Santana sent the Phillies down in order for the second straight inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of thr 7th, Chase Utley led off the inning with a solo shot to deep center field.  Howard grounded out to first.  Santana struck Burrell out swinging.  Feliz grounded out to short to end the inning.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Ruiz lined a leadoff single into left field.  Bruntlett lined a no-out single into shallow center, and Ruiz moved over to second.  Coste has been announced as a pinch hitter.  Santana gave up 2 Hits, 3 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning. Santana left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 10 SOs.

Randolph replaced Santana with Aaron Heilman with no outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Dobbs is pinch hitting for Coste, and Greg Dobbs jacked a 3-Run shot to right field scoring Carlos Ruiz, Eric Bruntlett, and himself.  Jenkins is pinch hitting for Taguchi, and Jenkins flied out to right center.  Werth grounded out to second.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Pedro Feliciano with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Feliciano struck out Utley swinging to end the inning.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Billy Wagner to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Wagner retired the side in order to get the save.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 6 - Philadelphia Phillies 4.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Johan Santana (2-2) got the win and Cole Hamels (2-2) got the loss.

The Mets are on a roll now.  They just won four straight division games.  Santana pitched a gem tonight against Hamels who also pitched well.  Wright continues to lead this team by going 4-4 at the plate, he drove in two runs, and he had a walk.  Delgado had two RBIs without even getting a hit, but he made positive outs.  Most of the lineup contributed to tonight’s offensive attack which is a good thing.  The only issue I had tonight was the 3-run homer by the pinch hitter Dobbs.  Heilman continues to give those up.  Fortunately, the Mets added an insurance run in the Top of the 9th, and held onto the lead.  Hopefully the Mets will be able to win at least two out of three this weekend down in Philly.

The Mets are 9-6 now which moved them into 1st Place.  Atlanta is the only team in the division that is still in progress, but they only have 6 wins and can’t skip my boys in orange and blue.  See what a 4-game winning streak can do?  Let’s see if the Mets can run away with the division now.

Share This

The New York Mets are playing Game 14 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Washington Nationals at Shea Stadium.  It’s the final game of the three-game series, and the Mets have the opportunity to take the brooms out tonight.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.Nationals Lineup: Guzman, Belliard, Zimmerman, Johnson, Milledge, Kearns, Pena, Nieves, Lannan.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Church, Wright, Delgado, Pagan, Clark, Casanova, Castillo, Figueroa.

On the Mound

Nelson Figueroa Jr. (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Belliard drew a one-out walk before Figueroa had back-to-back strike outs to Zimmerman and Johnson.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Figueroa sent the Nats down in order.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Figueroa retired the side again.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Zimmerman grounded to first, but it bounced off of Maine and towards Reyes so Zimmerman beat out the play for an one-out single.  Johnson crushed a one-out 2-run homer over the right field fence scoring Zimmerman and himself.  Milledge dropped a one-out single into shallow right field.  Kearns grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at first but Milledge took off for third so Delgado threw the ball to Wright and Milledge slid in safely.  Pena popped up to third to end the inning.  Figueroa gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Lannan lined the ball to the pitcher, and Figueroa caught the line drive with his back to the plate (It was beautiful).  Figueroa sent the Nationals down 1-2-3.  Nieves gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Figueroa retired the side again.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Pena drew a two-out walk.  Nieves flied out to right.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Figueroa left the game after pitching 7.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 7 SOs.

Randolph replaced Figueroa with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 8th.  Heilman retired the side.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Wagner retired the side.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Randolph replaced Wagner with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 10th.  Nieves drew a two-out walk.  Harris flied out to center.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.  In the Top of the 11th, Guzman lined to third but the ball bounced off of Wright’s glove so the Nationals have a leadoff runner.  Belliard bunted in foul territory and Casanova dove for it to make the catch.  Sanchez got Zimmerman to chase strike three.  Sanchez left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Sanchez with Pedro Feliciano with two outs in the Top of the 10th.  Johnson drew a two-out walk.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Joe Smith with two outs in the Top of the 10th.  Milledge grounded to short, and Reyes made the force play at second to leave two Nationals stranded.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 11th Inning.  In the Top of the 12th, Kearns got hit with a pitch to give the Nationals a leadoff runner.  With Lopez in the batters box, Smith pitched out and Casanova threw it to Reyes as Kearns was stealing.  Reyes and Delgado got Kearns in  rundown and eventually out.  Lopez grounded out to second.  Smith struck out Nieves trying to check his swing.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 12th Inning.  Smith left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Smith with Jorge Sosa to begin the Top of the 13th.  Harris flied out to right.  Guzman grounded out to short.  Belliard drew a two-out walk.  Zimmerman lined a single into center, and Belliard advanced to second.  Johnson popped up to shallow center to leave two Nationals on base.  Sosa gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 13th Inning.  In the Top of the 14th, Kearns lined a one-out single into right field.  Hanrahan dropped down a sacrifice bunt towards the pitcher, and Sosa made the out at first and Kearns moved over to second.  Sosa fanned Nieves to leave one National on base.  Sosa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 14th Inning.

At the Plate

John Lannan (0-2) was the starting pitcher for the Nationals.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes grounded up the middle for a leadoff single.  Church hit a fly ball to deep left, and Pena got his glove on the ball but couldn’t hold onto it so Church ended up with a no-out RBI double and Reyes came around to score.  Wright lined out to third.  Then Lannan fanned Delgado and Pagan to leave one runner stranded.  Lannan gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Lannan sent the Mets down 1-2-3.  Lannan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Lannan retired the side.  Lannan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Lanned now retired 12 Mets in a row.  Lannan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Lannan is up to 15 in a row.  Lannan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Reyes lined one-out single into right.  Lannan fanned Church.  Wright grounded out to short to end the inning.  Lannan gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Lannan left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 3 Hits, 1 Run, 1 ER, 0 BBs, and he had 11 SOs.

Acta replaced Lannan with Saul Rivera to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Delgado drew a leadoff walk.  Pagan lined a no-out single into right as Delgado advanced to second.  Clark dropped down a sacrifice bunt to the pitcher, and both runners moved over.  Casanova lined out to third.  Castillo grounded out to third to leave two runners stranded.  Rivera gave up 0 Runs, 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Church grounded to second, and Belliard (Error on Belliard) couldn’t field the ball so Church arrived safely to give the Mets a two-out base runner.  Rivera gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  Rivera left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 1 Run (Unearned), 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Acta replaced Rivera with Luis Ayala with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  Acta gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th.

Acta replaced Rivera with Jon Rauch with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Delgado lined a two-out RBI single into right field which scored Church and moved Wright over to second.  Rauch caught Pagan looking at strike three to leave two Mets stranded.  Rauch gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 9th, Castillo lined a two-out single near the left field line.  With Beltran in the batters box, Castillo stole second.  Rauch fanned Beltran.  Rauch gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.  Rauch left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Acta replaced Rauch with Jesus Colome to begin the Bottom of the 10th.  Church drew a one-out walk.  Wright hit a sacrifice fly to center field as Church advanced to second.  Colome intentionally walked Delgado before Pagan lined out to second leaving two Mets stranded.  Colome gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 11th, Chavez grounded a leadoff single to short because Guzman couldn’t field it cleanly.  With Casanova in the batters box, Colome threw a pitch out and Nieves caught Chavez stealing second.  Colome fanned Casanova.  Castillo grounded to first to end the inning.  Colome gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 11th Inning.  Colome left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Acta replaced Colome with Ray King to begin the Bottom of the 12th.  Easley led off by grounding a single through the hole on the left side.  Reyes dropped down a bunt towards the pitcher for a single and Easley advanced to second.  Church also bunted to the pitcher, and King made the force out at third (Willie Randolph came out to argue the call).  King gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 12th Inning.

Acta replaced King with Joel Hanrahan with one out in the Bottom of the 12th.  Wright grounded out to short, and the Nationals turned the double play to leave two Mets stranded.  Hanrahan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 12th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 13th, Sosa drew a one-out walk.  Chavez also drew a one-out walk.  Hanrahan caught Casanova looking at strike three.  Castillo lined out to short to leave two Mets stranded.  Hanrahan gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 13th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 14th, Easley led of grounding a single through the hole on the left side.  Reyes popped up a bunt, and Hanrahan made the catch.  With Church in the batters box, Easley took off for second as Church swung at srike two and Easley was safe.  With Church in the batters box, Hanrahan attempted to pick off Easley but the ball went into left field so Easley advanced to third.  Church worked himself into a 2-2 count before striking out.  Wright worked himself into a 2-1 count before drawing an intentional walk.  Hanrahan intentionally walked Delgado to load the bases to get to the pitcher.  Schneider came in to pinch hit for Sosa, and Hanrahan threw a wild pitch on the first pitch to Schneider which brought Easley home to score.

Final Score: Washington Nationals 2 - New York Mets 3 (in 14).  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Both starting pitchers got a no decision.

WOW!  Now that’s an extra innings game worth watching.  Both starters, Lannan and Figueroa pitched really good games.  Lannan got on a roll and retired 16 in a row.  The Bullpens got in and out of jams until the Bottom of the 14th.  Both teams left runners on base in multiple innings.  In the Bottom of the 14th, Easley led off with a single to left.  The Nats made two blunders which moved Easley to third.  Two intentional walks to Wright and Delgado.  With the bases loaded, Hanrahan throws a wild pitch on the first pitch to bring Easley home.  That’s what led to a sweep over the Nationals.  It was crazy.

So the Mets are 7-5 now.  They play the Phillies this weekend down in Philadelphia.  It’s late and I have to wake up early.  Good night.

Share This

The New York Mets are playing Game 12 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Washington Nationals at Shea Stadium.  It’s the first game of the three-game series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

It was Jackie Robinson Day in Major League Baseball.  The Mets announced those nominated by the Jackie Robinson Foundation.  Then the Mets unveiled that Jackie Robinson Rotunda for the fans at Shea Stadium.  Last, Rachel Robinson spoke on behalf of her late husband.

Nationals Lineup: Guzman, Milledge, Zimmerman, Johnson, Kearns, Estrada, Pena, Belliard, Perez.

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

On the Mound

Mike Pelfrey (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Milledge got lined a one-out double into the left field corner.  With Zimmerman in the batters box, Schneider threw out Milledge attempting to steal third.  Zimmerman lined out to center to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Johnson grounded a single through the hole on the right side.  Kearns grounded to short, and the Mets turned the double play.  Pelfrey hit Estrada with a pitch to give the Nationals a two-out base runner.  Pena grounded out to short, and Reyes made the out at first to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Belliard grounded up the middle for a leadoff single.  Perez dropped a bunt in front of home plate, and Schneider got the lead runner at second but Perez arrived safely at first.  Guzman hit a broken bat flair into left for a one-out single as Perez advanced to second.  Milledge drew a one-out walk to load the bases.  Zimmerman popped up to second.  Pelfrey fanned Johnson to get out of a bases loaded jam.  Pelfrey gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Pelfrey retired the side in order.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Perez lined a one-out single to right.  Guzman grounded to short, and the Mets only got the out at first on the double play attempt.  Pelfrey caught Milledge swinging at strike three.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Johnson drew a one-out walk.  Kearns grounded to third, and Wright made the out at first while Johnson moved over to second.  Estrada grounded out to second to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Pelfrey had a 1-2-3 inning.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  Pelfrey left the game after picthing 7.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Pelfrey with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 8th.  Guzman led off by lining a double into the right field corner.  Heilman fanned Milledge.  Zimmerman popped up in foul territory along the first base line, and Delgado made the out.  With Johnson in the batters box, Heilman threw a passed ball to Schneider and Guzman advanced to third.  Johnson drew a two-out walk.  Kearns grounded to third, and Wright made the force at second to end the inning.  Heilman gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Duaner Sanchez to begin the Top of the 9th.  Johnson lined out to second.  Pena grounded a one-out single up the middle.  Sanchez caught Belliard swinging at strike three.  Mackowiak is pinch hitting for Hanrahan, and Mackowiak grounded out to first to end the game.  Sanchez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Odalis Perez (0-2) was the starting pitcher for the Nationals.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes lined a leadoff single through the hole on the left side.  With Church in the batters box, Perez threw to first as Reyes took off for second.  Johnson threw it over to Belliard to pick Reyes off.  Church lined a one-out single into center.  Wright belted a 2-Run homer to left scoring Church and himself.  Perez fanned Beltran.  Delgado drew a two-out walk.  Pagan grounded out to third to end the inning.  Perez gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Perez got the bottom of the lineup to ground out.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Reyes led off with a gaper to to left center for a double.  Church dropped a bunt down the first base line, and Perez made the out at first as Reyes moved over to third.  Wright drew a no-out walk.  Beltran grounded to short, and the Nationals turned the double play to end the inning.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Pagan lined a one-out single to right.  Schneider grounded to first, and Guzman tagged first for one out and threw to Belliard but Pagan was safe at second.  Castillo drew an intentional walk.  Guzman fanned Pelfrey 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, Reyes led off with a triple that was halfway up the wall in left field (Reyes is a HR away from the cycle).  Perez got Church to strike out swinging.  Wright grounded out to third, and Zimmerman was able to hold Reyes at third before making the out at first.  Beltran drew a two-out walk.  Delgado was hit by the pitch by Perez which loaded the bases.  Pagan lined out to left to leave the bases loaded.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Perez retired the side in order.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Perez left the game pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 4 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Acta replaced Perez with Ray King to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Reyes led off by lining to short, but Guzman (Error on Guzman) dropped the catch and then threw it off the bag at first so Reyes advanced to second.  Church grounded out to first as Reyes moved over to third.  King gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Acta replaced King with Luis Ayala with one out in the Bottom of the 7th.  Wright pulled a one-out RBI double down the left field line scoring Reyes.  Beltran lined a one-out RBI single into left which brought Wright around to score.  Delgado popped up to second.  Pagan drew a two-out walk.  Schneider grounded out to third to end the inning.  Ayala gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Acta replaced Ayala with Joel Hanrahan to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Castillo drew a leadoff walk.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Heilman, and Castillo stole second while Anderson was in the batters box.  Anderson grounded out to first, and Castillo moved over to third.  Hanrahan caught Reyes at a high fast ball to strike him out.  Church drew a two-out walk.  Wright crushed a two-out 2-Run double to left center which scored Castillo and Church.  Hanrahan fanned Beltran to get out of the inning.  Hanrahn gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: Washington Nationals 0 - New York Mets 6.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Mike Pelfrey (2-0) got the win and Odalis Perez (0-3) got the loss.

Pelfrey pitched seven innings of shutout ball which was crucial.  He got into some jams, but got out of them.  Heilman pitched a scoreless inning before Sanchez pitched for the first time in over 2 years.  Sanchez pitched a scoreless inning as well.  The Mets got in base, but Wright was the only one driving them in.  Wright drove in 5 of the 6 runs himself.  I guess we would’ve won this game 1-0 if he wasn’t in the lineup.  Beltran had the only other RBI tonight.  A 6-0 win over the Nats is great.  The fans booed Milledge, but Lo Duca didn’t play tonight.

The Mets are back to .500 with a 6-6 record.  They have two more games against the Nats before they go down to Philly for a weekend series.

Share This

The New York Mets are playing Game 11 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Milwaukee Brewers at Shea Stadium.  It’s the rubber game of the three-game series.  The game began at 1:10 p.m., and it was aired on CW11.

Prior to the game, Carlos Beltran, David Wright, and Johan Santana were given their Gold Gloves from 2007.

Brewers Lineup: Weeks, Kapler, Braun, Fielder, Hall, Hart, Hardy, Suppan, Kendall.

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

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Perez hit Weeks with the pitch to give the Brewers a leadoff runner.  Kapler lined a no-out, two-run shot near the foul pole in left field which scored Weeks and himself.  Braun grounded out to third.  Fielder flied out to center.  Perez fanned Hall to end the inning.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Hart lined a leadoff single into center.  Hardy grounded a no-out single through the hole on the left side.  With Suppan in the batters box, Perez threw a passed ball which allowed both runners to advance safely.  Perez caught Suppan swinging at strike three.  Kendall popped up in foul territory along the first base line, and Delgado made the out.  Weeks drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Perez struck out Kapler to get out of a jam.  Perez gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Perez got the heart of the lineup to fly out.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Hart lined a leadoff single into center.  Hardy drew a no-out walk.  Suppan dropped down a sacrifice bunt towards third, and Wright made the out at first while both runners moved over.  Kendall grounded a one-out 2-Run single up the middle scoring Hart and Hardy.  Perez caught Weeks looking at strike three.  Kapler pulled a two-out double down the third base line.  Braun lined a 2-Run single into left which scored Weeks and Kapler, and Braun advanced to second when the throw came home.  Fielder grounded out to second to end the inning.  Perez gave up 4 Hits, 4 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Hall flied out to center.  Hart lined a one-out single into left.  Hardy drew a one-out walk.  Dillon came in to pinch hit for Suppan, and Randolph came out to make a pitching change.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Perez left the game after 4.1 Innings allowing 8 Hits, 6 Runs, 6 ER, 3 BBs, and he had 4 SOs.

Randolph replaced Perez with Jorge Sosa with one out in the Top of the 5th.  Dillon popped up in foul ground near first base, and Delgado made the out.  Kendall flied out to center to end the inning.  Sosa allowed 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Weeks led off with a homer to left.  Kapler drew a no-out walk.  With Braun in the batters box, Sosa threw a wild pitch and Kapler advanced to second.  For the second time, Sosa threw a wild pitch and Kapler moved over to third.  Sosa fanned Braun.  Sosa intentionally walked Fielder.  Hall popped up to short.  Hart lined an RBI single into left field which scored Kapler, and Fielder advanced to second.  Hardy flied out to left to end the inning.  Sosa gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Sosa left the game after pitching 1.2 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Sosa with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Top of the 7th.  Iribarren lined out to short.  Schoeneweis left the game after pitching 0.1 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Joe Smith with one out in the Top of the 7th.  Weeks grounded to third, but Delgado (Error on Delgado) dropped the throw from Wright which gave the Brewers a one-out base runner.  With Kapler in the batters box, Weeks stole second.  Kapler grounded an RBI double over the first base bag, and Weeks came around to score.  Smith caught Braun looking at strike three to end the inning.  Smith gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Smith left the game after pitching 0.2 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 1 Run (Unearned), 0 BBs, and 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Smith with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Top of the 8th.  Feliciano got Fielder to chase strike three.  Randolph went out to the mound and made a double switch.  Feliciano left the game after pitching 0.1 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Aaron Heilman and Clark replaced Church with one out in the Top of the 8th.  Heilman threw strike three right by Hall.  Hart popped up to shallow right field, and Castillo made the out to end the inning.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  In the Top of the 9th, Heilman hit Kendall with the pitch to give the Brewers a two-out base runner.  Weeks grounded to third, and Wright made the out at first.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Jeff Suppan (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Brewers.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Wright jacked a two-out solo shot to center field, the 100th Home Run of his career, scoring himself.  Beltran grounded out to second to end the inning.  Suppan gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Delgado drew a leadoff walk.  Church lined a no-out double to the right field corner as Delgado went first to third.  Easley grounded to second, and Weeks made the out at first while Delgado came home and Church advanced to third.  Schneider grounded an RBI single under Weeks and into right center as Church came home to score.  Perez dropped down a sacrifice bunt to towards the pitcher, and Suppan made the out at first as Schneider advanced to second.  Pagan grounded out to short to end the inning.  Suppan allowed 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Castillo had a broken bat flair over the head of Hall to lead off the inning with a double.  Wright grounded to short, and Weeks made the out at first as Castillo moved over to third.  Beltran lined a one-out RBI single into right center as Castillo came in to score.  Delgado grounded to first, but Fielder couldn’t field it properly so Beltran advanced to second and the Brewers ended up getting Delgado out at first.  Suppan intentionally walked Church with two outs.  Easley grounded a single up the middle and Weeks ended up fielding the ball, but Easley beat out the throw to load the bases.  Schneider lined a 2-Run single into center field which scored Beltran and Delgado, and Easley went first to third.  Suppan got Perez looking at strike three.  Suppan gave up 3 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Pagan led off with a double to the gap in right center.  Castillo grounded up the middle for a no-out single, and Pagan moved over to third.  Wright popped up to shallow center, and the runners held up.  Beltran lined out to first, and Fielder made the force out at first because Castillo was off the bag.  Suppan gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  Suppan left the game after pitching 4.0 Innings allowing 9 Hits, 6 Runs, 6 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 2 SOs.

Yost replaced Suppan with Salomon Torres to begin the Bottom of the 5th.  Delgado drew a no-out walk.  Church grounded to second, and the Brewers turned the double play.  Easley lined out to left to end the inning.  Torres gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Schneider grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  Chavez is pinch hitting for Sosa, and Chavez grounded into a double play.  Pagan drew a two-out walk.  Castillo also drew a two-out walk.  Wright grounded to third, and Hall made the out at first to end the inning.  Torres gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Torres left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 3 BBs, and he had 0 SOs.

Yost replaced Torres with Brian Shouse to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Beltran drew a leadoff walk.  Delgado grounded slowly to second, and Weeks only got the out at second on the double play attempt.  Church grounded a one-out single by Hall and into left field as Delgado advanced to second.  Easley grounded a one-out RBI single by Hardy and into center field as Delgado came around to score.  Schneider grounded to second, and the Brewers turned the inning ending double play.  Shouse gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Yost replaced Shouse with Guillermo Mota to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Clark lined a leadoff single into center.  With Pagan in the batters box, Clark stole second base.  Pagan dinked a no-out single over the head of Hardy in left field which moved Clark over to third.  Castillo grounded to first, and Fielder made the tag at first and then made the out at the plate as Clark was coming home.  With Pagan at second and Wright in the batters box, Mota threw a wild pitch and Pagan moved over to third.  Sosa threw back-to-back two-out walks to Wright and Beltran to load the bases.  Delgado flied out to right to end the inning leaving three Mets on base.  Mota gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 2 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Yost replaced Mota with Eric Gagne to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Heilman, and Gagne fanned Anderson.  Easley grounded out to second.  Schneider lined out to short to end the game.  Gagne gave up 0 Hits, Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: Milwaukee Brewers 9 - New York Mets.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Both starting pitcher got a no decision.

Today’s game was poorly played by both sides.  You can tell by the score alone.  Perez got rocked and gave up 6 runs in 4 1/3 which is horrible.  Sosa also got into some trouble in the 6th.  After that, Willie used a bunch of relievers to get through the game.  They did so without giving up any more runs, but it was too much to overcome.  The Mets put 7 on the scoreboard, but there were some lost opportunities.  Especially in the 8th inning with Mota on the mound.

The Amazins’ lost a series that they should’ve won.  When another pitcher wins the first game, and Santana is pitching in the same series then the Metsies should win the series.  But, it didn’t happen.  The Mets are now 5-6 on the season.  They have an off day tomorrow, and then the Nationals show up for a three-game series on Tuesday.

Share This

The Shea Faithful are catching their first glimpses of Johan Santana today.  Santana is making his Shea debut against the Brewers, and the Mets have a 2-1 lead in the Bottom of the 3rd.  Unfortunately, Johan is not looking as sharp as he did in his other starts.  We’ll be bringing you a Game Recap shortly.

Mets.com:

Figueroa lives a dream as Mets roll - Anthony DiComo summarized tonight’s game between the Brewers and the Mets, and he found out what Nelson Figueroa thought of pitching for his hometown team for the first time.

Johan more than ready for Shea debut - Anthony DiComo put together a pregame analysis for tomorrow’s game between the Brewers and the Mets.  Johan Santana is expected to make his Shea debut.

Reyes leaves early, out Saturday - Anthony DiComo reported that Jose Reyes left tonight’s game with tightness in his left hamstring.  Reyes is expected to take tomorrow off.

Castillo plans to return on Saturday - According to Anthony DiComo, Luis Castillo felt well enough to make the start today but didn’t due to the wet conditions.  Castillo stated that he plans on starting on Saturday.

Endy content with biding his time - Anthony DiComo found out that hot starts for Ryan Church and Angel Pagan mean fewer starts for Endy Chavez, but Endy says he is cool with it.

Newsday:

Beyond the call … - Erik Boland lets us know what Figueroa thought about pitching for the Mets last night.

Heilman defends union on drug issues - Erik Boland wrote this on Aaron Heilman’s stance on the drug issues in the Majors, “Aaron Heilman said the modifications to baseball’s joint drug agreement should address once and for all the players’ desire to clean up their sport. He also said not to expect more changes anytime soon.”

Easley jumps in, gets job done for Mets - Roderick Boone explains how Damion Easley contributed to last night’s game against the Brewers.

New York Daily News:

Nelson Figueroa earns first win in five years as Mets roll Brewers - Peter Botte summarized tonight’s game between the Brewers and the Mets.

Jose Reyes runs into trouble with hamstring injury

New York Post:

NO WAY, JOSE!

DUANER ON FAST TRACK TO BIGS - Mark Hale reminds us that Duaner Sanchez is attempting to pitch back-to-back days.  That is the requirement for him to make the roster.

SIT-FOR-BRAINS FAN ‘VANDALS’ IN SHEA BUST - Erika Martinez and Lukas I. Alpert reported that “Two knucklehead Mets fans kicked apart a seat during the team’s final home opener at Shea Stadium and tried to steal the broken bits as souvenirs, authorities said yesterday.”  They also wrote that “A third man, Joseph Trudden, 32, of Farmingdale, LI, was arrested separately for trying to steal bunting that hung in the stadium’s right field corner, prosecutors said.”  All three men were arrested.

METS DIDN’T FIGURE ON FIGUEROA - Tim Bontemps tells us that injuries got the Brooklyn-born pitcher on the mound last night.

New York Times:

Mets’ Figueroa Is Beaming but Reyes Is Ailing

Instead of Understudy, Pagán Is a Leading Man

The Star-Ledger:

Weather update

Today’s lineups

Reyes out today

Some gameday nuggets - Brendan Prunty provided some tidbits for yesterday’s game against the Brewers.

Journeyman Figueroa lifts Mets

Reyes hobbled but not worried

Mets lean on Figueroa for 4-2 win over Brewers

Share This

The New York Mets are playing Game 9 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Milwaukee Brewers at Shea Stadium.  It’s the first game of the series.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Brewers Lineup: Weeks, Gross, Fielder, Braun, Hall, Hart, Hardy, Parra, Kendall.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Pagan, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Easley, Church, Casanova, Figueroa.

On the Mound

Nelson Figueroa (0-0) was the starting pither for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Figueroa looked sharp in as he retired the top of the lineup down in order only throwing eight pitches.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Figueroa sent the heart of the lineup down in order.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Figueroa sent the bottom of the lineup down in order.  Figueroa pitched perfectly the first time through the lineup.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Figueroa sent the top of the lineup down in order again.  Figueroa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Hart drew a two-out walk to mess up Figueroa’s perfect game.  Hardy pulled an RBI double into the corner in left field as Hart came around from first to score.  Dillon is pinch hitting for Parra, and Figueroa caught Dillon looking at strike three.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 5th Inning.  (Randolph replaced Reyes with Easley due to a tight hamstring, and he replaced Easley with Anderson to begin the Top of the 6th)  In the Top of the 6th, Weeks drew a one-out walk.  Gross flied out near the warning track in right field.  With Fielder in the batters box, Weeks stole second safely.  Fielder lined an RBI double into the gap in left center which scored Weeks.  Braun flied out to deep center field where Beltran made a beautiful catch.  Figueroa gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Figueroa left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 6 SOs.

Randolph replaced Figueroa with Joe Smith to begin the Top of the 7th.  Hall grounded to third, but Wright (Error on Wright) made a bad throw to first which allowed Hall beat out the play.  Hart grounded to third, and Wright got the force out at second but Hart was safe at first.  Hart took off for second before Hardy grounded to second, and Anderson got the out at first.  Counsell is pinch hitting for Riske, and Counsell grounded out to short to end the inning.  Smith allowed 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 8th.  Heilman sent the Brewers down in order.  Heilman gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Wagner pitched a 1-2-3 inning in the 9th.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Manny Parra (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Brewers.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Pagan lined a one-out single into shallow left field.  With Wright in the batters box, Parra threw the ball into the dirt and Pagan stole second safely.  Wright flied out to left.  Beltran lined out to third to end the inning.  Parra gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Easley grounded a one-out single through the hole on the left side.  Church got caught looking at strike three.  Casanova popped up to shallow right, and Weeks made the catch to leave one runner stranded.  Parra gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Parra sent the Mets down in order.  Parra gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Wright lined a leadoff single into shallow left center.  Beltran worked himself into a full count before drawing a no-out walk.  Delgado pulled a ground ball under Fielder’s glove and into right field which scored Wright and Beltran moved over to third.  Easley sacrifice flied to left field which scored Beltran.  With Church in the batters box, Parra threw a wild pitch and Delgado took off for second base.  Church grounded up the middle to as Delgado advanced to third.  Casanova lined an RBI single into left field which scored Delgado and moved Church over to second.  Figueroa dropped down a bunt, and Kendall stalled hoping it would roll out of bounds.  The ball stayed fair, and Kendall (Error on Kendall) threw it off the bag as Figueroa beat out the throw to first so the bases are loaded.  Reyes grounded to third, and the Brewers turned the double play to end the inning.  Parra gave up 4 Hits, 3 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  Parra left the game after pitching 4.0 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 1 BB, and he had 4 SOs.

Yost replaced Parra with David Riske to begin the Bottom of the 5th.  Beltran drew a two-out walk.  Delgado popped up to shallow left, and Hall made the catch to end the inning.  Riske gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Riske sent the Mets down in order.  Riske gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  Riske left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs.

Yost replaced Riske with Salomon Torres to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Chavez is pinch hitting for Smith, and Chavez drew a leadoff walk.  Anderson dropped down a sacrifice bunt which moved Chavez over to second.  Pagan grounded an RBI single through the hole on the right side which scored Chavez.  Wright lined a single into center field, but Gross misplayed the ball so Pagan advanced to third.  Beltran grounded to the pitcher, and the Brewers were able to turn the double play to avoid a big inning.  Torres gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Torres sent the Mets down in order.  Torres gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Torres left the game after pitching 2.0 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 1 Runs, 1 ER, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs.

Final Score: Milwaukee Brewers 2 - New York Mets 4.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Nelson Figueroa Jr. (1-0) got the win and Manny Parra (1-1) got the loss.

It’s been a while since a Mets starter that had a poor performance.  The last one I remember was Maine’s first start in Atlanta.  Figueroa pitched another gem for the Mets since nobody knew what to expect from him.  It was his first win since 2004, and he retired the first 14 batters he faced.  The Bullpen put up goose eggs tonight which is where the problems have been.  So the Mets took the first game of the series which gives them a 5-4 record, and the aces will face each other tomorrow as Santana will take on Sheets.

Share This

The Mets were fortunate enough to win the series against the Phillies.  That call at the plate last night could’ve went either way as I mentioned in the game summary.  I’ve seen the play a dozen more times today, and I still can’t figure out what happened.

This weekend, the Brewers are in Flushing for a three-game series.  This should be a good NL matchup for the Mets to see where the Mets really are right now.  Here’s a look at the expected pitching matchups this weekend:

• 04/11/2008 - Manny Parra (1-0) - Nelson Figueroa Jr. (0-0)
• 04/12/2008 - Ben Sheets (1-0) - Johan Santana (1-1)
• 04/13/2008 - Jeff Suppan (1-0) - Oliver Perez (1-0)

After the Brewers leave town, the Nationals come to Queens for a three-game set.  The nine-game homestand will be over then, and the Mets will go on the road.

Mets.com:

Mets edge Phils in 12 on Pagan’s single - Marty Noble summarized last night’s game between the Phillies and the Mets.

Controversy surrounds song choice - According to Anthony DiComo, the initial online voting was rigged by fans to pick the Rick Astley tune.

Figueroa hopes to impress in first start - Marty Noble put together a pregame analysis of tonight’s game between the Brewers and the Mets.  Nelson Figueroa Jr. is scheduled to make his first start since 2004.

Mets sign righty Vargas to Minors deal

Remembering Negro Leaguer Vazquez - Danny Torres noted that Armando Vázquez passed away in March, and Torres feels like this native Cuban was an ambassador for the game on and off field.

Newsday:

Heilman has been weak link in Mets’ bullpen - Ken Davidoff takes his shots at Aaron Heilman, and deservedly so.

Mets’ Santana not thrown by high expectations

Mets sign ex-Brewer Vargas as rotation insurance

METS INSIDER: Grumpy old ballpark - David Lennon describes Mets fans leaving Shea Stadium after Tuesday’s game.

Mets beat Phillies again on Pagan’s hit in 12th

Pagan has seized opportunity Mets have given him - Erik Boland praises Angel Pagan for filling in wonderfully for Moises Alou.

New York Daily News:

Angel Pagan delivers in 12th inning, singles in winning run in Mets win

Mets-Phillies rivalry looking like what Mets-Braves used to be - Filip Bondy describes the play at the plate in the Bottom of the 12th, and how it might play into the 2008 Mets-Phillies rivalry.

Mets sign Claudio Vargas

Nelson Figueroa full circle with Mets - Mark Lelinwalla takes us through how the Mets drafted Figueroa in 1995, he has pitched for various teams (home and abroad), and he finally will be be making his first start as a Met tonight.

Panic is too much, too soon for Mets

New York Post:

STRIKING 12TH - Brian Costello walks us through the 12th inning of last night’s game between the Phillies and the Mets.

REYES SLIDE COULD LEAVE SKID BEHIND

PAGAN ENJOYING AN AMAZIN’ START

SCHOENEWEIS GETS METS OUT OF JAM

METS SIGN VARGAS

REYES NEEDS TO PHIL UP STAT SHEET - Prior to last night’s game, Tim Bontemps felt like Jose Reyes needed to get more involved.  It was good timing for the article because Reyes had two hits last night, and he was the tying run.

New York Times:

Mets Slide Past Phillies as Bullpen Holds Late

With Hernández Hobbled, Mets Come Back to Vargas

The Star-Ledger:

Mets Lineup

BRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! - M.A. Mehta says he’s freezing at Shea.

Figueroa pitches tonight for Mets

Reyes scores winning run in 12th to lift Mets

Santana ready for Shea debut - David Waldstein pointed out that Johan Santana is scheduled to make his Shea debut tomorrow.

Reyes hits and Mets Win in 12

Share This

The New York Mets are playing Game 8 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium.  It’s the rubber game of the first home series of the year.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and it was aired on SNY.

Phillies Lineup: Victorino, Bruntlett, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Jenkins, Feliz, Coste, Eaton.

Mets Lineup: Reyes, Pagan, Wright, Beltran, Delgado, Church, Easley, Schneider, Maine.

On the Mound

John Maine (0-1) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Victorino grounded a leadoff single up the middle.  Bruntlett popped up along the first base line as Victorino took off for second, but Delgado made the catch and throw to Easley at first for a double play.  Utley flied out to left to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Jenkins lined a two-out double off the wall in left center before Feliz flied out to center to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Coste drew a leadoff walk.  Eaton dropped down a sacrifice bunt towards first base to move Coste over to second, and Maine made the out at first.  Victorino grounded to the pitcher, and Maine made the out at first as Coste moved over to third.  Bruntlett flied out to center to end the inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Burrell drew a two-out walk before Jenkins grounded out to first to end the inning.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Maine retired the bottom of the lineup in order.  Maine gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Victorino drew a leadoff walk.  Bruntlett flied out to right.  With Utley in the batters box, Victorino took off for second and Schneider threw him out (Schneider made a great throw to Reyes).  Utley grounded to first and the ball hit first base and shot up in the air so Easley came towards first to field it and flipped it to Maine on the bag, but Utley beat out the play and collided with Easley.  Howard drew a two-out walk.  Burrell drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Peterson paid a visit to the mound, and Smith and Schoeneweis are warming up in the bullpen.  Jenkins grounded to second, and Easley made the force play at second to get the Mets out of a jam.  Maine gave up 1 Hits, 0 Runs, 3 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Ruiz led off with a solo shot down the left field line.  Coste lined a no-out double off of the wall in left field.  Maine left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 1 Run (1 ER), 5 BBs, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Maine with Pedro Feliciano after Maine faced two batters in the 7th and retired none.  Werth is pinch hitting for Eaton, and Werth drew a no-out walk.  Feliciano struck out Victorino, Bruntlett, and Utley to leave two runners straned.  Feliciano gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 3 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 8th.  Howard led off by jacking a solo shot to deep center field to make it a one-run game (Heilman keeps on giving up homers in the 8th).  Burrell drew a no-out walk, but Taguchi is pinch running for Burrell.  Jenkins pulled a single into right field as Taguchi advanced to third.  Feliz grounded to third, and Wright made the out at first as Taguchi came home and Jenkins moved over to second.  Heilman fanned Coste.  Werth grounded out to first to end the inning as the Shea Faithful boo Heilman.  Heilman gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Billy Wagner to begin the Top of the 9th.  Rollins is pinch hitting for Romero, and Wagner caught Rollins swinging at strike three.  Bruntlett flied out to right field.  Utley drew a two-out walk.  Wagner fanned Howard.  Wagner gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 9th Inning.

Randolph replaced Wagner with Joe Smith to begin the Top of the 10th.  Jenkins drew a one-out walk.  Feliz flied out to center.  Coste lined out to first.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 10th Inning.  In the Top of the 11th, Werth grounded to third and beat out the throw at first.  Hamels is pinch hitting for Seanez, and Hamels dropped down a bunt in front of home plate and Schneider fell so everyone is safe (Hamels was credited with the hit).  Bruntlett struck out trying to bunt.  Smith left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO.

Randolph replaced Smith with Scott Schoeneweis with one out in the Top of the 11th.  Utley grounded to second, and the Mets turned the double play.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 11th Inning.  In the Top of the 12th, Jenkins grounded hard to second, but Easley (Error on Easley) couldn’t field it cleanly or make the throw on time whcih gave the Phillies a two-out base runner.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 12th Inning.  Schoeneweis left the game after pitching 1.1 Innings allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Jorge Sosa with two outs in the Top of the 12th.  Feliz grounded to third, and Wright got the force play at second to end the inning.  Sosa gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 12th Inning.

At the Plate

Adam Eaton (0-0) was the starting pitcher for the Phillies.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Eaton sent the Mets down 1-2-3.  Eaton gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Delgado drew a one-out walk.  Church grounded a single through the hole on the right side as Delgado moved over to second.  Easley grounded to short, and the Phillies turned the double play to end the inning.  Eaton gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Eaton retired the side in order.  Eaton gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Pagan lined a leadoff single into shallow left field.  Eaton caught Wright looking at strike three.  Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Delgado grounded to second, and Utley made the out at first as the runners advanced.  Church lined an RBI single into left center which scored Pagan and Beltran.  Easley grounded to short, and Bruntlett made the force play at second.  Eaton gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Eaton pitched a 1-2-3 inning.  Eaton gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Pagan lined a leadoff double into the corner in left field.  Wright grounded to short, and Bruntlett made the out at first as Pagan advanced to third.  Beltran lined an RBI single into right which scored Pagan.  Eaton fanned Delgado.  With Church in the batters box, Beltran took off for second and was thrown out by Coste.  Eaton gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Eaton left the game after pitching 6.0 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 3 Runs (3 ER), 2 BBs, and he had 5 SOs.

Manuel replaced Eaton with Ryan Madson to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Easley lined a one-out double into the right field corner.  Schneider lined out to second.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Feliciano, and Anderson grouned out to short.  Madson gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Manuel replaced Madson with J.C. Romero to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Reyes grounded to short, but Reyes beat out the throw to first for a leadoff single.  Pagan dropped down a sacrifice bunt towards third, and Romero made the out at first as Reyes moved over to second.  Romero intentionally walked Wright.  With Beltran in the batters box, the Mets put on a double steal as Reyes and Wright advanced safely.  Romero fanned Beltran.  Delgado grounded out to third to end the inning while leaving to men on.  Romero gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Manuel replaced Romero with Brad Lidge to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Lidge got Church swinging at strike three.  Easley grounded out to third.  Schneider drew a two-out walk.  Chavez is pinch hitting for Wagner, and Chavez grounded out to short.  Lidge gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Manuel replaced Lidge with Rudy Seanez to begin the Bottom of the 10th.  Wright drew a two-out walk.  With Beltran in the batters box, Wright stole second base.  Beltran worked himself into a full count before swinging at strike three.  Seanez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 2 SOs in the 10th Inning.

Manuel replaced Seanez with Tom Gordon to begin the Bottom of the 11th.  Gordon sent the Mets down in order.  Gordon gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 11th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 12th, Schneider popped up to second.  Clark replaced Church, and Clark grounded out to third.  Reyes hit a two-out gaper to right center for a double.  Pagan grounded up the middle to bring Reyes home, and Reyes may have been safe or may have been out.  The Umpire called him safe.

Final Score: Philadelphia Phillies 3 - New York Mets 4.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  John Maine (0-1) and Adam Eaton (0-0) each got a no decision.

The Mets were able to grind out a win tonight so they won the series against the Phillies that they needed to win.  The Brewers are coming to Shea for a three-game series tomorrow, and then the Nationals come to Shea for a three-game series on Tuesday.

The Mets got themselves back to a .500 record (4-4) which moved them up to 2nd place.  Atlanta (3-6) went out to Colorado, but the game was postponed due to snow.  Go figure.  The Marlins beat the Nationals so the Marlins are 6-3 and the Nationals are 3-7.

Share This

The Mets honored William A. Shea in a pregame ceremony on the field.  The Mets retired the Shea name and hung up the plaque next to the other retired numbers.

The New York Mets are playing Game 6 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium.  Today’s game is the 2008 Home Opener for the Mets, and the final Home Opener at Shea Stadium.

Phillies Lineup: Rollins, Victorino, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Werth, Feliz, Ruiz, Moyer.

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

On the Mound

Oliver Perez (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Victorino dropped a one-out single into shallow center field.  Perez hit Utley with the pitch.  Howard popped up to center, and the runners held up.  Perez caught Burrell looking at strike three.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and Struck Out 1 in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Werth grounded a leadoff single through the hole on the right side.  Feliz grounded out to first, and Werth was off the bag so Delgado got the unassisted double play.  Ruiz popped up to shallow center to retire the side.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Perez sent the Phillies down in order.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Perez hit Utley with another pitch.  Perez struck Howard out swinging.  Burrell lined out to right.  Werth grounded to short, and Reyes made the out at second to retire the side.  Perez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he Struck Out 1 in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Ruiz lined a one-out single into right field.  Moyer drew a one-out walk.  Rollins grounded to third, and Wright made the out at second.  Victorino popped up to shallow left field to end the inning.  Perez gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Utley popped up to shallow center field.  Howard also popped up to shallow center.  Burrell drew a two-out walk.  With Werth in the batters box, Perez was called for a balk and Burrell advanced to second.  Perez threw a passed ball on ball four, so Burrell took off for third as Werth was granted first base.  Perez pitched 5.2 Innings giving up 3 Hits, 0 Runs, 3 BBs, and he Struck Out 2.

Randolph replaced Perez with Joe Smith with two outs in the Top of the 6th, Feliz drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Ruiz grounded out to short to leave three Phillies stranded.  Smith gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Smith with Scott Schoeneweis to begin the Top of the 7th.  Taguchi is pinch hitting for Moyer, and Taguchi grouned out to second.  Rollins lined a one-out single to left.  Victorino grounded a single up the middle, and Rollins moved over to second.  Shoeneweis hit Utley with the pitch to load the bases.  Howard grounded an RBI single to first, and Delgado hit Utley in the back as he was running to second which scored Rollins and Victorino (an Error by Delgado allowed Victorino to score).  Shoeneweis pitched 0.1 Innings giving up 2 Hits, 3 Runs (1 Earned), 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Jorge Sosa with one out in the Top of the 7th.  Burrell lined out to right field, and Utley tagged and moved over to third.  Werth grounded an RBI opposite field single through the hole on the right side to score Utley.  Feliz popped up to shallow center to end the inning.  Sosa pitched 0.2 Innings allowing 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sosa with Aaron Heilman to begin the Top of the 8th.  Ruiz drew a leadoff walk.  Taguchi laid down a sacrifice bunt towards first, and Heilman made the out at first.  Rollins pulled an RBI single into right field scoring Ruiz.  With Victorino in the batters box, Heilman threw a passed ball which moved Rollins to second.  Victorino drew a one-out walk.  Utley pulled an RBI double into right that one-hopped the wall and scored Rollins.  Heilman intentionally walked Howard to load the bases.  Jenkins is pinch hitting for Burrell, and Jenkins popped up to first.  Werth lined out to right to end the inning.  Heilman gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, 3 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Heilman with Carlos Muniz to begin the Top of the 9th.  Ruiz retired the side in order.  Ruiz gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Jamie Moyer (0-0) was the starting pitcher for the Phillies.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Castillo drew a one-out walk.  Wright flied out to the warning track in center field.  Beltran grounded out to third to end the inning.  Moyer gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Delgado belted a leadoff home run off the scoreboard in right center.  Pagan flied out to deep left center.  Moyer hit Church with a pitch.  Schneider grounded into a double play to end the inning.  Moyer gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Moyer got all three batters he faced to ground out.  Moyer gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Wright flied out to deep right center, and Victorino collided into Werth but held onto the ball.  Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Delgado softly hit an opposite field single into left as Beltran advanced to second.  Pagan grounded hard to second and beat out the play at first to load the bases.  Church grounded out slowly to first which scored Beltran, and the runners advanced to second and third.  Moyer intentionally walked Schneider to load the bases.  Moyer struck out Perez swining to limit the damage.  Moyer gave up 2 Hits, 1 Run, 2 BBs, and he Struck Out 1 in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Wright pulled a two-out double into the left field corner.  Beltran lined out to deep center to end the inning.  Moyer gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he did’t Strike Out anybody.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Moyer sent the Mets down 1-2-3.  Moyer gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 6th Inning.  Moyer pitched 6.0 Innings and gave up 4 Hits, 2 Runs, 3 BBs, and he Struck Out 1.

Manuel replaced Moyer Chad Durbin with to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Church led off with a ground ball up the middle.  Chavez replaced Pagan, and Chavez grounded to short and the Phillies turned the double play.  Reyes grounded a two-out single up the middle.  Easley replaced Castillo, and Easley flied out to the warning track in left field to end the inning.  Durbin gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 7th Inning.

Manuel replaced Durbin with J.C. Romero to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Beltran pulled a line drive down into the left field corner for a one-out double.  Delgado grounded out to second as Beltran moved over to third.  Clark is pinch hitting for Chavez, and Clark drew a two-out walk.  Church grounded out to second to end the inning.  Romero gaveup 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he Struck Out 1 in the 8th Inning.

Manuel replaced Romero with Tom Gordon to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Gordon struck Schneider out swining.  Chavez grounded out to the pitcher.  Reyes flied out to the warning track in right to end the game.  Gordon gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he Struck Out 1 in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: Philadelphia Phillies 5 - New York Mets 2.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.

Oli pitched shutout ball through 5 2/3 innings before the Bullpen gave another game away.  It was a good thing that the Mets beat the Marlins in the 2008 Season Opener because they were unable to win their final Home Opener at Shea.  The Bullpen gave away 3 straight games to the NL East contenders which is really bad.  The Mets need to win the final two games of this series so Pelfrey needs to step up big tomorrow night.  Even more than that, the Bullpen needs to resolve their issues so the Mets can win some games.

Share This

Sadly, the Mets are hosting their final Opening Day at Shea Stadium against the Phillies.  All of the offseason Mets-Phillies hype has gotten me waiting for this series for a long time.  I’m thrilled that it’s finally here.  Below, you will find what the media has to say about the final Opening Day at Shea.

Newsday:

Far from Shea Stadium, Pedro scheduled for rehab - David Lennon reported that Pedro Martinez is down in Port St. Lucie rehabbing.

Were the Mets ‘Rickrolled’? - Carl MacGowan discusses the new singalong song the Mets are looking for.

Mets host final home opener today at Shea Stadium

Not many Met-mentos from Shea

Mets return to scene of last year’s disaster

New York Daily News:

Live blog: The last Opening Day at Shea Stadium

Mets set to Shea hi for last time

Citi may give old park new power - According to Adam Rubin, Aaron Heilman believes that the erection of Citi Field near Shea Stadium’s left field wall has made Shea a better hitting ballpark.

Team brass sees Astley as ghastly - Adam Rubin pointed out that Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” won as the new Mets eigth inning song, but nobody likes it.

New York Post:

START SHEA-ING GOODBYE

SING ALONG WITH ASTLEY (NO JOKE)

AMAZIN’S 1ST PRIORITY: CLEAN STENCH OF ‘07

BRAWL TALK PERSISTS AS RIVALS LOCK HORNS

THIS FAN FINDS IT VERY HARD TO SHEA GOODBYE

SHEA, HEY! - The New York Post reported that the Mets will recognize William A. Shea in a pregame on-field ceremony prior to the final Opening Day at Shea Stadium.

New York Times:

Honor for Shea at Shea: He Brought Mets Here

The Star-Ledger:

BREAKING: Jamie Moyer does not throw hard

Big K for Perez in the 1st

Game 6: Phillies at Mets - Jeremy Cothran provided the lineup for today’s game between the Phillies and the Mets.

Matt Wise put on 15-Day DL - Jeremy Cothran reported that Matt Wise was placed on the 15-day Disabled List due to a forearm contusion.  The Mets replaced Wise’s roster spot with Carlos Muniz. 

Never Gonna Give You Up…. - Jeremy Cothran included the video of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” to deter you from wanting this song played during the eigth inning at Shea Stadium or Citi Field.

Rick Astley — Just say no!

Checking in from Shea

Mets focused on Phils, not nostalgia

Share This