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.

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The Nationals are coming to Flushing for a three-game set.  Today is MLB’s Jackie Robinson Day so the Mets will wear No. 42 tonight.  The Mets need to sweep the Nats this week.  Here’s the probable pitching matchups for the series.

• 04/15/2008 - Odalis Perez (0-2) - Mike Pelfrey (1-0)
• 04/16/2008 - Matt Chico (0-2) - John Maine (0-1)
• 04/17/2008 - John Lannan (0-2) - Nelson Figueroa Jr. (1-0)

Mets.com:

Robinson Rotunda unveiled by Mets - Barry M. Bloom wrote “Rachel Robinson took her first look at the high vaulted ceiling and circular architecture of the Jackie Robinson Rotunda at Citi Field on Tuesday and said “it was like walking into a cathedral.”"

Newsday:

Mets’ Randolph keeps Pagan’s start in perspective - Roderick Boone captured Willie Randolph’s thoughts about Angel Pagan, “He’s still a nice player, but let’s not get crazy. I hope he stays this way all year long. But he came in here as our fourth outfielder, and when your backup guys come in and really do a job for you, you love that kind of thing.”

After “Late Night,” Mets’ Wright voices concerns - Katie Strang tells us what David Wright had to say about the Mets slow start during his appearance on “Late Show With David Letterman”.

Money not buying happiness for Yankees, Mets

New York Daily News:

Ryan Church, Brian Schneider fitting in fine with struggling Mets

Met family mourns Tommy Holmes

It’s a funny thing, David Wright has blast with David Letterman

Duaner Sanchez finally coming back - Adam Rubin reported that Duaner Sanchez is expected to rejoin the Mets today.

New York Post:

METS PUSH BACK PEDRO’S RETURN

PAGAN’S BUBBLE IS ABOUT TO POP

New York Times:

Fans Have Not Forgotten, or Forgiven, the Mets

The Star-Ledger:

Shhh….Don’t tell them anything… - Dan Graziano tells us that Willie is shaking up the lineup tonight.

David Wright on David Letterman

Mets running on backup power - Brendan Prunty gives props to the bench players that have filled in and done a great job.

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I’m really bothered by how the Mets lost this series to the Brewers.  The Mets did not go out and play their best ball and get beat by the Brewers.  I’d tip my cap to them for that.  I have no problem whatsoever with Friday night, and I give Nelson a ton of props for pitching as well as he did after making his first start in four years.  On top of not starting in the big leagues for four years, he pitched for the team he grew up rooting for in his hometown with a ton of friends and family in attendance and dominated the Brewers.  Yesterday, Santana pitched poorly.  Wright made two errors.  Today, Oli pitched even worse than Santana did.  Delgado made an error.  The Mets grounded into 5 double plays.  All of this keeps innings alive for the opposing team, and they cashed in on it.  The Mets scored runs, but not enough.  They need to cash and not leave so many men on base.

Mets.com:

Mets outslugged as Perez hit hard

Every Met to wear Robinson’s No. 42 - Anthony DiComo pointed out that the entire team will pay tribute to Jackie Robinson at Shea on Tuesday by wearing No. 42 during baseball’s Jackie Robinson Day.

Versatile Pagan a good fit leading off

Sanchez’s return to Mets looks close - Anthony DiComo stated that Duaner Sanchez clears the hurdle of pitching in back-to-back contests.  This means that Sanchez should be able to join the team shortly.

Santana’s debut spoiled by Brewers - Anthony DiComo let us know how Johan Santana performed in his Shea debut yesterday.

Mets aim to shore up defense in finale - Anthony DiComo put together a pregame analysis for today’s game between the Brewers and the Mets.

Reyes to play it safe with left hamstring - Anthony DiComo provided the latest status of Jose Reyes.  DiComo wrote, “Reyes had an MRI on his left hamstring on Saturday morning, the results of which revealed a mild muscle strain.”  Reyes is expected to miss the weekend games, at a minimum.

Newsday:

3 Brewers HRs crush Santana, Mets fans’ first date - Anthony Rieber summarized yesterday’s game between the Brewers and the Mets.

‘Sore’ Reyes sits for Mets, but not for too long

Gold Glover Wright off to bad start in field

Santana faces harsh music - Johnette Howard let’s us know what she thought of Johan’s outing against the Brewers yesterday.

New York Daily News:

Mets ground into five doubles plays, squander lead and fall to Brewers

Brews and boos spoil Johan Santana’s Mets debut at Shea

Goodwill toward Johan Santana is history in Flushing

Hey Mets fans, lay off Johan Santana!

Mets don’t need Rick ‘n’ roll - Bill Price doesn’t think the Mets need to play Rick Astley as the eigth inning song.

David can’t get it Wright in field

Jose Reyes hopes hamstring strain won’t spell DL trip

New York Post:

METS FALL 9-7 TO BREWERS

SHEA IT AIN’T SO, JOHAN

SNOW YEA! - Brian Costello talks about some of the football games played at Yankee Stadium and Shea Stadium.

WRIGHT’S WRONG IN THE FIELD

HOME GROANS GREET METS ACE

REYES SITS: MRI REVEALS STRAIN

SERBY’S SUNDAY Q&A WITH… Angel Pagan.  Steve Serby asks Pagan about his family.

SHEA HEY! - Mets fans reveal their Shea memories.

REYES MRI REVEALS STRAIN

BREWERS BEAT METS 5-3 - Bart Hubbuch summarized yesterday’s game between the Brewers and the Mets.

New York Times:

Mets’ Bullpen Fails to Bail Out Pérez

Santana Struggles in Defeat, and the Fans Let Him Hear It

The Star-Ledger:

Mets fall to Brewers, 9-7

Perez’s day is done

Game update - Mid 4th

Suppan caught what Perez had

Game update - End 3rd

In-game observation

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

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

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

On the Mound

Johan Santana (1-1) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Weeks grounded to short and under the glove of Easley for a leadoff single.  With Kapler in the batters box, Santana threw the ball in the dirt so Weeks stole second.  Kapler lined out to left.  Fielder lined a single into left field which moved Weeks over to third.  Santana fanned Braun.  Hall grounded to short, and Easley made the force play at second to end the inning.  Santana gave up 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Hart grounded to third, but Wright (Error on Wright) made a poor throw to first which gave the Brewers a leadoff runner.  Hardy drew a no-out walk.  With Sheets in the batters box, Santana threw a wild pitch which advanced both runners.  Sheets dropped down a bunt towards the pitcher, and Santana made the play at first as Hart came home to score.  Kendall flied out to left.  Santana got Weeks looking at strike three to end the inning.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 1 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Santana sent the Brewers down in order.  Santana gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Hall led off with an opposite field shot to right center.  Santana caught Hart looking at strike three.  Hardy grounded out to third.  Sheets grounded out to the pitcher.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Weeks belted a one-out solo shot to left.  Braun flied out to center.  Fielder popped up to short.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Top of the 6th, Braun grounded to short and beat out the play.  Hall popped up in foul territory near home plate.  Hart grounded through the legs of Wright (Error on Wright) for a one-out single.  With Hardy in the batters box, Schneider threw out Braun as he attempted to steal third and Hart stole second safely.  Santana got Hardy swinging at strike three to end the inning.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Weeks drew a two-out walk.  Kapler jacked a two-run shot to left field which scored Weeks and himself.  Santana gave up 1 Hit, 2 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.  Santana left the game after pitching 6.2 Innings allowing 6 Hits, 5 Runs, 4 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 7 SOs.

Randolph replaced Santana with Scott Schoeneweis with two outs in the Top of the 7th.  Fielder flied out to right.  Schoeneweis gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Carlos Muniz to begin the Top of the 8th.  Muniz sent the Brewers down in order.  Muniz gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.  In the Top of the 9th, Iribarren is pinch hitting for Shouse, and Iribarren grounded a one-out single up the middle.  With Kendall in the batters box, Muniz picked off Iribarren at first.  Kendall flied out to left.  Muniz gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Ben Sheets (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Brewers.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Pagan lined a leadoff single into right.  With Castillo in the batters box, Sheets threw a wild pitch moved Pagan over to second base.  Castillo grounded to short, and Hardy made the out at first while Pagan advanced to third.  Wright hit a sacrifice fly to foul territory in right field which scored Pagan.  Beltran lined a two-out single into right.  Delgado crushed an RBI double off the wall in left center which brought Beltran home to score.  Church flied out to right to end the inning.  Sheets gave up 3 Hits, 2 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Easley grounded to third, but Hall (Error on Hall) couldn’t get a grip on the ball which gave Easley a leadoff single.  Schneider lined a single into center which moved Easley over to second.  Santana dropped down a bunt in front of home plate, but Kendall got the force out at third as Santana arrived safely at first.  Pagan flied out to left field, and the runners stayed put.  Castillo drew a two-out walk.  Wright grounded out to second to end the inning.  Sheets gave up 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Sheets sent the Mets down in order.  Sheets gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Sheets retired the side in order again.  Sheets gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, an he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Sheets pitched his third 1-2-3 inning now.  Sheets gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Sheets retired the side again.  Sheets gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBS, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 7th, Sheets now retired fifteen straight.  Sheets gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 2 SOs in the 7th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 8th, Pagan flied out to the warning track in left center.  Castillo grounded down the first base line, and Sheets made the throw to first in time.  Wright jacked a two-out solo shot to left.  Beltran drew a two-out walk.  Sheets gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.  Sheets left the game after pitching 7.2 Innings allowing 5 Hits, 3 Runs, 3 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 5 SOs.

Yost replaced Sheets with Brian Shouse with two outs in the Bottom of the 8th.  Delgado grounded out to the pitcher to end the inning.  Shouse gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Yost replaced Shouse with Eric Gagne to begin the Bottom of the 9th.  Gagne sent the Mets down in order.  Gagne gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

Final Score: Milwaukee Brewers 5 - New York Mets 3.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Johan Santana (1-2) got the loss and Ben Sheets (2-0) got the win.

Well, Johan didn’t make any lasting impressions in his Shea debut.  He just didn’t look good at all.  He gave up 5 Runs and four of them were earned.  The Mets did a good job with the base runners because Schneider threw one runner out stealing third, and Muniz picked one runner off at first.  However, Wright had two errors today which didn’t help.  Sheets started out not so hot, and then he retired 18 straight at one point.

The Mets (5-5) are back to a .500 record which puts them in second place.  The other NL East games are in progress or start later.  The Mets and Brewers will play the rubber game tomorrow.  Suppan is expected to pitch against Perez at 1:10 p.m.

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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.

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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

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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.

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The New York Mets are playing Game 7 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Philadelphia Phillies at Shea Stadium.  The game began at 7:10 p.m., and was aired on SNY.

Phillies Lineup: Victorino, Bruntlett, Utley, Howard, Burrell, Jenkins, Feliz, Ruiz, Kendrick.

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

On the Mound

Mike Pelfrey (0-0) was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Top of the 1st, Pelfrey sent the top of the lineup down in order.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 1st Inning.  In the Top of the 2nd, Pelrey struck Howard out swinging.  Burrell grounded a one-out single up the middle.  Jenkins grounded a single through the hole on right side which moved Burrell over to second. Feliz grounded to short, and Reyes (Error on Reyes) flipped it to Easley but it went into center field which loads the bases.  Ruiz grounded an RBI single through the hole on the right side which scored Burrell.  Kendrick grounded to first, and Delgado made the out at home plate.  Victorino grounded to third, and Wright made the out at first.  Pelfrey gave up 3 Hits, 1 Run, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Pelfrey retired the side in order.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Top of the 4th, Feliz drew a one-out walk.  Ruiz grounded into a double play.  Pelfrey gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 4th Inning.  In the Top of the 5th, Bruntlett drew a two-out walk.  Utley doubled with a gaper to left center which scored Bruntlett.  Howard grounded out to first to end the inning.  Pelfrey gave up 1 Hit, 1 Run, 1 BB, and he 0 SOs in the 5th Inning.  Pelfrey pitched 5.0 Innings and allowed 5 Hits, 2 Runs, 2 ER, 2 BBs, and he had 3 SOs.

Randolph replaced Pelfrey with Jorge Sosa to begin the Top of the 6th.  Sosa got three batters to ground out.  Sosa allowed 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 0 SO in the 6th Inning.  In the Top of the 7th, Sosa had another 1-2-3 inning.  Sosa allowed 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 7th Inning.

Randolph replaced Sosa with Pedro Feliciano to begin the Top of the 8th.  Bruntlett lined a leadoff single into center.  Utley flied out to left field.  Feliciano struck Howard out swinging.  Burrell grounded a single through the hole on the right side as Bruntlett advanced to second.  Werth replaced Jenkins, and Werth drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Feliz popped up to shallow center to end the inning.  Feliciano allowed 2 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 8th Inning.

Randolph replaced Feliciano with Carlos Muniz to begin the Top of the 9th.  Muniz fanned Ruiz.  Coste is pinch hitting for Seanez, and Coste lined a one-out double into the left field corner.  Victorino grounded out to short as Coste moved over to third.  Bruntlett popped up at home plate, and Schneider made the final out.  Muniz allowed 1 Hit, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 9th Inning.

At the Plate

Kyle Kendrick (1-0) was the starting pitcher for the Phillies.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Reyes drew a leadoff walk.  Pagan grounded to the pitcher, and Reyes advanced to second safely as Kendrick made the out at first.  Wright grounded to second base which bounced off of Utley (Error on Utley) and went into center field as Reyes came home to score.  Beltran line out to deep right center.  Delgado drew a two-out walk.  Church drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Easley grounded to short, and Bruntlett made the out at first to end the inning.  Kendrick gave up 0 Hits, 1 Run (Unearned), 3 BBs, and he didn’t Strike Out anybody in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Schneider drew a leadoff walk.  Pelfrey dropped down a sacrifice bunt along the first base line to move Schneider over to second while Pelfrey was tagged out.  Reyes grounded to first, and Howard flipped it to Kendrick at first as Schneider advanced to third.  Pagan drew a two-out walk.  Wright drew a two-out walk to load the bases.  Beltran grounded out to second to end the inning.  Kendrick gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 3 BBs, and he had 0 SOs in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Delgado hit a leadoff double that one-hopped the wall in left.  Church lined a single to center which moved Delgado over to third.  Easley grounded an RBI single through the hole on the left side to score Delgado and advance Church over to second.  Schneider lined out to first.  Pelfrey dropped a bunt right in front of home plate, and Ruiz (Error on Ruiz) attempted to make the out at third, but Feliz couldn’t make the catch so the bases are loaded.  Reyes grounded to short, but Brutlett (Error on Bruntlett) couldn’t field the ball which led to Church coming home to score and the bases remained loaded.  Pagan grounded an RBI double over the third base bag and into the left field corner which scored Easley and Pelfrey and moved Reyes over to third.  Kendrick pitched 2.1 Innings allowing 4 Hits, 7 Runs, 1 ER, 6 BBs, and 0 SOs.

Manuel replaced Kendrick with Chad Durbin with one out in the Bottom of the 3rd.  Wright grounded an RBI single under the glove of Bruntlett (Error on Bruntlett) on the left side to score Reyes and moved Pagan over to third.  With Beltran in the batters box, Durbin threw a wild pitch which led to Pagan scoring.  Beltran drew a one-out walk.  Delgado lined out to right field.  Durbin struck out Church to finally bring the inning to a close.  Durbin allowed 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 1 SO in the 3rd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Durbin retired the bottom of the lineup in order.  Durbin gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 4th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 5th, Durbin sent the top of the lineup down 1-2-3.  Durbin allowed 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 5th Inning.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Durbin retired the side again.  Durbin allowed 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 0 BBs, and he had 1 SO in the 6th Inning.  Durbin pitched 3.2 Inning allowing 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 4 SOs.

Manuel replaced Durbin with Clay Condrey to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Easley drew a leadoff walk.  Schneider lined a single into right which moved Easley over to second.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Sosa, and Anderson flied out to the gap in left center, and Easley moved over to third.  Reyes grounded to second, and Schneider stalled running to second which allowed Easley to score before the double play was complete.  Condrey allowed 1 Hit, 1 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 7th Inning.

Manuel replaced Condrey with Rudy Seanez to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Pagan drew a leadoff walk.  Wright lined out to short.  Beltran flied out to right field.  Delgado flied out to left.  Seanez gave up 0 Hits, 0 Runs, 1 BB, and he had 0 SOs in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: Philadelphia Phillies 2 - New York Mets 8.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  Mike Pelfrey (1-0) got the win, and Kyle Kendrick (1-1) got the loss.

I’m very happy that the Mets sent a message to the Phillies by beating them 8-2.  Prior to the game, I was very concerned about Pelfrey.  Pelfrey looked really good tonight.  One of the runs he gave up in the 2nd Inning was the result of an error on Reyes which should’ve resulted in at least one out and maybe a double play.  The Bullpen put up the goose eggs today which does not follow the early trend.  The Mets only had 5 Hits today, but they cashed in on 9 BBs and 4 Errors.  With the Mets winning tonight, at least they have a shot at winning the series tomorrow with Maine on the mound.  The Mets need to win the series against the Phillies since they lost the last series to the Braves.   Last, the Amazins’ finally ended the 9-game winning streak that the Phillies were on…which is huge!

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Proir to the Mets-Braves game, the Nationals lost last night so the Mets moved into first place.  Let’s hope they stay there until they clinch the NL East.  The Mets are playing Game 4 of the 2008 Regular Season against the Braves at Turner Field in Atlanta.  It is the first time they face each other this year.

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

Braves Lineup: Escobar, Kotsay, Jones, Teixeia, McCann, Francoeur, Diaz, Prado, Hudson.

At the Plate

Tim Hudson was the starting pitcher for the Braves.  Hudson got the first three Mets to ground out in the Top of the 1st.  In the Top of the 2nd, Hudson got Beltran to ground out.  Delgado grounded a single up the middle, and then Church grounded a single up the middle to advance Delgado to third.  Pagan hit a ground ball to short where the Braves made the out at second but couldn’t turn the double play which allowed Delgado to score.  Hudson fanned Schneider to end the inning.  Hudson gave up 1 Run on 2 Hits while Striking Out 1 in the 2nd Inning.  In the Top of the 3rd, Hudson retired the side in order while Striking Out 2.  In the Top of the 4th, Hudson retired the heart of the Mets order.  Hudson gave up 0 Runs and 0 Hits in the 4th.  In the Top of the 5th, Church hit a leadoff single into center field.  Pagan slapped an opposite field single into left which moved Church over to second base.  Schneider grounded out to first which advanced both runners.  Clark was pinch hitting for Maine, and Hudson hit Clark with the pitch to load the bases.  Reyes slapped a single into center field that hopped before a diving Kotsay got the leather on the ball.  The Mets thought it bounced, and the runners took off so the Braves turned the double play (On the replay, the ball clearly bounced before Kotsay caught the ball).  The call was reversed after the Umpires had a meeting of the minds.  The Umpires called it an RBI single for Reyes, and the runners were allowed to advanced one base which scored Church.  Castillo hit an RBI ground out to second which scored Pagan and moved the runners over to second and third.  Wright grounded out to third to end the inning.  Hudson gave up 2 Runs, 3 Hits, and 1 HBP in the 5th.  In the Top of the 6th, Hudson gave up 0 Runs, 1 Hit, and Struck Out 1.  Hudson pitched 6.0 Innings giving up 6 Hits and 3 Runs while Striking Out 4.

Cox replaced Hudson with Peter Moylan to begin the Top of the 7th.  Schneider lined a leadoff single into center.  Chavez is in to pinch hit for Schoeneweis, and Chavez grounded hard to second.  The ball bounced off of Prado and into right field so the runners are on first and second (It was ruled a hit).  Moylan worked himself out of the jam leaving two Mets stranded.  Moylan gave up 2 Hits and 0 Runs in the 7th.

Cox replaced Moylan with Royce Ring to begin the Top of the 8th.  Beltran led off with a double that one-hopped the left field wall.  Delgado pulled an RBI double into the right field corner which scored Beltran.  Church grounded out to first, and Delgado advanced to third.  Pagan lined an RBI sacrifice fly to left field which brought home Delgado.  Schneider grounded out to second to end the inning.  Ring gave up 2 Hits and 2 Runs, in the 8th Inning.

Cox replaced Ring with Rafael Soriano to begin the Top of the 9th.  Anderson is pinch hitting for Figueroa, and Anderson lined out to right field.  Soriano struck Reyes out swinging.  Castillo popped out to short to end the game.  Soriano retired the Mets in order in the 9th.

On the Mound

John Maine was the starting pitcher for the Mets.  In the Bottom of the 1st, Maine caught Escobar looking at strike three.  With one out, Kotsay grounded a single through the hole on the left side.  Jones lined a single into right field, and Kotsay advanced to second.  Maine walked Teixeira to load the bases.  McCann hit an RBI sacrifice fly to right field which scored Kotsay and Jones advanced to third.  Maine struck out Francoeur swinging.  Maine is throwing heat but doesn’t look sharp as he gave up 1 Run, 2 Hits, and 1 Walk while Striking Out 2 in the 1st Inning.  In the Bottom of the 2nd, Prado flaired a one-out single into right and that was it.  Maine gave up 1 Hit and Struck Out 2 in the 2nd Inning.  In the Bottom of the 3rd, Jones grounded a one-out single through the hole on the right side.  Maine walked Teixeira…again.  McCann flied out to center, and the runners held up.  Francoeur blooped an RBI single into shallow left field which scored Jones and advanced Teixeira to third.  Diaz hit an RBI single into center field scoring Teixeira and Francoeur advanced to second.  Prado grounded out to second to end the inning.  Maine gave up 2 Runs, 3 Hits, and 1 Walk in the 3rd.  In the Bottom of the 4th, Maine struck out Hudson, and then he walked Escobar.  Kotsay popped up to left, and Escobar stayed put.  Jones singled up the middle to advance Escobar to third.  Teixeira pulled an RBI single through the hole on the right side to score Escobar and advance Jones to second.  McCann popped up to short to end the inning.  Maine gave up 1 Run, 2 Hits, 1 Walk, and Struck Out 1 in the 4th.  John Maine left the game after pitching 4 Innings giving up 8 Hits, 4 Runs, 4 ER, 3 BB, and 5 SO.

Randolph replaced Maine with Joe Smith to begin the 5th Inning.  Smith sent the Braves down in order, and he Struck Out 1 in the 5th.  In the Bottom of the 6th, Gotay came in to pinch hit for Hudson.  Gotay hit a leadoff single up the middle.  Escobar sacrifice bunted to the pitcher, and Smith made the play at first while Gotay moved over to second.

Randolph replaced Smith with Scott Schoeneweis with 1 Out in the 6th Inning.  Kotsay ripped an RBI single into right field which scored Gotay (Gotay got his revenge on the Mets).  As Kotsay took off for second base, Church threw out Kotsay.  Jones popped up just foul of the first base line to end the inning.  Schoeneweis gave up 1 Hit and 1 Run (Charged to Smith) in the 6th Inning.

Randolph replaced Schoeneweis with Jorge Sosa to begin the Bottom of the 7th.  Sosa fanned Teixeira.  McCann doubled into the gap in right center.  Francoeur grounded the ball through the hole on the left side for a single which moved McCann over to third.  Sosa then fanned Diaz.  Sosa walked Prado to load the bases.  Johnson is in to pinch hit for Moylan, and Johnson lined a Grand Slam into right field scoring McCann, Francoeur, Prado, and himself (a pinch hit Grand Slam…that is the last thing I ever want to see the Braves do).  Escobar lined out to right to end the inning.  Sosa gave up 3 Hits, 4 Runs, 1 Walk, and Struck Out 2 in the 7th.

Randolph replaced Sosa with Nelson Figueroa Jr. to begin the Bottom of the 8th.  Kotsay grounded out to second.  Jones grounded out to first.  Teixeira lined a single into right.  Figueroa walked McCann.  Francoeur lined into center, but the diving Beltran couldn’t get to the ball in time, and Teixeira and McCann both scored.  Diaz flied out to center to end the inning.  Figueroa gave up 2 Hits, 2 Runs, and 1 Walk in the 8th Inning.

Final Score: New York Mets 5 - Atlanta Braves 11.  The MLB.com Box Score is attached.  John Maine got the loss (0-1) and Tim Hudson (1-0) got the win.

What an ugly game down in Atlanta.  Maine was throwing heat, but couldn’t locate his pitches.  The Bullpen gave up a ton of runs after Maine gave up 4.  Larry and Francoeur each went 3-5.  Teixeira was on base too much.  And worst of all…the Grand Slam by the pinch hitter, Kelly Johnson.  That’s not what I expected with Johnnie on the mound.  The Amazins’ will find out how for real Santana is tomorrow when he goes up against Smoltz.  The Mets need Santana to be the stopper that they paid $150 million for because they need to even out this series at 1-1.

On more of a positive note, the Phillies lost to the Reds, and the Nationals lost to the Cardinals which means that the Mets are still tied for first place pending the outcome of the Marlins-Pirates game where the Marlins have a 1-0 lead over the Pirates in the 2nd Inning.

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Hello Mets fans. Winning two out of three against Florida isnt bad at all. I would like to see the Mets sweep a team with a 17 million dollar payroll but I was very happy to see an offensive explosion after a heartbreaking 10 inning loss. I posted earlier this week about Angel Pagan and Ryan Church. Both players played great with Church getting his first homerun as a Met. Pagan had another rbi and is swinging the bat real well. David Wright looks focused on proving that he can be a dominant player both at the plate and in the field. Oliver Perez pitched a great game and the bullpen besides the homerun the other night has looked strong. I feel that Carlos Beltran is going to have a monster year. He was robbed out of a homerun last night and has been crushing the ball almost every at bat. It seems as if Carlos Delgado is starting to go the other way more. He needs to in order to have a bounce back year. Im looking forward to this weekend series coming up against Atlanta. John Maine goes tomorrow night and if he can pitch like he did during spring training, us Mets fans are going to be very happy. Lets Go Mets.

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